Reptiles
We carry a wide range of equipment and livestock in store. We also have a growing list of top quality suppliers so we can find a huge range of livestock "to order". Please browse our "in stock" and "available to order lists" for your ideal specimen.
If it's not on either list, drop us a line and let us do the work finding it for you. Please remember that we only sell captive bred animals, so you can rest assured you are not contributing to environmental damage and that your animal is free from the range of diseases and parasites found in imported livestock.
We also stock a full range of live foods and frozen foods, from micro crickets to rabbits and an excellent selection of vivariums and associated equipment.
FREE local delivery on vivarium equipment. We will even come and help you set up your new purchase.
We believe it is vital that you see your animal before you decide to buy so come in and have a look around and let us help you choose. Feeding time for the snakes is every Saturday at 5pm.
LOTS OF NEW SPIDERS AND SPIDERLINGS NEW IN - SEE STOCK LIST BELOW
Currently in stock:- (updated 22/02/12)
Snakes:-
Corn snakes (caramel rootbeer, sunglow, ) From £45 Probably the best snake for a beginner as they are generally very docile and rarely bite (except by mistake!). Watch out if you buy a hatchling as they are escape artists and will find ways out you didn't think existed. It's best to buy a small top opening viv. to prevent escape and upgrade to a bigger one later when the snake has grown a bit (about a year).
Great plains rat snake - £45 Closely related to the corn snake. A bit smaller and faster, otherwise care is the same as for the corns.
Childrens python - 2008 only £110 The second smallest python in the world, coming originally from Australia. Grows to 3' (although often smaller). This snake is NOT called a childrens python because it is so docile that it is good with kids (despite what you may read on some websites!) It is merely named after a former curator of the British Museum. Can be a bit nippy but generally OK to handle.
Anerythristic Honduran milksnake - adult only £69.99. A beautiful and friendly snake. Superb pattern.
Albino california kingsnake (lavender banana) - sub adult - £49.99 SOLD. High banana yellow markings. Very docile young snake.
California kingsnake (banded) - typical kingsnake, so not really for the beginner. By that I mean you could be handling them without incident and they then decide they are hungry and you'll do! Very active and attractive snakes.- SPECIAL OFFER - ONLY £49.99!
Florida kingsnake - £45.99 - Special deal on complete kit. VERY active snake. Will go to bite but only because anything that moves is food to this one. Not for the beginner as you really need to keep an eye on where the head is. Beautiful markings. The most inquisitive snake in the shop.
Coastal carpet python '09 - £105 Very attractive python, this one is growing fast at the moment. Loves to climb and is a very aggressive feeder.
Jungle carpet python '10 - £90 SOLD.
Irian Jaya Jag Carpet Python Male '11 - £189 Absolutely stunning snake, has to be seen. Precision Reptiles Line.
100% Het Granite Carpet Python Male '11 £132
100% Het Granite Carpet Python Female '11 £265
£359 for the pair. Will produce Granite offspring. Precision reptiles line
Royal python '11 - £79.99 One left. Excellent for beginners as they are so docile and do not grow too large.
Apricot Pueblan milksnake- £69.99 Absolutely stunning snakes. Beautiful gold, red and black markings. Docile but fast and inquisitive, known as escape artists so make sure your viv is suitably escape proofed! Great for beginners and experienced keepers alike.
Albino burmese python - beautiful snake (approx 9') only £260. This really is only for the dedicated, experienced keeper due to the huge size this will get to as an adult. This one is a female so she will be massive. The size of the viv. you will need means that you have to have a spare room to house her in. She is very docile and seems to love being handled at present but she will soon grow too large for one person. She is a very aggressive feeder, never failing to take me by surprise with the ferocity of her attack, despite knowing what is coming.
Albino chequered garter snakes NEW IN £45 Semi aquatic snake in the wild but care is smilar to a cornsnake. Lovely markings and colourful tongue. Do not grow too large and fairly docile. These ones are feeding on mice rather than fish (reduces the need for supplements and the smell if musked - their main defence). Good snake for a beginner or someone looking for something a little more unusual.
Common boa 2010 (female) £89.99 Very inquisitive and intelligent, excellent feeder. ONLY ONE LEFT.
Brazilian rainbow boa 2011 £149. SOLD OUT Beautiful smaller boa speciea. Requires higher humidity and have a reputation for babies to be a bit snappy, This one isn't. A very docile stunningingly beautiful boa that will not get too big. Gets its name from the irridescent sheen (petrol on water) over it's body.
