# What do you hate most about your local shop?



## Kellybee (Oct 13, 2006)

What do you hate most about your local shop?

No Parking?
Dirty glass in the vivs?
Is it damp?
Do they never seem to have what you need in stock?
Do they mix their species?

Please LIST whatever irritates you about your local shop, no need to srite the name of the place, just need to know what the issues are, so we can include in our business plan

ALTERNATIVELY

What do you think works in its favour????? Good points are totally needed here too, lol


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## Morelia Matt (Dec 6, 2006)

mix species, keep hamsters next to the 7ft carpet pythons glass tank and charge sky high prices! poor selection on supplies also which is why i buy most things off tinternet now.


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## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

Incorrect husbandry and information given is the most frustrating thing there is - there's no need for it. If you're selling something, you should know how to look after it - and you should pass that correct information on to the customer. Pretty simple, yet so many shops seem to screw it up.


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## PendleHog (Dec 21, 2005)

Bad Points

Things for sale in unlabelled vivs and with no prices
Staff that dont know the animals care requirements
Dirty vivs and finger marks all over the glass
Mixed species housing
No UV where it's necessary, incorrect substrate etc.
Heat mats IN vivs

Good points..

Friendly staff
Staff admitting that they know little about an animal and suggesting where to find info rather than guessing/making out they know what they're doing
Tea/coffee making facilities (yes I do spend that much time in herp shops :lol:
Providing caresheets
Good trade/import contacts - and a willingness to order things in
Good range of less typical stock


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## Johelian (Nov 25, 2006)

They have the tinest "adult" tegu in the universe, in an even tinier cage, and insist that Argentine tegus "rarely get over 3ft" (I would bring my 4ft male down but Im scared he will catch something and get sick). They are a pet shop, with a clientele of young families with cats/hamsters etc etc, and yet they have in the past chosen to offer a Nile Monitor for sale - incidentally in a cage whose lights have never been on on any of the occasions I have visited. It was rather distressing to see the little creature desperately sprawled at the highest point of the cage, too preoocupied with trying to warm up to run away. The place stinks to high heaven, and looks more like a garage full of stock and animals rather than an actual shop with stuff piled all over the place. The lizard cages are stacked floor to ceiling in a tiny back room, which is dark and dingy. Most of the cages are very sparsely furnished (I can understand wanting people to be able to see the animals, but they should have places to hide surely? I know a tegu with no hiding place would be a stressed little creature indeed. Anyway, people cant see into the top cages in the first place since theyre stacked so high!) 

Oh, and they sell kittens in a big wire cage, fish in an algae-filled tank...I could go on. Suffice to say, I dont actually buy anything from here, but it is the closest "reptile (I use the term loosely)" shop to me. I would rather drive another 8 miles or so to a shop that is actually competent. There is nothing good to say about this shop.

On a better note, the nearest good reptile store is very well organised. Its brightly lit and cheerful, with clean, well-fitted cages (its probably a bit shallow, since I have been to stores with mismatched enclosures dotted about that had great stock, but I just feel better disposed towards a store that presents itself well with proper fittings) and well laid-out product areas. The store is very small, but infinitely better than some of the others I have been to, and makes great use of its space with these fittings. They also clearly mark all stock with labels (unlike the other shop that just has marker pen on the doors...again, Ive been to good stores that have done this, but its just more professional to label everything correctly), and have a bank of free caresheets/stocklists etc. Everything about the store is perfectly organised and well-maintained, and the shop has a massive clientele in spite of its size and location. They also have a good website, which I think is essential for any business like this. The only downside is that their stock is a bit boring at times; they just tend to stock the "regulars" like beardies and leos.

I hope that something in there might have been useful..!


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## ditta (Sep 18, 2006)

bad points
the worst thing in my opinion is mixing species, it irritates the life outa me.
dirty living conditions
unhelpful/too busy watchin you tube staff
good points
tea/coffee
clean vivs
friendly knowledgable staff


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## eeji (Feb 22, 2006)

my nearest rep shop is total pants! its about 1 mile from where i live, but i choose to do a 20 mile round trip to somewhere decent!

