# Looking for Wholesalers on Live Animals



## Atlas World of Birds (Oct 12, 2008)

Dear RFUK, I run a petshop in London and we have just started selling Reptiles. I was wondering if there is any wholesalers on here or if someone could pass on some details for me.
We sell the odd reptile here and there, and seems to be going great, but we are expanding and so need to get stock from reliable sources.

Any help/information would be much appreciated.

Regards

Mark
Atlas World of Birds


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## Fangio (Jun 2, 2007)

Hi Mark,

Eurorep is a good place to start
Euro Rep Ltd - Europes largest manufacturer and distributor of Reptile Products

Then there's the likes of Perigrine Livefoods and Monkfield Nutrition
Welcome
Monkfield Nutrition UK | Live Reptile Food

There's probably a whole host more, but I haven't been involved in the trade for about 11 years now.

If you pm some of the shop owners/workers on here (scales and fangs, Ally, smileyculture, Athravan) you might be able to get hold of more suppliers and better prices. Pick and choose from different suppliers, as I've personally bought animals from a shop cheaper than one of those have supplied to trade!!!

regards

Matt


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## Berber King (Dec 29, 2007)

Hi Mark,i work at wholesalers just outside london.PM me and i can arrange for livestock lists.


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## crouchy (Jan 14, 2008)

As Fangio said there is
Eurorep
Monkfield
Peregrine

and also
Fauna imports (london based or at least very close to london)
Reptec - no idea where they are as i havnt dealt with them for over 6 years
Livefoodsdirect now do a wholesale livestock range
Plus many others

Can i just ask how long you have been in the trade because if you get any of the trade publications or go to any of the trade shows at least 3 of the above are well advertised.


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## Berber King (Dec 29, 2007)

Rep-Tec is just outside london,Berkshire.


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## Ally (Mar 8, 2006)

Berber King said:


> Rep-Tec is just outside london,Berkshire.


and they have lovely staff...


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## [email protected] (Sep 15, 2008)

*wholesalers*

we recommend strictly reptiles in croydon 
keith,keren and mel you need to ask for
give them a ring on 0208 684 3232 (trade only)


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## 15060 (Feb 17, 2008)

Sorry to hijack ur thread, but who are the cheapest suppliers of equipment out there? We use peregrine and monkfield, but both have put their prices for equipment, and food up 4 times this yr. We want cheap stock, to keep prices down for our customers..........


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## Scales and Fangs (Mar 22, 2007)

loobylou211 said:


> Sorry to hijack ur thread, but who are the cheapest suppliers of equipment out there? We use peregrine and monkfield, but both have put their prices for equipment, and food up 4 times this yr. We want cheap stock, to keep prices down for our customers..........


i think everyone is putting their prices up lou, ts cos the like of exo-terra have put theirs up, it has a knock on effect.


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## Alex M (May 28, 2008)

[email protected] said:


> we recommend strictly reptiles in croydon
> keith,keren and mel you need to ask for
> give them a ring on 0208 684 3232 (trade only)


I'll second that, they've been excellent with me and can fully recommend them. There is one wholesalers who i have since chosen not to deal with as the herps were consistently poor, but Strictly Reptiles on the other hand have been pretty outstanding, and are to date our main livestock suppliers. Keith and Keren etc have always done their best to fulfil any requests i've asked for, they're a very reliable company in my experience.


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## penfold (Sep 9, 2007)

give berber king a shout very good suppliers


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## 15060 (Feb 17, 2008)

Scales and Fangs said:


> i think everyone is putting their prices up lou, ts cos the like of exo-terra have put theirs up, it has a knock on effect.


 
Oh I know Rob, its a harsh world at the moment, but there are online companies selling items cheaper than I can buy them in for. Is it that their turnover is larger than ours therefore bigger orders, or are there cheaper suppliers of equipment out there??


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## Berber King (Dec 29, 2007)

Ally said:


> and they have lovely staff...


Thanks :2thumb:


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## Berber King (Dec 29, 2007)

penfold said:


> give berber king a shout very good suppliers


And again,Thanks :2thumb:


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## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

I've used Fauna, Peregrine, Monkfield, Euro Rep - have no problems with any of them. There are a few others I have used that I won't use again and I won't mention their names here. 

