As you can see, Rest.Q serves the needs of a wide variety of creatures. We are constantly adjusting and adapting housing, reading new innovations regarding care, or purchasing organic, fresh food to keep our crew happy and healthy.

Our alpacas were saved at auction and were headed for slaughter where they are commonly used as dog food. We currently have six alpacas. Our "boys" as we call them arrived with mange and ear mites. In addition to treating these conditions we had our alpacas neutered to reduce potential aggression. While initially shy, they will now eat from the hand. The alpacas have their own shelter and enjoy spending time in the field with Rest.Q's horses. We shear our alpacas each spring and often have fleece (in varying qualities) available for artists looking for raw fiber - anyone interested in alpaca fleece for Spring 2008 is encouraged to contact us at info@restqsanctuary.org.

On hot days, the alpacas enjoy taking a bath.

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We currently have 50 hens and two roosters at Rest.Q. The hens or "our girls" as we call them spend their day roaming the property, digging in the garden, and perching on the split rail fencing. Our hens have been rescued from a variety of circumstances. The bulk of the hens we have are former battery hens who arrive in very rough condition. We nurture them back to health and slowly integrate them within the existing flock. Rescuers wanting information on rehabilitating battery hens are encouraged to contact the sanctuary at info@restqsanctuary.org. The hens are all called in at night to their coop where they are protected from predators (raccoons and mink mostly). As we have large numbers of bald eagles in Southern BC, protection from eagles is a constant worry when the hens are out. Visitors to the sanctuary often comment on how tame and friendly our hens are as they regularly check out visitors - likely looking for a treat!

Here the hens work in the garden, turning the soil and helping prep the bed for planting.

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Our three roosters Hank, Charlie, and Max have presented a real challenge for us at the sanctuary. As roosters can be very aggressive with one another, as is the case with Hank and Charlie, we must keep them separated. Housing presents another challenge as they must be kept apart and kept away from our hens as they have injured hens in the courting process (plus we are a non-breeding facility and do not want chicks hatching at the sanctuary). While Charlie was a cast-off, kindly rescued by a local resident and brought to the sanctuary, Hank had an interesting start in life. Rescued as a tiny chick at a meat rendering station, Hank spent his first 4 months in an apartment in the city. Eventually, he became too large and too difficult to handle and was brought to Rest.Q. Hank remains on a restricted diet as he was bred to be big and our concern for Hank is that he remain healthy and not tax his bones nor his heart with extra weight. Hank has been known to be aggressive with sanctuary workers and we are on constant guard around him.

Max has been at the sanctuary since the summer of 2007 when he was dropped off as a young bird. He had been abandoned and found temporary refuge at Rest.Q. Max spends his days scouting for eagles and protecting our flock of hens. While he takes his job seriously, he's not aggressive as some roosters are known to be.

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Our two male chinchillas, Barry and Chili, live in a large enclosure in the parrot barn. They love running about the barn each day and return to their cage for treats (e.g., craisins, dried banana chips, etc.). The chinchillas were former pets that were no longer wanted - a common result when small animals are purchased as pets for children.

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At Rest.Q we have three distinct groups of cats. We have a core group of tame cats that live at the sanctuary. These cats are all spayed/neutered, easy to handle and spend their days either in the house or out exploring the property. The second group consists of our feral cats. These are cats that were living feral somewhere in the Gulf Islands (a common situation), trapped, spayed/neutered, and then released at Rest.Q. Overtime, these cats come to the feeding stations and will tolerate distant human interaction. Each of the feral cats has his/her right ear tipped to indicate that spaying/neutering has occurred. Our last group of cats consists of cats in transition. We frequently have cats dropped off at Rest.Q who have lost their homes due to a variety of circumstances (e.g., owner moving, owner death, left behind in rental accommodation, etc.). Profiles of any cats available for adoption are placed under the Adoption link of this website.