Columbian red tailed boa 2011 £70 SOLD OUT. As for common boa but with redder tail markings, extending further up the body.
African House Snake 2010 £49.99 Lovely little snake. Care is the same as for corns but is a little more unusual and doesn't grow too big. Very attractive markings on the head.
Western hog nosed snake £99.SOLD. Rear fanged snake, so technically venomous. The venom is more like mildly toxic saliva and not dangerous to humans. These snakes are the masters of bluff, they hiss and have a cobra like hood but if you ignore this display they suddenly play dead rather than bite. A beautiful, easy to care for small burrowing snake with a lot of character.
Lizards:-
Bearded dragons hatchlings (minimum of 8 weeks old) £35. Excellent colours. Excellent for the beginner and experienced keeper alike as they are probably the most interactive reptile there is. They seem to relish contact and are generally very active animals. They must have the correct set up but once set up they are easy to look after. Many different colours available. Nipped tails only £20.
Transluscent bearded dragon £99 SOLD OUT
Bearded dragons - ADULT MALE £50.99. SOLD
Rankins dragon - £55 one only
Chinese water dragon - £34.99 SOLD OUT Stunning '10 lizards. Very active.
Leopard gecko- £39.99 ONLY ONE LEFT Even easier to care for than beardies as they have no UV requirement and are completely insectivorous. Not quite as interactive, they still make excellent pets for the beginner.
Leopard lizards £30 SOLD OUT Care regime is very similar to beardies without the need for veg. as they are insectivores. They do not grow as big so need a smaller set up. Very fast, active and entertaining to watch.
Moorish geckos £45 SOLD OUT.
The classic gecko on the wall from your holidays. Very fast, active feeders. Not really handleable as they are so fast and nervous (they scream as they run away) and may bite, although it does not hurt, just makes you jump. Easy to care for and easily observed as they spend most of their time on the side of the viv. in clear view.
Yemen chameleon £59.99 . Females
Strange shaped hands, independent eyes set in rotating cones, a prehensile tail and of course that incredible sticky extendable tongue. More difficult to keep, due the need for very good ventilation but also some humidity, once you get it right these are very rewarding. I wouldn't recommend them for a beginner though.
Flame crested geckos Male £59.99. Beautiful little gecko. Very friendly and active. From a cooler climate than most other geckos and require raised humidity which is easily achieved with misting or a rain system. Suit naturalistic set ups. Get it right and you can have real plants misting system etc.... Your own pacific island vivarium.
Frilled dragon £130 SOLD
Pink tongued skink £149.99. Smaller than their blue tongued cousins. Very active, uses the whole viv. and loves to climb. Will tackle snails nearly as big as itself. Feeds almost exclusively on slugs and snails.
Dune gecko -
Chelonia:-
Yellow bellied turtles (2010) - £18 SOLD OUT
Yellow bellied turtles (Juvenilles) - £25 SOLD OUT
Yellow bellied turtles (Adults) - £30.99
Chinese painted necked turtle - £25 SOLD OUT
Razor back musk turtle £40 SOLD OUT
Stinkpot £20 One of the smallest turtles. Spend alot of time under water. Extremely active little things.- only one left
Reeves turtle - £30 Small active turtle - SOLD
Hermans tortoise (2009 hatching) - From £130 Available to order.
Mediterranean spur thighed tortoise (2009 hatching) From £130
Leopard tortoise - (2007) only £180
Amphibians:-
African clawed frogs - SOLD OUT
Fire belled toads - £9.99
Axolotl (Black) - £20
Yellow and black poison arrow frogs - £79.99
Invertebrates:-
Please note - all of our spiderlings and juvenile spiders are sold in enclosures large enough to allow for growth before needing to be rehoused and this is included in the purchase price quoted.
Spiderlings
Salmon pink birdeater spiderling - £14.99- well grown on
White striped birdeater spiderling - £6.75 (SOLD OUT)
Equador pink toe spiderling - £12.45 (SOLD OUT)
Martinique pink toe spiderling - £12.45
Giant white knee spiderling - £6.65 (SOLD OUT)
Queensland goliath spiderling - £14.49
Aemula gold red rump spiderlings - £8.99 (SOLD OUT)
Aemula gold red rump juvenile
Mexican red leg juvenile - £15.99
Ebony earth tiger juvenile - £20.99
Emerald skeleton juvenile - £14.99
Brazillian black juvenile - £14.99
Haitian brown juvenile female - £19.99
Green bottle blue juvenile - £25.99 SOLD Stunning arid species. Beautiful easy to care for tarantula.
