I have been thinking about this long and hard whilst developing my business plan, we have a lot of ideas but a poll with LOTS of votes is probably going to help !!

Please select up to 5 answers

THANKS !!

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1:1:0 Eastern Collareds
1:1:0 Yellow Headed Collareds
0:1:0 New Mexican Collared
0:1:0 Texas Collared
PM me for CB collareds

for a shop to really stand out, it would have to be a combination of those things, not sure about the simple species bit though... id say the opposite but with care taken on who they are sold too? most shops have their good points no matter how bad they are over all?

Simple species is in my opinion a negative - how many people want to travel to go to a reptile shop that just sells a few geckos, beardies, corn snakes, the usual. You want something beautiful, something interesting, different.. many people will travel to a reptile shop to see what's there!

I also consider it important to promote different species, and to try and encourage the correct husbandry of them, and to encourage breeding in captivity, etc.

But I believe it also good policy to say "no" to reptiles that you consider are unsuitable for the pet trade. My shop won't ever sell iguanas or burmese pythons because I do not consider that someone who buys from my shop will have the correct environment for them - specialist keepers who keep burms, retics, iguanas, etc. can do their research, and get hold of them from a specialist supplier.. I also won't have the facilities to adequately house these animals, and sometimes I get tired of seeing 10 foot burmese pythons squished into a 3 foot viv with the argument "it's only for a few weeks, they'll be ok".. and then 3 months later it's still there, just with some added burn marks.

Some shops consider themselves to be specialist suppliers and will sell them to those people who have researched it which I have no problem with, if they are being careful who they sell to, and can adequately house such specialist animals.. and then others just sell them in ignorance..

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That's cool, if it gets no votes thats a good thing right?

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1:1:0 Eastern Collareds
1:1:0 Yellow Headed Collareds
0:1:0 New Mexican Collared
0:1:0 Texas Collared
PM me for CB collareds

I agree that "simple species" would put me right off a shop, I dont like the typical or easy to keep stuff (im talking leos, corns, kings, beardies etc). This policy would probably work best in a mixed store which also sold furries with just the odd rep. I agree with the point on burms/tics/igs.

A CB only policy would also put me off (despite its good intentions) as I probably wouldnt be able to buy anything from you in that case A lot of the more unusual species are practically impossible to find CB in the UK. I do however agree with using CB stock wherever possible and veing very clear about where your animals come from.

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having a shop myself(not reps) and loving shopping myself(not always reps) i have to say what makes a shop stand out to me is knowledgable staff,even if the shop looks abit tatty(for want of a better word)if the staff know what thy are talkng about that impresses me most,having confidence in whos serving you knowing their stuff

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Me,Goat and Sid Lola.........


the 3 Rumsketeers

Thanks guys, any more?

I need numbers to make the information credible to the bank manager, lol

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1:1:0 Eastern Collareds
1:1:0 Yellow Headed Collareds
0:1:0 New Mexican Collared
0:1:0 Texas Collared
PM me for CB collareds

The number one thing in any shop is cleanliness. Even if the staff are helpful and they have a good selection if the vivs are dirty and the waters dry or dirty it would put me off full stop.

It's helpful to make sure all the vivariums have labels on identifying what is in there (common and latin name), what sex (if sexed), and how much. Its frustrating sometimes when you go into a shop and there's like just the common name on there - can portray a lack of knowledge.

Illumination needs to be right - dark and dingy is not good, but you have to be careful not to make it too bright for the animals.

Space is another factor, theres nothing worse that having narrow isles that are 4 stack high with vivs on both sides meaning that if the shop is busy you can't look at whats in all the vivs.

If there are any animals in there for the more experienced individual then their enclosures need to adequately represent their requirements. All too often I've seen something like an adult Bosc in a 24"x12"x12" viv struggling to turn around. This gives the wrong impression.

Humidity is another gripe of mine. Take for example a Green Tree Python. It requires high humidity. It also requires that condensation is not forming and dripping on the glass. You go to some pet shops and you struggle to see the GTP because of the condensation in the tank.

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1.0.1 Bearded Dragons
1.0.0 Mississippi Map turtle
0.0.1 Razorback Musk turtle
1.0.1 Freckled Monitor
2.4.0 Bearded Pygmy Chameleons (Rieppeleon brevicaudatus)
1.1.0 Pitted Pygmy Chameleons (Rhampholeon temporalis)

theres a few things that stick out for me good husbandry for definate.

A captive bred only policy would be nice but from petshops I have never seen one.

A good selection at a reasonable price.