I haven't actually used Rep-tec in about 6-7 years at the last shop I was with, and never with Strictly, definitely something to look into for the future as they both have good reputations 



> Oh I know Rob, its a harsh world at the moment, but there are online companies selling items cheaper than I can buy them in for. Is it that their turnover is larger than ours therefore bigger orders, or are there cheaper suppliers of equipment out there??


I know some of the wholesalers will give up to 20-30% discount for the larger accounts. Depending on how large that account is I suppose there is a scope for even more discount? Which means some organisations certainly can afford to have lower prices than the smaller businesses. If worried about being underpriced it might be worth having a word with one of the wholesalers and seeing if you can get any discount if you commit to any promises with them (ie. buy all your livefood/frozen from them, if you commit to that you can sometimes get a discount without spending a massive amount). Wholesalers are like any other business, they each want to get all of your custom and if you've got a lot of money to spend they will make themselves as competitive as possible.


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## Horny Toad (Sep 9, 2006)

Athravan said:


> I know some of the wholesalers will give up to 20-30% discount for the larger accounts. Depending on how large that account is I suppose there is a scope for even more discount? Which means some organisations certainly can afford to have lower prices than the smaller businesses. If worried about being underpriced it might be worth having a word with one of the wholesalers and seeing if you can get any discount if you commit to any promises with them (ie. buy all your livefood/frozen from them, if you commit to that you can sometimes get a discount without spending a massive amount). Wholesalers are like any other business, they each want to get all of your custom and if you've got a lot of money to spend they will make themselves as competitive as possible.


Over the last couple of weeks there has been a lot of price increases from the wholesalers - and the ones that havent yet will have to follow suit. There are many elements to this, from simple economics such as increases in fuel, electric, minimum wage etc etc to the worldwide recession implications. I run Zoo Logic a wholesaler company based in the North but serving the whole of the UK - and although we are keen on gaining business, we also need to keep a keen eye on profit margins - any business not keeping on eye on this whilst entering a recession could be in serious trouble. So yes there are good deals to be had, especially of you consolidate your business as much as possible to one sole supplier (but that has its risks too - eggs in one basket) - but to survie the doom and gloom the heavy discount deals are now harder to find - hence Hagens Exo-terra. The only thing I would add that price is not everything - sometimes wholesalers charge a little more for their animals, but the customer loses less because they wholesaler is fussy on quality. A cheap deal on animals means that something has to be skimped, animal care / husbandry, diet, incorrect heating, lack of worming - you get what I mean?

If I can help in anyway I will - and will always try to give a fair deal on price. Any shops out there can contact me to discuss, if they feel I can help.


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## crouchy (Jan 14, 2008)

We did use rep-tec years ago but were dissapointed with the quality so moved to Fauna but we are looking for new livestock supplier since the customer service there is quite poor. Plus we only really sell the standard rep stock like corns, leos beardies and all can be bought a lot cheaper from local breeders or shows anyway. Its only the totrtoises and special offer animals that we tend to buy because they tend to have a reasonable price tag.

As for prices of dry goods. You will always get undercut because some people are making next to nothing on their products. We sat down the other day with our hagen rep to see how they were selling them so cheap and he showed us exactly what the lowest trade price they can offer anyone is and it tuns out that they were only making about £10 on a big exo-terra viv, and some were even offering free shipping so they must have been making about £5 on an exo.

We spoke to peregrine at glee and there rep has been in since and they couldnt match the prices we were already paying for stuff so we didnt bother opening an account with them.


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## exoticsandtropics (Mar 11, 2007)

from personal views

fauna import good quality - generally wild caught imprted stuff cheap prices usually

Reptiles plus VERY CHEAP - very good quality and lists are quite good* personal fav* and they are a shop so you can collect and view in store

Rep tech- short list but very well cared for animals but not the cheapest

Euro rep seem good but not delt with

STRICTLY REPTILES can't say a good word about them i've received items that were delivered by their own vans and items were dead when arrived and things have been send out nearly dead and would never use again. very poor would not recommend sorry

zoo logic list is amazing - very rare stuff, very good prices on most items and good delivery costs and VERY good support from staff thanks tim!!

Peregrine - all CB so good prices aren't cheapest but very good quality, prices reflect what your buying.


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## exoticsandtropics (Mar 11, 2007)

problem with hagen is most big stores buy at wholesale + discount so there will always be cheap hagen stuff


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## Ally (Mar 8, 2006)

crouchy said:


> We did use rep-tec years ago but were dissapointed with the quality so moved


Give them another go, staff changes in the last year or so have made a massive difference.