Chile rose juveniles and sub adult - From £12.50 Excellent for beginners. Fairly docile and very unlikely to bite. May flick hairs but rarely do. Burrowing spider from arid conditions so no humidity concerns. Rarely burrows much in captivity. One of the easiest spiders to care for.
Chile rose Adult males - £10 Ready for breeding
Red chile rose sub adult - £25 SOLD OUT
Golden starburst baboon juvenile - £20 SOLD OUT Quite an aggressive species, so not really for the beginner. They have been known to jump out of their home and attack, which can be unnerving. Has a medically significant bite, which is VERY painful and leaves you with muscle cramps for a few weeks. So DO NOT HANDLE this spider.
Usambara orange baboon - adult - £30. Same as golden starburst.
Salmon pink bird eater (adult) - £45 known as a semi aggressive species I would say they are more nervous and defensive. They won't chase you but will flick hairs and rear up in defense. These are among the top three contenders for worlds biggest spider. Only handle this spider if absolutely necessary (for the sake of the spider) and you have the relevant experience. Requires raised humidity. SOLD
South Ecuador star burst tarantula - £30 SOLD OUT Beautiful large spider. Not particularly aggressive but have been known to bite. Make an excellent display spider as the ones I have had seemed to spend quite a lot of time outside of their hidey holes. Require raised humidity.
Fringed earth tiger Juvenile - £25 Large terrestrial burrowing spider that requires high humidity making it one of the more difficult to look after. For the more experienced keeper only. As with all our livestock this is captive bred. You will not find another captive bred of the same size as this was from the first UK captive breeding. Very rare..
Malaysian earth tiger Juvenile - £30 Large, aggressive spider that requires raised humidity. Definitely not one to be handled as they are known to bite anything that moves. This one is growing rapidly at the moment and eating loads in between moults. Very entertaining moving into the new enclosure!
Martinique pink toed tarantula £79.50 SOLD OUT Absolutley beautiful arboreal spider. Requires raised humidity and is very active. Very fast and seems to love catching you unawares especially during misting!! Will run out of the enclosure if given the chance and is difficult to put back, not because its aggressive, it's not, but because it's so fast
Pink zebra beauty tarantula £34.50 SOLD OUT Exellent spider for beginners as it is the most docile spider I have seen. Requires raised humidity but not excessively so. LOVES to burrow and will dig the deepest and most extensive burrows overnight when put into a new enclosure with the right conditions. Very active but generally slow moving and not inclined to flick hairs (although they can) SOLD
Cobalt blue tarantula £42.99 Very nervous, VERY aggressive, very fast. I move my spiders around using clear plastic pots and this one would rather attack your hand through the pot than run off and hide in its new enclosure. I have also seen them stay very calm and appear tractible and then suddenly burst into life and run around trying to bite - so watch out. On the upside they are very attractive with a beautiful blue sheen on the legs. Requires raised humidity and burrowing substrate. Experience is required with this one. TEMPORARALLY WITHDRAWN - busy regrowing a leg.
Viatnemese tiger rump tarantula £35.99 SOLD Pretty much the same as the cobalt blue (except for colour). This spider will turn right over on its back to expose its fangs to your finger and will lunge from its burrow to bite anything within range. Just touching the lid of the enclosure is enough to bring on this behaviour. Burrows actively and requires raised humidity.
Mexican red rump tarantula (Juvenile and adult) - From £30.99. Not particularly agressive but a bit skittish is probably the best description. Loves to burrow.
Mexican flame knee tarantula - £37.99 SOLD Typical mexican hair flicker - watch out! Wash your hands after going in the enclosure - you do not want hairs in your eyes.
Mexican fire leg tarantula - £37.99 If anything more prone to flicking than the flame knee.
Curly hair tarantula - From £15.99. Excellent docile spider for the beginner.We do not recommend handling spiders, mainly for the sake of the spider but these are one of the easiest to handle if you have to. Hardy and easy to keep.
Straight horn baboon - £19.99 As with all baboons - not one for handling as they can be quite aggressive and as they cannot flick hairs they rely on their only defence (apart from hiding and running away) which is biting! SOLD
Chaco golden knee tarantula - £14.99. Large, docile and easy to care for. Grows quite quickly too. Beautiful gold banding on legs.
