What supplies/animals would you want more of in a store?

[Akuma223]

I just started working at the pet section of countrymax and was wondering what products or animals you would want stocked at a pet store. I'm just trying to think of stuff we could add that wouldn't normally come to mind, especially with reptiles and birds. Abstract things that are important towards certain animal care or just things you don't see enough of that do sell well.

[EL Ziggy]

The most important item for keeping reptiles that I find missing in most pet stores is thermostats. That should be the first piece of equipment recommended to any customer buying a reptile IMO.

[reptiledude987]

I agree with zig on the t-stats for sure. something else Ive noticed is the stores in my areaa dont carry useful hooks at all or long hemostats. they have this super light duty telescoping hook. The only way I can get a useful one is from the expo an hour away. They also dont carry the mist king and accessories. by far the best misting system on the market. IMO the exo terra monsoon isnt worth the money at all.

[ManSlaughter33]

thermostats, no sand even available or even to look at lol and proper care.

[Aaron_S]

Problem with trying to exclude product is that stores have to carry certain ones due to the manufacturer. Like for example if you want Zoo Med you need a light rack with all the bulbs on it. I'm not sure on what they demand for stock levels but some times product needs to be on the shelf. So my advice is to have proper knowledge of product and help customers sort through all the options.

Also, do up care sheets. Simple, 1 or 2 pages could be enough that are designed by the store. So you can also recommend product from the store. Like a grocery list for popular species.

[prairiepanda]

I agree with thermostats, more useful hooks, and longer hemostats/tongs. I haven't ever seen a thermostat in a pet sore at all, and as others have mentioned pet store hooks and tongs are often not very useful. Also, those generic black snake hides that are so popular; they're great because they come in so many sizes to accommodate different animals. I've never seen those in pet stores. Instead, all they have are the really expensive naturalistic caves which are often only big enough for babies.

Care sheets are a great idea too, but I'd prefer if they aren't from product vendors. A lot of pet stores offer care sheets, but they usually consist of "buy every single thing this brand manufactures and you'll be a pro pet parent!"

As for animals, I like to see regular stock that consists only of easy beginner species; corn snakes, crested geckos, etc. More advanced species should be available for special order by individuals who know exactly what they're looking for, rather than putting them on display to sell to anyone who thinks they're pretty.

[trailblazer295]

Ditch the analog temp/hyrometer and have digital ones.

[sirtalis]

thermostats, no sand even available or even to look at lol and proper care.

No calcisand or crushed walnut, play sand is perfectly fine if all the proper temps and humidity levels are met :)

[ManSlaughter33]

No calcisand or crushed walnut, play sand is perfectly fine if all the proper temps and humidity levels are met :)

this is what i meant :P they don't even sell playsand where I live so I forget it exits

[Akuma223]

The most important item for keeping reptiles that I find missing in most pet stores is thermostats. That should be the first piece of equipment recommended to any customer buying a reptile IMO.

I'll write down t-stats on my list

[Akuma223]

Problem with trying to exclude product is that stores have to carry certain ones due to the manufacturer. Like for example if you want Zoo Med you need a light rack with all the bulbs on it. I'm not sure on what they demand for stock levels but some times product needs to be on the shelf. So my advice is to have proper knowledge of product and help customers sort through all the options.

Also, do up care sheets. Simple, 1 or 2 pages could be enough that are designed by the store. So you can also recommend product from the store. Like a grocery list for popular species.

Yup, I don't yet know what vendors or whatever we buy from and what we can get is dependent on that. Ima already ahead of you on the care sheets lol. I was writing one up on a scrap of paper when they had a baby sav a over a month ago before I worked there. After that the pet area guy (aka the bearded man) said he really wants me hired back there as soon as possible. He's been subtly trying to help me be hired since then and I just got the job finally last Friday.

I am absolutely OCD when it comes to proper care and will work the cages over a lot I bet. The bearded man says he wanted me because I was good with reptiles etc whereas he's the fish guy. I'll either be writing up my own care sheets for each species, or finding the best ones online to print out.

[Akuma223]

Ditch the analog temp/hyrometer and have digital ones.

Will write those down on the list, maybe see if we can get temp guns you think?

[Akuma223]

No calcisand or crushed walnut, play sand is perfectly fine if all the proper temps and humidity levels are met :)

Yup, ima try and avoid that crap best I can. If we can avoid stocking it I will, otherwise I'll warn against it like I've done with other things already.

[Akuma223]

I agree with thermostats, more useful hooks, and longer hemostats/tongs. I haven't ever seen a thermostat in a pet sore at all, and as others have mentioned pet store hooks and tongs are often not very useful. Also, those generic black snake hides that are so popular; they're great because they come in so many sizes to accommodate different animals. I've never seen those in pet stores. Instead, all they have are the really expensive naturalistic caves which are often only big enough for babies.

Care sheets are a great idea too, but I'd prefer if they aren't from product vendors. A lot of pet stores offer care sheets, but they usually consist of "buy every single thing this brand manufactures and you'll be a pro pet parent!"

