Herptile nursery volunteers help us feed, clean and care for various herptile species we receive, including Common Snapping Turtles, Western Painted Turtles, Ornate Box Turtles & others. More advanced tasks may include caring for amphibians, tong feeding snakes, and weighing & measuring baby turtles.
*Doing laundry, washing dishes, and other general cleaning tasks will ALWAYS be a part of your shift, no matter how trained you are.
Accessibility & Physical Requirements
Volunteering in our herptile nursery is a hands-on role that involves caring for reptiles and amphibians in a variety of enclosure setups. Tasks may include bending, crouching, or leaning into deeper enclosures to safely handle animals, such as reaching into tubs to lift turtles from below standing height. Volunteers may also be asked to move or carry dense rubber tubs (weighing anywhere between 20-40 pounds when full) within the nursery or to and from the cage wash area. These activities can require lifting from a bent or leaning position and may be repeated multiple times during a shift. While we do our best to support volunteers, we are not always able to modify enclosure layouts or task assignments. We encourage prospective volunteers to consider these physical requirements and reach out with any questions to help determine whether this role is a good fit.
How to Get Started
The first step is completing an online Volunteer Application Form by selecting the button below.
If you have any questions, you can contact us at volunteer@nebraskawildliferehab.org and we'd be happy to answer them. We appreciate your partnership in helping our patients return to the wild!