Red slate ornamental tarantula - £34.99. SOLD Typical old world, arboreal tarantula. Fast and aggressive. Not to be hadled - it WILL bite you.
Indian ornamental - Juvenile - £20.99 Large adult - £45 Beautiful markings but typical ornamental - not to be handled. This has one of the strongest tarantula venoms - you have been warned.
European Scorpion Euscorpius sicanus - £26.99 Mainly found in homes in Scicily and southern Italy and other areas around the mediterranean. It's natural environment is in the lower forested slopes of the surrounding hills.
Blue flash mantis - £15 SOLD OUT
Madagascan marbled mantis - £9.95 SOLD OUT
Malaysian leaf insect - £3.95 SOLD OUT Largest of their genus. Will reach the size of the palm of your hand. Excellent mimics that will even sway to look like a leadf in the wind. ONLY ONE LEFT
Giant spiny stick insect - £3.95 Impressive insects.
Pink winged stick insects £2.50 SOLD OUT
Thai stick insects £2.50 SOLD OUT
Indian stick insects £2.50
Queensland titan stick insect £9.99 SOLD OUT
Diapherodes gigantea £9.99 SOLD OUT
Diapherodes venestula £9.99 SOLD OUT
Peruvian black beauty stick insect (not suitable for small children) £3.50 SOLD OUT. Beautiful insect, deep velvety black body and legs, yellow/white eye rings, vivid red vestigial wings which it raises when threatened as it arches it's tail forward like a scorpion. Very easy to care for.
Horsehead grasshopper £2.50 Look like stick insects with a weirde smiley face, until they jump away! care is similar to most stick insects.
Madagascan hissing cockroach £2.50
Peppered cockroach £2.00 SOLD OUT
(Photos by Cain Eyre)
Fruit beetles (Pachnoda marginata) £0.50
Giant African land snail £2.50 Growing fast
Barbados pancake slug £2.95 Escape artists!!! We strongly recommend a screw top lid or secured mesh. Push on lids (i.e. RUB lids) will not stop them.
Available to order:-
Corn snakes (various morphs)
Rat snakes
Garter snakes
Boas
Pythons
Hog nosed snake
Kingsnakes
Milk snakes
Yemen chameleons
Eyed lizards
Ground geckos
Uromastyx
Marginated tortoises
Horsefields tortoises
Sulcata tortoises
Axolotl
Water dog
Horned frogs
Poison arrow frogs
Tree frogs (various)
Various tarantulas and spiders
Stick insects and mantids
Beardie basics
I have had quite a few customers in who have either inherited a bearded dragon from a friend or relative or have bought one recently and who have been trying their best to improve the care of their new (and often unexpected) beardie. I have been able to help in most cases so I thought I would jot down a few basics for people in this situation or for anyone thinking of purchasing a bearded dragon in the near future.
Generally bearded dragons require quite a large vivarium as an adult. I would recommend 30” as an absolute minimum for one adult although 36” would be better. 48” is excellent and anything bigger is good but probably just showing off! Very young ones can at least look a bit lost in one though and some do seem (at least at first) to get a bit nervous in a large viv. (they will hide away a lot, sometimes to the point of not getting enough UV light) so starting off in a smaller viv. is definitely OK, although not essential as they do grow quite quickly. They require a good temperature gradient (a “hot end “and a “cold end”) to enable them to regulate their body temperature with the hot spot at the hot end at 40-450 C and the cool end around 250C (so you are going to need two thermometers). There are a lot of opinions out there on heating a viv. and I’ll not get into it all here. I use a heat mat combined with a basking lamp (sized to the viv. ) to create a hot spot. I have mounted mats on the side and on the bottom of the viv. with equal success. I have seen comments saying never use a heat mat and cannot agree. I have never had a problem, ever and this is over a number of years with a large number of animals. That said, there are alternatives and they are fine too (with the exception of “heat rocks” – they really are a bad idea, if you bought a starter set up from a certain well known pet supermarket you will have one of these, please throw it away to avoid any risk). A thermostat will help avoid over temperature. Dragons can tolerate lower temperatures (i.e. if your spot lamp blows) for quite some time but will suffer quite quickly from over temperature. Even with a thermostat you should always check your thermometers at least daily – thermostats can fail.
Bearded dragons need relatively high levels of UVB light to manufacture vitamin D3, enabling them to assimilate calcium. You will need a 10-12% UVB lamp on 12 – 14 hours a day. Remember UV light does not travel too far from these lamps so make sure they are not too far from where your dragon likes to bask. I don’t use hides with beardies, sometimes they can spend too much time under it and not get enough UV – not common but best avoided.