*the local shop:*
Bad points.....
hardly any livestock
never any livefoods in
very poor choice of frozen - you're stuffed if you want anything other than a medium mouse!
NO books or caresheets AT ALL!
only a handful of equipment - a few heatmats and bits n bobs, NO uv's on sale
iguanas fed on lettuce :bash:
poor health of livestock (when theres any in)
vivs unlabelled

good points.....
errrrm... lets move on....


*the 20 mile round trip shop*
bad points.....
its not local enough!!!

good points....
vivs are stocked with a good varied range, are kept clean, and are labelled with species with additional info
naturalistic setups in the vivs - good eye candy
good stock of live and frozen
big selection of books
caresheets given with every animal sold
good selection of equipment and vivs
very friendly and extremely helpful
they run the local(ish!) herp club
..and i've just heard they are helping to organise a reptile show

(Woodys Pets in Cadishead if anyone knows it!)


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## Guest (Feb 17, 2007)

my local shop is ok but they dont realy cater for me ..
the rats are too dear and everything else really ..
£3.50 for a poxy reflector bulb £1.60 in diy shop :-x 
and the people who serve are kids they take forever lol 
all in all its not for me


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## Daniel (Jul 28, 2005)

hi 
good i like lots of stock ur prob bored of most so the things peeps have said and just cb no wc cf anything like that cb all the way
dan
and a reptilian mascot (large snake or lizard) who is always in the shop


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## mark67123 (Jun 11, 2006)

The things that put me off about my local shop are mainly dirty vivs - faeces everywhere, obviously not been cleaned for months in some cases judging by the amount of poo and numerous unshed skins, plus the smell that this causes. 
Also general sloppiness, like unsafe (poorly mounted) bulb guards and stats in places where the knob can be accidently knocked/adjusted.

The above are enough for me to boycott my local shop and drive 3 times futher (about 30 miles) to the next nearest place!

Personally I don't think it's that important to have a really varied stock - just the usual stuff (corns, kings, royals, maybe a hoggie/sand boa/BCI/carpet or two) with a couple of more exotic ones to keep it interesting, eg. GTP, indigo, etc.

Basically, don't have so much stock that it's difficult to keep it in anything other than spotless conditions - more people will be put off by bad conditions than will be attracted by variety.
Also make sure the vivs are labelled correctly - nothing worse than seeing a corn labelled as a rainbow boa or something.


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## Kellybee (Oct 13, 2006)

Keep it coming guys, even if you only repeat what someone else has already said, it is likely to help !!

Thanks to those that have already given their responses, lol


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## weelad (Jul 25, 2006)

i dont have a really local one lol but the nearest one i know of ,well the vivs are sectioned off with bits of plastic wich the snakes are always pushing through last time their was a sand boa in the king snakes viv on his way into anouther one,told him and he didnt care,ermm the blokes always their talking to people giving advise so i dont really know if he knows what he is on about coz i havnt got to speak to him lol ermm good points ermmm not really sure, snakes their cost a bomb,and id prefer to see some diffrent snakes other then corns kings sand boa's and 1 hoggnose


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## SilverSteno (Feb 12, 2006)

I don't have a local shop! :lol2:


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## argentine_boa (Feb 10, 2007)

Bad husbandry, Bad knowledge and way too expensive


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## BADGERS MUM (Dec 5, 2006)

just wrote out a massive reply then site went down grrrr was good too
bad points
poorly labelled vivs-better to put as much info on as poss,aftercare requirements,min viv size,temperament,feeding etc
poorly cleaned/furnished vivs-theres no getting round a weeks worth of poo and dead food,its there for all to see
poorly positioned vivs-eg not my local but they had a python in a glass tank right next to a colony of gerbils it was doing the snakes head in,he was butting the tank
available and intelligent staff-available as in not being stuck in the corner on their bloody mobile,intelligent as in knowing something

some good ideas are care sheets sent with every sale,making it known you would try to source any reps asked for it makes all the difference


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## skimpy (Nov 22, 2006)

Local PS doesnt have reps, have to travel almost 100 miles to get a decent shop, and it is really good, everything clearly labelled, in nice clean vivs.


