I will be starting a pet store in northern california....

HI,

I am starting a pet store in northern california, i am thinking im going to call it Caveman Pets ... i had a dream about it once and it kinda stuck.... anyways... i would like your suggestions as to what kinds of animals i should sell, please note that i will not be selling any snakes that grow over five feet long because i personally do not feel that the general public should have such access to them... kudos to those of you who know what youre doing and can keep them safe.... I already know i will be selling leopard geckos, but would like to know if anyone has a breeder they recomend.... i would like to get most of my animals from private breeders as they are generally healthier and more sound than breeders who are in it for the money.... I would also like to know of any recomendations habitat wise that you all have for any of the animals you suggest i sell. I have found that it is always better to ask those who know from experience and i want to have my pet store know what its talking about... i dont want my leopard geckos to be like the ones in chico's PetCo whom are missing toes and often their tales due to improper care... if anyone happens to have a favorite type of small animal or bird they would like to suggest as well they may....

Thank you all!
~Rebecca

 

RE: I will be starting a pet store in northern california...

Ferrets, Sugar Gliders( if allowed in CA) Rabbits, Gerbils, Hamsters, Rats, chinchialls, Degus, are all good pets to sell. I would sugest getting a nice display shelf built, one which you can keep the majority of reptiles on in a single space or room. As a customer I like it when the stores do this as it looks more professional then having cages all over the place. If you could maybe not right away and if time is availble you could breed your own leopard geckos.

 

RE: I will be starting a pet store in northern california...

Hello, congrats on your idea and interest. I would sell geckos, lizards, frogs, salamanders, toads, snakes. Basically everything I could get my hands on that I would be able to support. I know it sounds like a lot but for you to have a shop that appeals to everyone, you've got to have it all. I'm not going to cover mamals, birds, etc. since this isn't the proper forum. Geckos would include leopards, crested, zebra, golden, house, etc. Lizards would be long tailed grass, jeweled, monitors, etc. Frogs; dart's, tree's, tomatoe, etc. Toads; cane, arroyo, etc. You get the idea. The list can go on and on. I would also have a special section for exotics where special cage setups are required.

As for enclosures I would get them as big as possible for them all to fit reasonably well (make sure people that arn't the skinniest can navigate through your store with no problem) in your shop. I'm sure you are already aware of the no sand rule. If not, sand causes impaction, use repti-carpet or paper towel.

I would also invest some time in feeders such as crickets, mealworms, silks, fruit flies, mice, as people will need these to keep their reptiles/amphibs fed. You may want to sell do it yourself kits as well.

Organization! Make sure your products, animals, feeders are well organized so people can find them on their own without asking some one. I can't tell you how mad I get when I walk into a shop and I'm overaloded with products and don't know where to start. Look at it from a buyers point of view.

Use your imagination! Think of what people will need and give them a reason to come back to your store. Remember inspiration starts from the mind, not the wallet. Good luck.

 

Re: RE: I will be starting a pet store in northern californi

Doom were in General Chat Can you think of any other small and fury creatures I did not mention.

Oh yah hedgehogs are cool as well.

 

RE: Re: RE: I will be starting a pet store in northern calif

Well I meant the whole forum in general. It's a Reptile Forum. If It were up to me though, I'd sell bats There is probably some law or restriction though plus they would be hard to keep.

 

RE: Re: RE: I will be starting a pet store in northern calif

Also going on what Doom stated above if you are able to keep everything your customers need in regards of supplies, then they will remember this and shop at your store more often. Another good Idea is to create starter sets fro reptiles and Ampb. You could throw together a nice display, and sell it for a couple of bucks less then what the customers would pay if they bought every thing seperate.