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## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

I forgot Zoo logic, not sure how :blush: Have had very good quality frozen and livestock from them, not tried the dry goods yet but hope to soon!

And also for tarantulas Lee at the Spider Shop has always been great and they have a much more expanding range of dry goods which I have found much appreciated by my invert customers. It's a small market niche but one I think is important to cater for.

As this seems to have turned into a bit of a review thread


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## exoticsandtropics (Mar 11, 2007)

yeah gaia bio is a good little shop. def a nice little niche company that supply EVERYthing and the pot labels etc are a brilliant idea.


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## DannyCRS (Jul 8, 2008)

Ihave loads but because of the credit crunch couldn't secure the loan. 888 reptiles and exoticpets.co.uk have both started as wholesalers.


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## alphakenny1 (Sep 16, 2008)

peregrine supply most of the places mentioned!


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## [email protected] (Sep 15, 2008)

*wholesalers*

i have dealt with keith at strictly reptiles for over 7 years now
and i have found the quality of his livestock to be exellent
they deliver to me in stockport every week in there own vans
that have a seperate heated compartment for there reptiles
and delivered by there drivers who actually care and as stockport
pet warehouse is over 4 hours away i think thats very good service.

i always find if you speak to your wholesaler and tell them about what they are charging you compared to other wholesalers or how much your customers can buy products for (i.e exo terra internet prices ect..)
were ever its possible there more than happy to help.
(at least my wholesaler does anyway)


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## Berber King (Dec 29, 2007)

crouchy said:


> We did use rep-tec years ago but were dissapointed with the quality so moved to Fauna but we are looking for new livestock supplier since the customer service there is quite poor. Plus we only really sell the standard rep stock like corns, leos beardies and all can be bought a lot cheaper from local breeders or shows anyway. Its only the totrtoises and special offer animals that we tend to buy because they tend to have a reasonable price tag.
> 
> Sorry to hear that,but im guessing that was not within the last 2 years.ive been the livestock manager since then and personally GUARANTEE that each and every animal is checked 100% by myself.Ive even held onto thousands of pounds worth of animals,until im satisfied with their overall condition for sale,despite protests from the owner whos money is tied up in them.Like V-Max has already said,price does not reflect quality in livestock,id rather pay more and charge more for a-grade stock,than the pile em high,sell em cheap attitude that some of the suppliers seem to operate.No point saying words on the internet,try each supplier,see what you get,the definitive answer really.


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## Alex M (May 28, 2008)

exoticsandtropics said:


> from personal views
> 
> fauna import good quality - generally wild caught imprted stuff cheap prices usually
> 
> ...


I guess it's all down to personal experience really as my dealings with Strictly Reptiles have really been excellent. We've had the odd dodgy herp, but generally they've been superb. Certainly their vivariums have been excellently packaged which is a problem i've had with one particular supplier (not mentioned so far), who incidently can't seem to ever get an invoice to me and this makes my job a pain in the arse - i'd get excuse after excuse of why there was no invoice and why the vivs were running late again (i'm not talking days either). We also use Reptiles Plus and Ian has always been excellent all round, including when i was a public customer for 15 or so years, and he's quite open about who's good to deal with and who not to even if it sometimes means less business comes his way, i find that attitude very refreshing. Peregrine Livefoods - Just opened an account with them as they offer a few things i can't get off the others, and i'd like a wider range of drygoods. Did use another wholesaler on the south coast for livestock for all of 2 orders till i felt like we were being treated as 'just another aquatic store selling herps', to be frank we got rubbish every time - 'mottled' phelsumas on their way out, BTS's COVERED with mites (you couldn't miss them) and just general poor quality livestock (not to mention telephone attitude). However, other people have had good results with them, so i'll avoid naming and shaming - i'll put it down to just a couple of bad experiences, they're probably very good normally. Always wanted to try Zoo Logic actually, had a list once and there were some superb animals on it (plus the retail livestock is the first i check when doing shop searches - the variety is amazing). The bottom line is i make sure i don't get messed around too much, i fully appreciate mistakes happen (we're humans afterall) but i won't tolerate poor service from a wholesaler for long or i look elsewhere, just as a retail customer would.


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## Horny Toad (Sep 9, 2006)

exoticsandtropics said:


> zoo logic list is amazing - very rare stuff, very good prices on most items and good delivery costs and VERY good support from staff thanks tim!!