As for animals, I like to see regular stock that consists only of easy beginner species; corn snakes, crested geckos, etc. More advanced species should be available for special order by individuals who know exactly what they're looking for, rather than putting them on display to sell to anyone who thinks they're pretty.
Great point about the simple black hides I'll look into that, longer tongs and the hemostats a good idea as well.

I was thinking the same for the animals. That seems to be what we do already, normal things ordered like royals, corns, leos, and beardies. The bearded man is really good about doing things right and trying not to sell animals to morons.

Do you have any suggestions on more abstract reptiles that are easy to care for? Something that would catch a customers eye more than a royal or corn? I've noticed with a few customers (as well as myself!) that just having the above mentioned species is boring. This includes any reptile, amphib, invert, etc you can think of.

[Minkness]

Sorry if I repeat anything someone else said, I'm a bit on the sleepy side and only read a little bit. But, here are my recommendations.

Pangea gecko products (food powder mostly)
Appropriate sized feeding cups
Roaches (dubia preferred, but most others will be good too)
Sanichips
Cypress mulch (my store doesn't carry it, and it is almost impossible to find a pure cypress bag wothout unknown mixed wood as well)

As for what kind of critters to sell that are beginners but 'different', that is a bit tough because the stores around me carry a pretty good mix of stuff. So, perhaps instead of different types, maybe you could go for specific colors. Instead of just normal royals or corns, get some morphs in there too.

However, for the more interested/dedicated owner, perhaps a catalog that has different things in it along woth care requirements to let people know what else is out there beyond the norm, but also see, right up front, what their needs are. Then (as someone else memtioned) they can choose to order them fron the store. I personallybwould ask for half of the cost upfront, then half upon receipt. If the customer doesn't pick up in a specified time frame (say, 30 days) then the ordered animal can go on display with a sticker that states only those with previous experience can purchase. And if course the partial upfront payment should be non-refundable.

[trailblazer295]

Will write those down on the list, maybe see if we can get temp guns you think?

Temp guns are good, personally I know you can buy them in any hardware store for less then one with a reptile brand on it. But hey it will make your suppliers money.

[Tiny Boidae]

A wider variety of prey. My dragons don't just eat crickets and mealworms, and I'd like to see dubias stocked somewhere. And for people with larger/pickier animals, some different frozen prey other than mice or rats would be nice. Maybe chicks, lizards, frogs, etc. It'd be a marvelous world if I didn't have to order all of my prey items online :)

Another thing I could suggest is maybe printing out a brochure, if you can, of where the animals came from? It'd be reassuring to know if an animal in a store came from an importer or a breeder, and it'd be interesting learning process for some of how the repfile industry actually works.

As far as easy-to-care-for "exotic" exotics, you never do see gargoyle geckos in stores. If the buyer has a slightly bigger cage (not unmanageably large, mind you), red headed agamas or leopard lizards are two beautiful desert gals I'd like to get to know. Skinks are also neat guys, and blue tongues and fire skinks are two guys I can recommend. Sunbeam snakes you'll never see, but are beautiful and easy to care for nonetheless. Chinese beauties are a little on the large size, but they're placid and beautiful animals.

[prairiepanda]

Morphs of the basic species is a great idea. I've seen "fancy" balls and corns in shops, but they're pretty always just pastel balls and amel corns. Some more variety in morphs is bound to attract people who are tired of seeing identical animals all the time.

Skinks and gargoyle geckos are a great idea too; not very common but they're great for beginners. A greater variety of kings and milks would be nice too. I always just see cal kings, MBKs, and sinaloan milks, but Lampropeltis such a diverse genus! I never see rat snakes either; everglades, russians, black rats, baird's, persians, trans-pecos, etc. Loads of beginner-friendly rat snakes with a variety of colours and patterns. There are also some good beginner pythons and boas that I rarely or never see in shops: childrens/spotted pythons, womas, sand boas, rosy boas.

Maybe some invertebrates too? They don't have much of a presence in stores these days...usually there's only rose hair tarantulas, pink toes, and emperor scorpions. Plenty of more interesting beginner species are easily available to add more appeal.

Definitely more prey too, both live and frozen. All sizes of mice and rats(all the pet stores around me have every size of mouse but only small to XL rats, so it's impossible to raise a baby snake on rats without buying bulk online), as well as chicks, bloodworms, fish, and any other frozen prey you can get in the freezer. For live, in addition to crickets and mealworms; silk worms, nightcrawlers, red wrigglers, hornworms, wax worms, and definitely roaches(illegal in Canada, unfortunately, but they're awesome feeders)....and also multiple brands and flavours of gecko food powder.

[Aaron_S]

...Do you have any suggestions on more abstract reptiles that are easy to care for? Something that would catch a customers eye more than a royal or corn? I've noticed with a few customers (as well as myself!) that just having the above mentioned species is boring. This includes any reptile, amphib, invert, etc you can think of.

Be VERY careful with this. The customers who find it boring only want to use the store as a zoo and most likely won't purchase the pricier cool animal. Why would they, they get to see it whenever they want and don't have to put up any money for it.

Your boss might be upset that you're suggesting animals that just won't sell and that's not good.