 

RE: Re: RE: I will be starting a pet store in northern calif

Ferrets are illegal in CA, just so you know. As are alot of exotics. Just make sure you check your local laws. I'd love to open a petstore, I'm in texas so you can have anything, LOL. But I wouldn't carry tiger cubs anyways. Good luck with your store

 

RE: Re: RE: I will be starting a pet store in northern calif

Thanks for that info, I live in NJ and we can sell them here. Oh well it was on the top of my head and I really like the little buggers

 

Hey thanks you guys these are great options... as to the no sand thing with the leo... thats kinda what got me started on the whole pet store thing... I bought a little leo at Petco and they told me you MUST USE SAND and you should GET A HEAT ROCK.... and then i noticed my leo was like eating the sand and i did some research and learned about impaction as well that the heat rocks tend to become uneven over time which could burn him... also the petco leos didnt have any sort of moist hide which caused their toes to have problems when they would shed... and i went to the petco in union city i think... not sure... anyway like none of them had tails... my guess was because they werent being fed right.... and so i wanted a store that sold exactly what your pet would need and give you advice that was real... not just what should work... i wanted to be able to say this will work... or something like that.... plus i wanted my pet owners to know that if their pet had a problem i would tell them how to fix it and if i didnt know i would help them find someone who would... my sister said its kinda like a mom & pop pet store... i thought that was funny but kinda made sense.... I would like to be able to breed most of my animals myself... that way i know exactly what i have but i know at first i wont be able to as my funds will be kinda short... do you guys have any recomendations as to like where i should get my feed stuff from like i know flukers does alot of like cricket food and diet supliment stuff but im not sure if they are good or not... like i said i want the best! lol....

 

RE: Re: RE: I will be starting a pet store in northern calif

Degus and Hedgehogs would be a good thing to sell. They're both interesting, not TOO common and very friendly. Sugar gliders, if allowed, are more difficult to care for, I believe. Mice, rats, bunnies, gerbils, hamsters and chinchillas are all standard pet store pets, so those are good. Budgies and parakeets would be good for birds. Maybe some cockatiels and green cheek conures?
If you are going to sell snakes 5ft and under, go with ball pythons, corns, kings, milks, garters, kenyan sand boas, rosy boas, solomon island ground boas, childrens pythons and anthill pythons.
Bearded dragons would be a great idea too, as well as Chinese water dragons, leopard geckos, cresteds, gargoyles, vipers, pictus, etc. Skinks too.
I also think what Doom said is all very good, and BSB. And I recommend you give out caresheets with every pet a customer buys. That's what I would want as a customer
Good luck!!

 

Thats a good idea.. .the care sheets but thats kinda what im doing here... and i plan to visit other forums such as these... i want to get care sheet information from people who actually own the animals and know what they are doing... cause like i said Petco told me sand was fine for a leo... and well mine thought it was yummy... lol

 

Well if you're interested, I can give some great care tips on the pets I've owned/own now...
When will you have the pet store up and running?

 

I would love any information you can offer... im already pretty set with leopard geckos as i own one myself and have done lots of research and quesiton asking about them... and im not sure exactly when the store will be up and running... i want to start it in april of next year when i will be old enough to but i wont be out of college (im getting a business degree) until about a year after that maybe longer.... so im not sure exactly when it will be all set up....plus i still have to finish gathering all of my information and then do a business plan so i have no idea how long it will take me...

 

Understandable. These things take LOTS of time and money. You'd have to be pretty dedicated. So congrats to you on that!
I'll just pm you some caresheets when I get them all together. It's good that you're preparing for it ahead of time.

 

Yes thanks, i would love that! Yeah i have actually been gatehering information for the last six months...but havent really gotten anywhere....lol... what animals will you be giving me care sheets on?

 

I strongly suggest not selling sugar gliders. There are a LOT of rescue gliders because people buy them on impulse because they are so cute and the pet stores lie and tell them they are super easy pets and it's just not true. Good luck with your store!

 

Yeah, when it comes to the harder pets to own i was thinking i would try not to have those... cause like i know alot of the pets like those are going to children... so yeah.. and i also was thinking i might have those kinds of things on special order or something....

 

I own a pet store here in South Carolina, and I have every animal mentioned in this thread and then alot more. It is not an easy buisness to run, and not very profitable. Just be sure to choose a good location and a good store. The only thing I don't sell is venemous.

 

i dont plan on selling anything venemous either... and im not really doing it for profit... i just want to offer a good quality pet store... in chico, where im planning on starting it the only pet store we have that isnt like specifically fish or something like that is our petco which sucks... they dont really know what they are talking about.....

 

I used to live in Ca and theres a huge list of animals that you cant sell. I know that you cant sell any animal native to CA and no venemous either. Stuff like Ferrets, sugar gliders, gerbils, Hedgehogs and even some birds like Quakers are illegal in the state. I would dif check before selling anything.