Ta very muchly, we do try hard. I'll pass the thanks on to Tim. Next year we plan to expand on our choice of animals even more, with lots of exciting new developments. I think the Zoo Logic has, on the whole, ticked most of the boxes I set to achieve. Customer care is one of our top priorities, from Tim and the staffs "how high do we need to jump" attitude to our unique library of care sheets and care labels for our shop customers to use. Animal welfare is also enveloped within our customer care - without good standards of husbandry and fussy quality standards we cant give our customers good service. We are also developing our massive range of dry goods, frozen / live foods and are putting great effort into being competitive in this are too - again to expand our priority of customer care. Anyways, thanks again.


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## Horny Toad (Sep 9, 2006)

Athravan said:


> I forgot Zoo logic, not sure how :blush: Have had very good quality frozen and livestock from them, not tried the dry goods yet but hope to soon!
> 
> And also for tarantulas Lee at the Spider Shop has always been great and they have a much more expanding range of dry goods which I have found much appreciated by my invert customers. It's a small market niche but one I think is important to cater for.
> 
> As this seems to have turned into a bit of a review thread


Only glad to be of service....... Next time you chat to Tim ask him about our dry goods and incentives. We are keen on expanding business into supplying the full package - not just animals. Thanks again for your business!


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## Horny Toad (Sep 9, 2006)

alphakenny1 said:


> peregrine supply most of the places mentioned!


You'll be surprised how much we all supply each other. I get supplies from them, and I also supply them. Most of the long standing wholesalers have known each other that long (back into our hobby days - prior to us starting reptile businesses) that we "scratch each others backs". Friendship in business? Yes, it can and does happen.


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## Horny Toad (Sep 9, 2006)

Berber King said:


> Sorry to hear that,but im guessing that was not within the last 2 years.ive been the livestock manager since then and personally GUARANTEE that each and every animal is checked 100% by myself.Ive even held onto thousands of pounds worth of animals,until im satisfied with their overall condition for sale,despite protests from the owner whos money is tied up in them.Like V-Max has already said,price does not reflect quality in livestock,id rather pay more and charge more for a-grade stock,than the pile em high,sell em cheap attitude that some of the suppliers seem to operate.No point saying words on the internet,try each supplier,see what you get,the definitive answer really.


I've been a bit dumb here, all the time I have seen Berber King posting I didnt realise where you worked. Say "Hi" to everyone for me. Dont forget to give me that call............


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## exoticsandtropics (Mar 11, 2007)

yeah i noticed that from going and picking stuff up at rep tech and saying hi at shows then twigged the other week who berber was!!


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## exoticsandtropics (Mar 11, 2007)

i would just again like to say that zoo logic have been super great on customer service

also think i was quite harsh on strictly reptiles. the order i received was way back when and i'm sure from what i've heard that things seem very good now. havn't seen a list recently but again sounds quite good with some VERY sweet prices.


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## retri (Mar 5, 2008)

Atlas World of Birds said:


> Dear RFUK, I run a petshop in London and we have just started selling Reptiles. I was wondering if there is any wholesalers on here or if someone could pass on some details for me.
> We sell the odd reptile here and there, and seems to be going great, but we are expanding and so need to get stock from reliable sources.
> 
> Any help/information would be much appreciated.
> ...


Perrigrine are probably going to be your best choice :2thumb:


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## smileyculture (Jul 28, 2006)

Can't help on the dry goods side but for livestock i doubt you will find a more comprehensive list anywhere in the Uk - and we are in London also. If you are a mile down the road though this may be a problem - ha ha


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## exoticsandtropics (Mar 11, 2007)

wow didn't know you guys did wholesale as well cpr!


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## Ally (Mar 8, 2006)

exoticsandtropics said:


> wow didn't know you guys did wholesale as well cpr!


Ooh, yes, the list is a little like a treasure trove...

I really must use it as an excuse to pop over there and poke through all the cool stuff! "for the shop" of course!


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## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

Must admit, the CPR list always makes me drool! :mf_dribble:


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## smileyculture (Jul 28, 2006)

Ally said:


> Ooh, yes, the list is a little like a treasure trove...
> 
> I really must use it as an excuse to pop over there and poke through all the cool stuff! "for the shop" of course!


You're welcome to come and poke any time.


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