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## markhill (Sep 22, 2006)

local shop:
Dirty vivs, old sheds, poo, green water bowl
Wrong substrate, cat litter
never any live foods in, they only sell one size of black cricket anyway
overpriced
not enough livestock
never any stock, always have to order things in, takes ages doing it.
overpriced
staff "know everything" and cant be told otherwise
Shop i go to, about 7 miles away:
Very clean
excellent variety of livestock, torts, corns,BRB's, royals, macklots, boas(common and suriname) BD's, iggys, chams, geckos,skinks(all sorts) 15-20 different T's and scorps.
big variety of livefoods
big size range of frozen foods
huge selection of equipment of various make/model
very helpful and informative staff, always willing to help, and chat if they're not busy
shop is big so no need to over stuff it so you cant get in.
only prob with this shop is its quite expensive, but after paying delivery charges from internet it works out, unless you buy loads of stuff to make the del charges worth the saving.


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## boomslang40 (Nov 4, 2006)

guessing of names! i've seen cuban knight anoles labelled as giant green anoles, and other such examples where you can see they've got reptiles in and rather than bothering to research it they look at it and just describe it, im still waiting to see a corn snake described as, giant red patchy scaled worm:lol2: hmmmm, other than that, I would say, underweight animals on sale, rotting food in vivs, ie dead mice, and animals in too small enclosures, e.g the cuviers dwarf caimen and american alligator in rainham, in my opinion, they are in highly inadequate enclosures and i'm shocked they havent been taken away!

hope it helps

Max


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## kevlar (Jan 7, 2007)

the owner:lol2:


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

how they all look at me like im weird when I go in twice a week to buy boxes of crickets


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## little_chrissy (Aug 21, 2005)

EVERYTHING!!!! and my homies know who im talkin about


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## sami (Oct 23, 2006)

TBH it all comes down to bad husbandry.

Some shops near us (we're lucky enough to have 5-10 "local" rep shops). I count local as an hours drive, we have 5 within 30 mins drive and a further 4-6 within an hour.

Even those I count amongst the ok-good (ie shops i'll actually buy from) suffer from the odd bit of bad husbandry sometimes 

Overcrowded vivs - how does 10ish young boscs to one 2-3foot viv sound, last time I went in they were skin and bone and barely moving. in fact the only movement we saw while we were there was fighting between them  and 10 plus adult leos in another viv of the same size. We asked to look at one and on opening the viv and going in the hide he found two dead. I suppose both could have died that day but i'd not say thats likely.

Poor knowledge of livestock on sale eg staff not knowing "jungle" corns are hybrids, not a massive issue I know but could be one if the corn in question is to be bred, housed with others etc.

poor husbandry advice - too many examples to mention

stupid pricing - a notts based rep shop sells young (i'd say 4 months or less) yemens at £300 a pair despite their being a lot of rep shops round here). Just becuase such pets are classed as "exotic" does not mean they should automatically be expensive. If he's paying any more than 15-40 £ per head on yemens (at trade) then hes a fool.

irresponsible selling - one of the shops i'd count as 'good' ordinarily, in fact i've even recommended them on here, has recently (with a change of staff) gone down hill. Selling a young (two month old max) yellw conda to a 16 year old with no discussion about housing, husbandry or anything. Size and temper of the animal were certainly not mentioned!

Unfortunately some of these examples are from the same shop in the last few weeks  until recently this shop was amongst one of the best around and was certainly one of the best to goto due to it's size and number of animals (they have huge fish depts too so it can take a good hour and a half to walk round so always worth a trip) but has recently gone very much downhill. I don't think i'd buy an animal from there unless it was something very special as they still seem to look after "special" (ie expensive) animals well but they are now getting the basics wrong.

Every time we go in the leos and boscs look worse and they are relatively easy to care for.

If anyone lives in the same area as us or if anyone off these boards wants details please PM me. i'll only give shop names via PM. We live in mansfield, notts.