As sad as it is, the basic stuff is what sells. As suggested, morphs would be a cool way to spice things up without having to teach someone how to care for a brand new species.

With that said, there's a few species that can be added without too much fear of sitting around forever or too costly. Dumerils boa, spotted and childrens pythons, rosy boas, various kingsnakes or milksnakes. Cresteds, gargoyles, leopard geckos, fat tails, small ameivas, day geckos, chinese water dragon, moutain horned dragons, chameleons, bull snakes and pine snakes.

[Akuma223]

Be VERY careful with this. The customers who find it boring only want to use the store as a zoo and most likely won't purchase the pricier cool animal. Why would they, they get to see it whenever they want and don't have to put up any money for it.

Your boss might be upset that you're suggesting animals that just won't sell and that's not good.

As sad as it is, the basic stuff is what sells. As suggested, morphs would be a cool way to spice things up without having to teach someone how to care for a brand new species.

With that said, there's a few species that can be added without too much fear of sitting around forever or too costly. Dumerils boa, spotted and childrens pythons, rosy boas, various kingsnakes or milksnakes. Cresteds, gargoyles, leopard geckos, fat tails, small ameivas, day geckos, chinese water dragon, moutain horned dragons, chameleons, bull snakes and pine snakes.
I wouldn't ask to order anything that wouldn't sell rather easily. Good suggestions btw.

[SnoopySnake]

Better enclosures. I'm talking enclosures that aren't glass tanks with screen lids, I'm not 100% sure how this can be achieved, maybe custom orders or something, but its something I'd like to see offered. Also I'd like to see more pet stores promote bioactive setups, inverts (millipedes, isopods, beetles, ect.), thermostats, infrared temp guns, digital t-stats, hooks, tongs.

[chairman]

Better enclosures would be nice but a business still needs to maximize dollars earned per cubic foot of shelf space. If a store were to order some AP T10s, for instance, how many would they need to order for a discount and how much of a premium would customers pay for not having to deal with lead times or shipping?

Running a retail store is not easy, especially in an industry that leans as heavily on hobby producers as the reptile industry does. If you've ever tried to go into the reptile "business" for yourself, either breeding or building supplies, then you know that profits are typically low and usually just get fed back into your collection anyway. It takes a lot of work to make money and it seems like many people abandon their businesses in order to get back to where reptile keeping is fun again.

[Akuma223]

Our store is very small, the pet area even smaller. I plan on rearranging some things where possible to make room for new products but having anything besides our small aquariums wouldn't happen. I've added these things to the list

Tools-
Thermostats
Better hooks
More tongs
Temp guns
The simple black hides that come in many sizes(name please?)
Temp controller
More ecoearth , forest floor, reptibark bedding
More attractive/higher quality water dishes and hides

Animals -
Millipedes
Tarantulas
Scorpians
Roaches (feeders and pets)
Other above mentioned critters from other users (too lazy to list right now)

Plus, better prey variation. I'm thinking size ranging from frozen pinkie mice/rats up to extra large rats and chicks. Larger or more specific prey could be requested as ordered. Feeder roaches are a big one, anyone have ideas for other live feeders?

I already have a plan on how I could organize these things effectively and make the most out of the shelf space we have.

[Aaron_S]

Our store is very small, the pet area even smaller. I plan on rearranging some things where possible to make room for new products but having anything besides our small aquariums wouldn't happen. I've added these things to the list

Tools-
Thermostats
Better hooks
More tongs
Temp guns
The simple black hides that come in many sizes(name please?)
Temp controller
More ecoearth , forest floor, reptibark bedding
More attractive/higher quality water dishes and hides

Animals -
Millipedes
Tarantulas
Scorpians
Roaches (feeders and pets)
Other above mentioned critters from other users (too lazy to list right now)

Plus, better prey variation. I'm thinking size ranging from frozen pinkie mice/rats up to extra large rats and chicks. Larger or more specific prey could be requested as ordered. Feeder roaches are a big one, anyone have ideas for other live feeders?

I already have a plan on how I could organize these things effectively and make the most out of the shelf space we have.

Just check local bylaws and federal laws for your area on the various inverts and the roaches.

For example, in Canada we aren't allowed to keep any roach due to them being considered pests.

[Akuma223]

Also, Just an FYI but I wouldn't ever order an animal I thought was going to get screwed over. I'm practically OCD about things like this, when I was given leave to improve the care of our reptiles I was so relieved. I'll be able to provide the basic proper care and requirements for any of the reptiles we have now. In fact, part of the reason the bearded man wanted me hired so badly was because of how adamant I am of ensuring all care and information is correct and up to date. They got a savannah monitor in a month ago and I chattered on and on about their requirements to both pet area people, and then decided to jot down a quick and basic care sheet for them on a peice of paper despite not working there. He liked how well I handled the monitor, I only held it three times but each time it got noticeably better about it.

[Akuma223]

Just check local bylaws and federal laws for your area on the various inverts and the roaches.

For example, in Canada we aren't allowed to keep any roach due to them being considered pests.

Yup, I always do.