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We currently have two dogs at Rest.Q. Given the wide variety of animals and birds at Rest.Q, it takes a special dog to fit into our existing framework. We generally are unable to assist dogs as we've found it too disruptive to the other animals here - especially the cats and the hens. Local residents seeking assistance with rehoming dogs can contact the Saltspring SPCA at www.spca.bc.ca/saltspring/

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Napoleon and Josephine are our resident geese and sanctuary guardians. They loudly announce the arrival of visitors to the farm. While they enjoy roaming the property they spend most of their time near the pond. Napoleon and Josephine came to the sanctuary after their owner died. As with many of the residents at Rest.Q we have little information as to their age or background.

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We have two very old horses staying at Rest.Q. The horses came to the sanctuary after their owner had died. One horse in particular, Eden, a 30-year-old mare, arrived severely underweight and malnourished. As she has no teeth, Eden is fed a soft diet four times daily. With ferrier and veterinary costs associated with keeping the pair of horses in good health, we are always seeking donations towards their care.

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We have a large group of parrots at Rest.Q. The bulk of the parrots here were former pets whose owners could no longer tolerate their screaming and chewing (all natural behaviors). We do our best to allow birds to select buddies and arrange our housing around this. Thus, you'll find odd pairings of birds at Rest.Q but we feel it important that birds recreate their own flock. We also feel it important that birds be birds - we do not clip wings, we encourage chewing and foraging, and we allow our parrots to engage in natural behaviors (except breeding). Our 800 square foot bird barn is designed for just this purpose. Birds are allowed to fly about, to explore new toys suspended from the ceiling, and to chew until their hearts are content. In addition to the bird barn, we have a large outdoor flight where birds spend time (weather permitting). We currently have a large group of Plum Headed Parakeets, a variety of conures (Nanday, Sun, Dusky), budgies, cockatiels, Senegals, Rosellas, Greys, Amazons, and Cockatoos. Needless to say, Rest.Q is a lively place!

Visitors enjoy interacting with the animals at Rest.Q. Many of the parrots are friendly to visitors to the sanctuary.

One of the aviaries at Rest.Q where the parrots can enjoy time in the sun or a bath in the rain.

Here the cockatoos at Rest.Q enjoy time in their outdoor play cage. While all parrots need stimulation, cockatoos are especially active and require opportunities to fly about, chew, and interact with fellow flock members. As the climate is relatively mild here, the parrots are able to regularly spend time outside. They especially enjoy bathing in the rain.

Rest.Q is home to a large flock of Plumheaded Parakeets. Here, they enjoy exploring new branches placed inside the aviary.

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William is our resident Pot Belly pig. He is 12 years old and came to Rest.Q after his owner fell ill. After living in a crate crafted out of plywood in his former home, William now spends his day hobbling about the Horse Paddock here at Rest.Q, sunning himself, and learning to walk again. He arrived with his toenails completely curled around and had been unable to walk for some time. In fact, he will still walk on his knees occasionally. William enjoys treats of fresh grated carrots, apples, and his favorite treat of peanut butter on toast. Additional information on the care of Pot Belly pigs can be found at www.heartsonnoses.com - a sanctuary devoted uniquely to the care of pigs.

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We have a number of rabbits and guinea pigs at Rest.Q. Some of the rabbits were saved from slaughter whereas others were unwanted pets that had been discarded. All rabbits are neutered/spayed (as are the male guinea pigs) and spend their days in a large enclosure where they are allowed to dig, run, chew, and interact.

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Pre-ordered for Christmas dinner, our 8 turkeys are fortunate to have found their way to Rest.Q. They spend their days roaming and exploring the property. Turkeys are remarkably friendly creatures and the turkeys at the sanctuary will steal your heart as they run to the gate to greet you, peck at your jewelry, or follow you as you visit the other animals.

Turkeys seeking attention in the garden from sanctuary director Ty Binfet.

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For more information contact: info@restqsanctuary.org