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## bosshogg (Nov 19, 2006)

*my reqular Shop*

not much of a selection
dirty glass
limited knowledge
*good points*


excellent service very friendly
CHEAP only 1.48 a tub of live
will order something in for me
*the local shop*

some of the snimals arnt in the best of health
knowledge is limited
not well labeelled and priced
*good points*


live food only99p
nice selection
friendly
only 10 mins down the road
cheap on other stuff as well


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## Karl_1989 (Jan 19, 2007)

My "local" shop kinda sucks for snakes only got about 3 corns in


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## the-tick (Nov 27, 2006)

My Local...

Good stock 
Some stuff cheap some stuff bloody dear
helpful staff (when you get the right person)
some staff have limited knowledge and couldn't reccomend a vet
some times they never answer email or take days to do so


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## asnakecalled? (Apr 9, 2006)

there is a few thinga that bug me about my local shop, first and most anoying is that all the vivs ars set to the same temp with no humidity, they dont now muck about the animals they sell ( a quick example - when they first opend they tryed to sell me a cali king only they thought it was an anery corn haha), they think they now best even when its the wrong advice, they sell non feeders as feeders, theres no feeding reckord. god this list could go on for ever


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## TIMMAY (Jan 29, 2007)

I think it's hard for reptile shops stocking many species to get things right all the time. No one can claim to be an expert on every reptile kept by everyone (then again maybe they shouldn't stock them!). I totally agree that vivs should be clean and tidy. As for information i have been generally happy with the advice i have recieved from most reptile shops in south wales, and others as far afield as bedfordshire. 
Mixing species in tanks doesn't really bother me as long as the animals aren't over crowded, and they are species which can happily co exist. i.e if a shop had a viv with green anoles and rough scaled green snakes i wouldn't have a problem. However if they had green anoles in with leopards i would walk straight out. 
However i do think that the onus should be on the prospective owner to read up on the species they intend to keep, and make their own decisions on what equipment and animals they choose!


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## groovy chick (Aug 1, 2006)

My (old) local shop had a dead baby beardie on the floor of the tank and when they got told about it they replied " its not dead its just not well. We have been keeping it out the tank for most of the day we just put it back in there" It was so obvious the wee thing was dead. They also sold us size 5 locust for an 8 week old beardie!! and when we went to collect our beardie (we bought ours 3 weeks before the wee 1 died) they expected us to take him on a 30 minute car drive sitting in our hand!


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## boomslang40 (Nov 4, 2006)

oooops:bash: it's lovely really!:lol2:


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## Graz (Dec 7, 2006)

too many snakes not enough lizards 
its small
it smells
lack of supplys


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## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

I went into a shop in Bristol the other day and there were no caresheets, and the person serving had no clue what temperature/humidity anything should be kept at. Whilst the animals were all in good condition and the owner/main worker was clearly someone who knew what they were doing because it was all set up nice, thermostats, clean, fresh water, no mixing species etc.... if there's no one experienced available and there's no caresheet, it's not very good for new buyers.

Therefore, I think it's really important for a caresheet to be available


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## matty (Feb 17, 2007)

well mines great lol!

they have realyfriendly staff
really roomy and clean vivs
all hatclings kept in a different part in spoless tubs (well organised, good setup..)
really healthy stock
erm..not realy looked at the equipment
good range of livefoods
all kept correctly eg bulb guards, climby things for water dragons lots of hidey place for snakes etc..
no musty odour as soon as u walk through the door ( know what i mean..)
also clean, healthy small animals parrots etc..


so yeh its really good..critters in hindley if any lives near..u might think its crap but i dont


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## matty (Feb 17, 2007)

**spotless lol


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## jonodrama (May 7, 2009)

I've got a few shops along the south coast that I have visited

Bad Points

too many royals/corns/beardies- I know these are very popular but a varied selection of quality livestock is whats needed.

dirty vivs including dirty/no water
unhelpful staff 
mixed species



good points

the odd event- BarBQ/open evening?
good selection of species. reptiles that appeal to the range of customers
some nice displays
maybe 1 or 2 large vivs with a larger species.
good selection of viv decor cork bark/rocks/branches 
Emailing list great for a bit of marketing


I'm sure there are more.

good luck:2thumb:


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## Julie&James (Sep 24, 2007)

Kelly, one of my favourite shops, and it is my favourite by far, has a sink, very simple but effective. Having somewhere to actually wash your hands, whether you have handled an animal or not, gives the shop a somehow superior feel.

