Setting up for a Pet Store

[msubigdawg]

Hi, I work at a pet store and I have gotten the great job of setting up a reptile area for this store. I want to know any information that folks can give me on what would be good to order. I have ideas like balls, iguanas, beardeds, and stuff. But I also want to know what is the best type of bedding I should get my store to carry and to use. Or anything that may help. I know this post may seem that I dont know anything about reptiles but trust me I do. I just like to have all my bases covered and know what other people think I should do. I have a beautiful rainbow boa at home but I want to know what people think is best for a pet store setting.
Thanks

[ReptiliansDOTca]

Work with animals that you can easily research and provide the proper care for. I would definitely recommend against selling iguanas, there are enough rescues out there as it stands.

[Tim_Cranwill]

As far as what animals to carry, if you look at the # of threads in each forum, you'll see which are the most popular... it's pretty clear. :D I would tend to go with a variety myself.

Which bedding to use for a shop? Here you have to go with looks. Aspen shavings or bark mulch look nice and won't have any ill effects on the animals. Then you throw in a couple of the fancy hides, fake plants and water dishes and you're set. I'm sure the shop will LOVE it if you sell a reptile and all the "useless junk" that they carry too.... Useless in that it is nice to look at but not necessary ;).

I'm not too sure how successful you would be if everything was on newspaper but you never know. lol :)

[Invictus]

I also vote NO IGUANAS!!!!

[sapphire_moon]

balls, corns (all morphs), try some small boas. Alot of people want something nice, but something that don't get huge, w.hognoses are great! (i'm a bit biased though), spotted pythons you can also carry a few "advanced" snakes, like bloods, a few bci, bcc, brazilion rainbow boas. But personally if they put YOU in charge of it, only get what you can take care of.

[ReptiliansDOTca]

As for substrate, coconut husk works great for just about any lizard and is digestable! What more could you ask for...

[Terri]

I also agree with NO IGUANAS. also it is best to be sure of the by-laws in the area,here in Ontario they change from town to town. It is best to keep the customer informed.

[exotic_66]

I TOTALLY AREE NO IGUANAS ! most of the stores i no wont sell em ...poor things stupid people dont really understand the care involved and they dont care either!

[msubigdawg]

Yea I don't like iguanas either but they are popular but I am goin to try my hardest not to get them. I am partial to uramasty (however u spell it). Maybe I will order one and keep it, they joys of workin in a pet store.

[Invictus]

Yes they are popular... as a rescue pet. Everyone wants one until they get to be 6 feet long, and require a 12 x 6 x 6 cage with several UV lights.

[daver676]

Along with the no iguanas opinions, I would also stay away from selling giant snakes like burms, anacondas and retics.

[rwg]

No iguanas, and no turtles that grow too big to live in a 30 gallon aquarium. I see dozens of abandoned iggies and red eared sliders. Remember that your customers are not for the most part herpers. Iguanas are awfull pets for non-herpers. Corns, balls and beardies are good pets, dont cost a fortune, and should move well for you. Some milks and kings (I like hondos in particular) are not too bad for beginners.

While aspen is a great substrate, mulch or bark will look better, and that does matter. Carry both, recomend either, but use the more natural looking one for your displays. Another good idea is to have care sheets around for everything you sell. Not only for your customers, but for your staff. You should know what's captive bred, and what's not, and be honest about it. Nothing worse than being told it's captive bred when you know darn well it isn't.

rg

[nita]

Multiplying the no Iguana's plan. Most of our pet stores won't sell them. Only one here does and they claim that they have been brought in by customers asking them to get rid of them so they aren't importing them. Try to get your reptiles from local breeders in your area too, pet stores still usually double the price from what they paid for the animal but like others have said, most of your customers arent' herpers and dont' know to go direct to the breeders anyway. Most of our pet stores carry milks, kings, corns, balls and the occasional bcc, or bci. Every so often you see something rarer like a blood or a GTP but very seldom. As for lizards, leo's, beardies, anoles, chinese water dragons I see often. But don't get more than YOU are able to research and provide proper care. Also you should have caresheets and possibly a pamphlet for your local herp society so they can learn the proper care for the animal. Inform your other staff as well, I had a kid working at a pet store try to tell me that I would need a 109 Gal tank for my corns!!! LMAO, I nearly wet my pants laughing so hard at him.