Substrate (what your dragon lives on) is probably the most controversial subject in the hobby. I am not going to tell you what not to use, there is not a substrate currently in use that can’t cause problems. I use beech wood chips or desert bedding in the main although I have used others. I have never had any issues with impaction so I can’t comment on what is worst for this. However I avoid calci sand, as calcium is an essential nutrient for dragons, so they will eat is if they feel they need it – why tempt fate? Also, most of my vivs. are front opening, with sliding glass and the sound of sand in the runners makes me cringe!
Dragons do require a water bowl although they are rarely seen to drink (I know some individuals seem to love getting in their water bowl but I have only seen this when kept on sand). However do change the water regularly and keep the bowl clean. It is hot in a beardie’s viv. and bacteria will grow very quickly around the rim of the water. A feed dish is a good idea for the veggie component of a beardie’s diet, to help avoid the risk of impaction by picking up bits of substrate.
Beardies love something to climb on, branches, rocks etc. Avoid anything sharp, they may suddenly jump down and you don’t want them to get injured. Any thing else in there is up to you. Some people like to put in things to encourage activity and don’t mind what it looks like, so use anything they can find. Others like it to look as natural as possible. It’s really up to you but I would suggest you read a good book for the more advanced aspects of setting up a vivarium both for further advice and for ideas if, like me, you're not that creative yourself.
Feeding
Bearded dragons are omnivores. They eat a wide range of foods including crickets, locusts, beetles and lavae, vegetables and fruit, meat (small mammals) etc. In captivity they also need vitamin and calcium supplements to ensure continued good health. I feed mine to a regular regime. Not because it is necessary for the health of the dragon particularly but because with the amount of animals I have to feed it is more convenient to stick to a plan and this gives us confidence our animals have received a varied and balanced diet. You will find your own regime that suits you. I give you mine just to illustrate what a balanced diet looks like, not to suggest this is superior to any other feeding plan.
Day one - cricket or locusts dusted with Nutrobal vitamin supplement. Day 2 - salad vegetables. Day three - crickets or locusts dusted with calcium powder. Day four - salad vegetables. Day five - crickets or locusts dusted with calcium powder. Day six - fruit or veg. Day seven - crickets or locusts without any supplement. I vary this further by changing the crickets and locusts for morio worms from time to time and very occasionally wax worms. I don't use mealworms myself due to the higher level of chitin in the jaws and the consequent increased risk of impaction but occasional mealworms would be OK. I must confess the type of veg. I use depends very much on what is on offer at the local supermarket but favourites are rocket salad or herb salad, grated carrot, romaine lettuce, curly kale and cucumber. Customers have also used spring onion greens but I haven't had a lot of success with those. Those that have swear by them. Again I haven't had a lot of success with fruit but common ones used are strawberry, mango and banana. One way of getting veg into some of the more obstinate dragons is to feed the veg to the insect food. Whatever they eat, your beardie is eating. I do this sometimes but usually have gut loaded them on a gut load formula any way.
For very young beardies I dust every feed to ensure the rapidly growing youngsters are getting enough calcium but I only ever use vitamin powder once a week. The risk of over dosing far outweighing the risk of underdosing when using such a balanced diet
Things to avoid with feeding are obviously using anything toxic ! This sound really obvious but people have been caught out with plants. The beardie may not eat the plant but the insects probably will. The beardie will then eat the now toxic insect. I don't usually use live plants with beardies but people do, so make sure you know what plant you have and that it is safe. Also I avoid brocolli and cabbage leaves as these contain oxylates that can prevent calcium being available to the metabolism.
Common problems with beardie feeding include the notorius addiction to wax worms. I have seen beardies fed these exclusively. Not only is this a bad idea from a nutritional point of view but you often end up with an animal that will only eat this one source of food and frequently only when fed by hand! However I have not yet seen the dragon that cannot be weaned back onto a balanced diet with a little perseverence. That said, they can be fussy as they get older. Giles, my five year old, will not eat crickets at all. He used to but now he would rather starve. It's OK though because he will eat everything else. You may also get a dragon that will not touch something. The basic message is that as they are omnivores, it probably doesn't matter as long as they get a balanced diet.
We now stock fruit beetle lavae and our own cockroaches. All of our beardies (of appropriate size) seem to love these.
I hope this helps.