Also, they have an abundance of staff, so if the person you are waiting to see is busy with another customer, you will have a junior chatting to you about your collection or what you might be looking for.

They also offer a loyalty card, buy 5 tubs of livefood, get one free type deal.

i agree with Athraven, having caresheets available, and the little signs above each tank with bulletpoint information, makes for a "good shop"

For me, a poor shop is usually indicated by a shop employing staff who clearly are not very knowledgeable or are clearly disinterested in serving you. I went into a shop recently and stood at the counter while the assistant finished the level of Tetris that he was playing on his phone!! If it wasn't for needing the tiny crickets for my hatchlings, i would have left the shop.
Also, i think the overall cleaniness of vivs makes a huge difference, i mean, i don't expect pristine, but clean water bowls and the impression that they have at least been spot cleaned is always a bonus!


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## MissCat (Mar 9, 2009)

*Local shop 1:*


Bad points: 

Livefood kept in dark cupboard
Livefood never given any food other than what they come with
Livefood invariably dead upon purchase :bash:
Floor covered in mouse droppings
Rest of shop generally dirty
Staff absolutely clueless
Everything is stupidly overpriced (e.g snake hide= £24.99. same hide, different shop, £6.99. No exageration.)
They only ever have frozen mice or chicks in- various sizes, but only EVER have extra large rats.
Refuse to order in other size/species of frozen food, despite offer of bulk buy + payment on ordering.
They don't stock anything even remotely useful for reptile keeping, e.g heat mats, thermostats, thermometers etc. They only stock decorative/expensive items (vivs, hides, backgrounds). Nor do they stock any supplements at all.
They have repeatedly missexed rodents, meaning that most females are pregnant when sold.
Good points:

They don't sell reptiles.
All tanks/cages are clean
care sheets available, including a GENERAL reptile caresheet, despite not selling reptiles.
*Local shop no. 2:*


Bad points

Mixing species (and sizes. E.g an 08 common boa with an underweight, dehydrated 09 royal python)
Overpriced
Limited frozen food choices
Arrogant/rude staff (in particular teh store owner/manager)
No thermostats/thermometers can be seen in the vivs (does not mean they are not there, however) and no bulbs have guards.
No quarantine (pets there on "holiday" are in the main store, rather than "out back"- as they should be IMO
According to them, royal pythons regularly get over 6 feet long.
Not enough in the way of hide places for livestock (though I understand the reason why- so the public can see the animal- I just don't agree with it personally)
No care sheets or feeding records
Good points

Good, healthy, livefood selection.
Good selection of acessories (decor, vivs, heat, thermostats etc)
Good selection of animal stock and _generally _healthy, (though there have been a few exceptions.)
Vivs/tanks clean and water available.
Shop clean and well presented
they do sell books
*Local shop no. 3*

Bad points
Selling bearded dragons too young IMO
Staff can be haughty and arrogant if queried on anything (even if you present queries in a non arrogant, friendly way)
Staff do not always present the best care advice (though it could be a lot worse)
Overpriced on everything
Several rats in small glass tanks, with lightbulbs lighting the enclosures, right by a door that was open and the sun was shining directly on the tanks. On one of the hottest days this year. The rats were SWELTERING.
They tend to try to sell you equipment you do not reallly need, but neglect to sell you equipment you do need (e.g the largest, most expensive vivarium, but analogue thermometers and/or no thermostat/bulb guard)
Good points:

Good selection of everything (equipment, food, livestock)
Delivery on equipment available at small extra cost
Staff can be nice and helpful if you do not question their advice lol
Good display vivs/aquariums
It is possible to snag the ocassional serious BARGAIN, despite them generally being overpriced.
Store is clean and well laid out.
care sheets available as well as good selection of literature
*Not so local but hands down the best in this area shop 4:*


Bad points:

They sell CF and WC stock, when I feel there is little need to do so when considering the species, e.g royal python, JCP's etc. (see the good points though for further evaluation)
A couple of small tanks with no explanation of what was in them (or supposed to be in them) that were filled with mouldy twigs etc. Looked like a stick insect set up. Didn't look great, should have been removed if no animals in it, or cleaned out at least.
Not too keen on the fact that the horned frogs were just in cricket tubs with kitchen towel, but for all I know that might be the "done" thing.
Good points:

Staff friendly and knowledgable
Store clean, tidy and well laid out
By far the best selection of equipment I have seen in a shop in this area
Very reasonably priced on MOST things.
Though they sell CF/WC, there is a chart which fully explains what these terms all mean and what you would expect from such an animal e.g parasites etc. There are also a few long term wild caught species that I have not come across before. I can't remeber the names of them though >.<
Very, very good selection of livestock and most at reasonable price (e.g crested geckos @ £45 each... good price for a shop imo)
Good selection of livefood/frozen food; livefood has an offer on then for 3 boxes for £5. Livefood that was past it's prime was also heavily reduced in price.
livestock set ups and vivariums were on the whole, naturalistic and similar to home set ups, a clear emphasis (imo)on the animal welfare rather than the desire to sell an animal to the public so not giving hides/decor.
There's a coffee shop and good parking.
I do not know if caresheets/feeding records are available as I have not yet purchased livestock from them


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## MissCat (Mar 9, 2009)

Additional bad point to shop no. 4:

There's a bearded dragon with a growth on it's neck. Apparently it's because she was bitten by another dragon, and the growth keeps growing back. I can only presume she's been seen by a vet but I feel there should be some general information on this on the vivarium


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

Bad points about shops I've been to (local and otherwise):

1. Staff that doesn't approach you to see if you need help. I don't want harassing, but please do ask, if I look lost, "Can I help you with anything?"
2. Few to no thermostats - and only one type - on display/available to buy in the shop, and active discouragement of thermostat purchase. Don't be stupid, that's a £20-£50 sale you're turning down!
3. Few to no thermostats controlling temperatures CORRECTLY in the shop vivariums. If you're using a heat mat in a shop viv, the thermostat probe should not be halfway up the wall. I want to SEE thermostat probes in vivs.
4. Seeing animals who do not appear to have adequate equipment (heating/UVB) who are clearly suffering from the lack.
5. Staff who *don't *ask hard questions and seem much more interested in parting you from the contents of your wallet. I would rather be refused an animal that someone thinks is "too much" for me than see someone get an animal that IS too much for them.


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

Local, now closed down.

*Bad points:*

Dirty vivs
Overcrowded vivs
Incorrect substrate
underweight animals
No caresheets

*Good points:*

Friendly
UV lighting used where appropriate
Reps kept away from regular animals
Owner seemed knowledgable (even though vivs were a mess)


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## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

one thing that bugs me dont know if anyone agrees is when you get a pet shop trying to know it all when generally they havent even researched the animals they have in the shop for themselves.


a true good knowledgible dealer wont think he knows it all this is why im all for going to smaller stores unlike commercialised stores like pets at home personally.


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## Barry.M (May 19, 2006)

Dreadfull conditions & husbandry 
Mixing of species
Total lack of herp knowledge
Total belief in the lack of herp knowledge
Lying
Generally dirty
Sullen,moody and apparently very bored staff.


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## beardie hunter (Aug 23, 2009)

mines pretty good, (viper and vine) just most of time not staffed enough , an too crowded , but knowledge etc is pretty good and great selection, although have seen some sub adult corns in far too small rub's


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## Alon93 (Jul 5, 2010)

Where shall I start?

They house ALL animals on sawdust and that includes geckos, beardies, tarantulas and parrots.

Their beardies are fed nothing and all they have is a small plastic aquarium with a red night bulb.

They have dead fish in the aquariums, and many of them.

They have ridicilous prices, 200$ for an adult curly hair tarantula, 100$ for a sling! 200$ for a half dead beardie or leopard gecko and the list goes on and on...

Oh and my friend was interested in sugar gliders, so in order for him to see them the shop owner punched them so they would scream and glide...