[joe_h]

I would also agree with the no Iguana's, the pet store it used to work for had them when I first started working there, but they were always mean and wc. Like what alot of other people have said try sticking to the basics, not only is it better for the people purchasing the animal but for your staff as well. And I would have to stress TRAINING YOUR STAFF, that is one of the most annoying things about going into a pet store, is untrained kids. So by sticking with the basics not only can your customers learn about there new pet but so can your staff.

[msubigdawg]

Thank all of you for your input. I am a "kid " myself but I know a lot and I plan on training the people that work there and the owners. I have already set out on trying to make a book of caresheets on anything that we would possibly have or anything I may possibly buy.

[nita]

LOL, i'm not exactly old but the boy in the pet store was maybe 14 yrs old!! We have a lot of 'kids' in our reptile society that are smart and very knowledgable about their animals. I didn't mean it to sound that just because he was young he didnt' know what he was doing, he just happened to be young, I know adults that are just as bad one lady tried telling me that I was overfeeding my BP's cause I give them more than 2 adult mice per week.

[sapphire_moon]

Oh thats funny! 109 gals for a corn!

Thats ok, when I got my first bp and we purchased our first f/t mice wanna know what my mother asked the guy...

and I DO quote!

"if we defrost them, will they come back to life?"

The guys face got red from holding in laughter, and I myself was laughing as the guy was explaining, no they have been sitting in a deep freeze, there is no way they are going to come back to life.

lol..

As for "kids" knowing things, there are more than a few "kids" on here that would blow me outta the water. Don't be fooled by age.

[jwsporty]

Creating Caresheets is a great idea..the tough part is making sure your "staff" follow it. And the other side of the coin, how far is your petstore prepared to go to deal with illness and housing issues. Everything they do will affect the "bottomline". That is just business..

Best of luck with your setups though, and check with your local authorities to find out what you can and can not carry. Myself, I would love to see a spot with nothing but Kings, but then again, I am a little partial to them..;)

Cheers
Jim

[Cruciform]

If the store will let you, it might be a good idea to put a note card on the front of each species tanks, with the average adult size and weight of the animals, and the temps they are kept at to survive.

Maybe something that says "Hi, I'm a ____________. I can be quite a handful when I'm grown. I get to be _______ long and weigh as much as _____. I may not need the attention a puppy does, but I do need the care. I should have a cool area to rest in of ___ degrees, and a basking spot of ___ degrees. I eat ________ and like my water (still/moving/dripping). My favorite books on _______ care are __________ and ________. You can find them in the book section of the store."

Just a thought.

[xdiversichicx]

Originally posted by rwg
Another good idea is to have care sheets around for everything you sell. Not only for your customers, but for your staff.

this is a really good idea. be as informative as you can be on them too. dont just list the basics and give tips too. both about the animals history and how to care for it.
the shop i use 99% of the time does this for all of their animals. the ones for reptiles and other exotics are very descriptive down to every detail from diseases and or illnesses/housing/feeding/handling/exercise/and even what the normal color of poo it should have.
for the iguanas it even had a bi-weekly calendar that shifted every four days of a balanced iguana salad.
they have been extremely helpful to us and several friends.

another good idea would be.. (i think someone might have mentioned this before but i couldnt find it to quote.).. to have "beginner kits" that comes with like calcium, watering/feeding dish, 18" uvb lights (just to make sure that they actually use one, and they are the cheapest from what ive seen), 10gallon tank, etc etc at a reduced price from what they would be separate. this set up comes in handy for "spur of the moment" buys. just make sure that the customer knows that they will have to purchase a larger enclosure and change lights often in the future.

not sure if thats the kind of ideas that you are looking for, but thats what our shop does.