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Reptile Stores in Tampa

B

beastie999

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Hi everyone.  

Can anyone here recommend a good reptile place in Tampa, or the surrounding area?  I know all about the Snake Pit and Josie's and I have no problem with them.  I go to them all the time.  I am just looking for a little variety.  

If anyone knows of any good stores or breeders that sell in this area please let me know the names and locations (if you know where they are) or how to contact them.

Thank you all very much for all of your info.  I love this BOI and all the info you guys and gals give.

todd jarrett
 
Todd....there are a bunch of herp stores in Tampa...there's...

The Snake Pit
Josey's Exotic Reptiles
Scales (Brandon)
Peg's Pets (Lutz)
Rainforest Pets (Tampa)
Southeast Reptiles (Tampa)
It's Alive (Brandon)
Cage-It (Pinellas)
Animal House (Pinellas)

I can think of those right off hand....oh yeah....and some little kid is "supposed" to be opening up the "BIGGEST" and "BEST" 3000 sq. ft. Retail and Breeding facility somewhere in this area!
Yeah...My head spins around, too... watch this! lmao

Let me know if they have anything nice??? Enjoy! ....Neil
 
Thanks Neil,

I have come in your shop many times (mostly for feeders and one ball python) and I have no problem with you or your store.  Just looking for some variety and some things a little closer to where I live (Land O Lakes).  

I must say that I am impressed that you were the first to reply and list your competition.  Can you give me any more info on the locations of Peg's, Rainforst, Southeast, or Amazon?  (you can send me a private message or email).

Also if anyone has had any dealings with any of these places neil listed please let me know.  I am not going to ask Neil to let me know what he thinks.  From what I have read on here he has enough problems with giving his opinions and I don't cause him any more grief from any people on here who may have a problem with him.

Thanks again Neil, and thanks to anyone who can give me any info.

todd jarrett
[email protected]
 
Todd....You're wrong, man! I really have NO problem with ANY of my competition, they are all very clean and well-run shops, and the owners are very nice people!....it's just a couple of indviduals who I have a problem with, that's it....

Just for the record...I did privately email Todd and I gave him exact directions to the three places I knew of....Amazon, Southeast Reptiles and Cage-it....sorry about you other guys, I just don't know exactly where you are, or I would have given him directions to you, too....Neil
 
I have been to most of these stores. All are good clean stores with the exception of Cage It in Pinellas. I went and checked them out about a year ago and the place was nasty! I would not dare buy an animal from them and place it within a 100 yards of any of my animals. Rainforest is kind of small and limited on their reptile selection, but it's a nice clean store.
Also I would like to recommend the Herp Hobby Shop in Olsmar. They have a nice selection of animals from lizards to Boids and Colubrids. Good luck!

Dennis Gulla
 
Hey guys..I have only visited herp hobby shop(great shop!&#33<img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'>,Neils store-the snake pit(Great shop!!&#33<img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'>,and numerous Pet stores(animal house,ect...dont bother)..But for cage it..I have to agree with dennis..DONT bother buying anything from them!!..I used to work at cage it(very short period)..They do have a pretty dirty store..Every now and then i will see a good quality animal..but for most of the time it is nothing but imported scared and sick animals..about a year ago i bought a JCP from them..It only ate twice for me in about 6-7 monthsand the rest of the time it would eat but throw it back up..My vet wasnt quite sure what was going on except for the thought it had cryptosporidia..We got a test done but before the test could come back it died..then the test came back and it didnt have it..so my vet did a furtther examination and the only conclusion was regurgitation syndrome..I spent alot of money on the JCP in the first place then spent alot more trying to find out what was wrong with it..After telling Jeff and Barb(owners of cage it) about this all the time she was alive they didnt help.then when it died they still didnt help..they could of cared less what happens to it just as long as they got it sold..They can have helpful information sometimes But overall it is pretty much a waist of time to go there unless you want feeders(thats one thing they are good at,providing feeders)...Thanks for your time
 
while were on this subject... anyone..
know any good shops in orlando area.. or  anywhere within a reasonable drive... (under.. 45 minutes)...
all i know of is Pet bazaar (cassleberry) and a few petstores (ya.. you know.. junk)
 
I am going to have to agree with you other guys on Cage It in pinellas park.  THe second you walk into the establishment, your nose starts to burn from the intense smell of ammonia in the air from all of the crap that goes weeks without being cleaned up.  Not to mention how sickly and poorly treated all of the animals are.  As if it couldn't get any worse, the store is situated next to a methodone/rehab clinic with shady people loitering around the parking lot.  I recommend going to the herp hobby shop.  Their staff is the most knowledgeable and experienced in the whole bay area.  None of the other shops breed their own animals, and this just adds to their credibility.  They also have a nice diverse selection.

On another note, I believe I met this "kid" who's supposedly opening up a new facility in the area.  He is a rich boy, who is funding his quest for a new store by his ball python project(supposedly).  He says he has all of this money for start up and that he should be opening when he acquires the proper permits.  He also said that he is modeling it in the same fashion as Pro Exotics, with both a retail, and a wholesale breeding facility.  Hmmm.... Just by talking with him, I realized that he did not seem to be that smart, or reliable.  He didn't understand the principle of something being 66% het; but yet he breeds piebald ball pythons?... It makes you wonder.

Now what I want to know is, can tampa actually sustain yet another reptile specialty store?  Heck, there's already about five or six of them.  If all these new shops keep popping up, the whole herp industry in the bay area will collapse.  But, we'll see about this "piebald ball python breed", and if he comes through with what he claims he is going to do. <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'>
 
"He also said that he is modeling it in the same fashion as Pro Exotics, with both a retail, and a wholesale breeding facility."

The retail side is closing sometime in September as I understand it... I haven't asked about any specific reasons but... There's only so much high end buisness you can do in a retail store with a limited customer base. Pro Exotics has great animals, outstanding quality, but they want half again as much as the surrounding shops. The quality does make it more than worth the price but unfortunatly most customers don't take that into consideration to the degree they should. And of course by keeping quality animals in ideal habitats you signifigantly reduce the number and variety of species represented in the store at any given point.

This "kid" (?) in Florida may want to investigate this project a bit further before they devote finances to it.

Of course... Tampa Florida does have a larger population and more of a "reptile crowd" than Littleton Colorado, even if you include Denver in the equation.
 
I recommend Herp Hobby shop hands down!
                            Nate Smith
 
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