Oh well, here in Israel 90% of all pet stores are in this condition and they still sell animals pretty well... :banghead:


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## fishboy (Aug 7, 2007)

All things i hate to see

very few reps and only a few species

unclean vivs

mites

unhealthy animals on show (keep them off display - it looks bad)

untidy/dark/cluttered/mismatched vivs

ridiculously high prices on dry goods (at RRP or above. This is very frequent in and around london) £30+ for a mat stat etc.

unpriced and incorrectly labelled stock

Edit - mixing species is a frequent one

Moronic staff


I like

A tidy well lit shop

Friendly, knowledgeable staff, preferably the owner being around frequently, not hiding and leaving the shop running to an underdog.

Competetive pricing. I will pay a bit more than internet prices for the convenience of getting it there and then but not 1.5 to 3 times the price. I'm likely to use the shop more if pricing is competitive.

Plentiful live food-loyalty cards?

Honesty.


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## pam b (Mar 3, 2005)

My local rep shop is a Pets At Home, nuff said i think, i admit to even not going near the reptile section for fear of what i'll find. But i'm the same with the fish section as well, guarenteed theres always at least a dozen tiny little half eaten floating corpses or a couple of tank rife with white spot or fungus.
Needles to say if i want something its either Cold Blooded or Crystal Palace.


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## pete-gsxr (Jul 19, 2010)

smelly, crampt vivs, untidy, gormless teenager behind the till.

close to home, decent livefood. <<thats it


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## bluejon91 (Sep 1, 2009)

bad point

not a good supply of reptile
poo poo poo poo in all the take
one take doesnt look like its been cleaned out
sheds left in tanks
dirty glass on vivs 

good points
when i think of any will say lol


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## Dragon Wolf (Oct 27, 2009)

The local shop is crap, I never go in there, even if I'm desperate for livefood.

I prefer to use one 5 miles away, but the only thing wrong with that shop is I don't have enough room or enough money to buy all the animals I'd like too from them!


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## Danbellini (Sep 29, 2008)

Bad points:

Nothing reptile related other than drygoods. (heatmats, bulbs etc)
Clueless people whom i recognise being younger than me from school 
Expensive
Livefood is more like Deadfood.

Good points:

Um......its local? bout it really....


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## Kittysan (Jul 21, 2010)

Bad points-
-They told me that all I need to feed crested geckos on is Baby food, no specifications on what baby food either. They also said that this is all they feed their cresty on.
-Extortionate prices.


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## oakelm (Jan 14, 2009)

fishboy said:


> All things i hate to see
> 
> very few reps and only a few species
> 
> ...


About sums the tiny shop up near me.

But main thing that bugs me about several shops is pricing. I know costs have to be covered but seriously I have seen normal and amel hatchling corns priced at £80 each! And shops selling species they have no clue about, how can you sell something that you dont know how to care for in the first place.


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## adam_jones (Feb 25, 2009)

ive just moved to a new area and the local reptile shop is honestly great i cant say a bad thing about it, but the one close to where i used to live was exspensive and the glass on the vivs was always dirty


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## heron (Nov 21, 2008)

My local is great, just wish they stayed open late on one or 2 days a week so I could drop by after work!!


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## mofie86 (Oct 11, 2008)

We have 2 shops.....

The closest....
The bloke in there dosnt know how to talk to people.
The animals have NOT FOR SALE on there vivs.
The secondhand still smelly and dirty vivs are more expensive then the brand new ones. 
When you ask for advice he looks at you all gone out and walks away.
All the live food is dead!
Its way to over crowded...Doesnt know what he wants to sell (bird food.vivs, fish, hamsters and over priced plants)



The further away one.....
The bloke in there welcomes you when you come in.
The reptiles are in a upstairs setting away from bunny rabbits.
Vivs are on show and all clean.
If your looking for something they havent got in stock they ring there suppliers.
Very good pet advice.
Live food is alive and kicking.
No dead fish in fish tanks.
Will do discounts if you buy reptile and whole set up.


Funny enough we travel to the further away one.


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## leopardgeckomad (Feb 2, 2008)

Local shop - 

*Bad points :
*
there is no bad points lol....

*good points*

always nice healthy livestock in
nice variety of frozen food and livefoods
reasonable priced vivs and accesories 
great helpful and knowledgable staff
clean and tidy
the Animals come first

theres more good points to list....

(Discount pet super-store : Canvey Island)


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