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October 2023 by Tiffany S.
WOW!!!! They came to our 4 and 6yo joint bday celebration. It was a HUGE hit for a kids birthday party. They were friendly and educated the kids, we felt safe and the kids had a blast. Would highly recommend this for a party. Parents loved it too!!! Thank you so much
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September 2023 by S
Such a awesome owner, funny, friendly. Great place to kill some time on the walk to the harbor with the kids.
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July 2023 by ellora sethi
Very patient, knowledgeable, helpful people. I appreciate the information this shop has provided for my fish tanks issues. It gives me peace of mind.
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July 2023 by Sarah Westbrook
I liked the vibe of the two people working there. A lot of the enclosures were nicely decorated and natural. There are signs not to tap on the glass which I love that they care. There was no odor usually associated with reptile places.
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July 2023 by Maddie Brooks
I come here because of their extensive knowledge of tarantulas! They’ve always been so helpful and lead me in the right direction no matter what questions I have. They also set up really cool live enclosures full of real plants for my spiders.
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July 2023 by Rachael
You don't usually expect to have a host like this, but it's pretty cool and also scary. This shop has almost everything you need.
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May 2023 by Travis Koon
Highly suggest going here first if you are looking for Aquarium/Terrarium goods. They specialize in freshwater/pond fish and plants and reptiles, but have a selection of saltwater fish and creepy crawlies. The supply is limited because it's a small shop, but the owner won't hesitate to source what you need including livestock for your tank. I've had good experiences purchasing both shrimp and fish that lived a full lifespan after entering my tank. They also carry an interesting selection of hardscapes. You can always count on a good conversation and seeing some beautiful healthy pets when you visit.Also if you are entering the hobby for the first time this is going to be the place to go. You will not get info you need from any other store around in my experience. And you can trust that the pets you purchase are healthy. Don't go to PetSmart and purchase a fish that will likely be the wrong choice for your tank and will die quickly.
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May 2023 by Annabelle R.
This is a cool little pet shop, mainly for reptiles and fish. They do have a tiny sections for dogs, cats, birds, and small animal products (combined), but it's extremely limited. Plus they charge almost twice the cost for the same items you find at your common pet retail chain. I still picked up some Kaytee apple orchard sticks for my bunnies, cuz they deserve a treat! The owner here is really friendly, and very knowledgeable about the animals and products. He provided a lot of helpful information about tortoises, since my bf is looking for a new pet. He also let one of the tortoises out to play, and it was adorable and quite fast crawling around the floor of the store. They have several different live reptiles and fish on site, including snakes and spiders... some creepy some cute, depending on what you like. According to the owner, they also sometimes hold expos (listed on social media), which sounded like an event worth checking out.
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May 2023 by Michael I.
Small family owned shop, very helpful staff and a wide selection of fish and pet supplies!
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April 2023 by DR R DARCEY
I bought 10 neon tetras and one black molly recently. Somebody had ick so I treated the tank right away. Lost the whole tank within 3 days. They have a return policy but I was headed out of town for a week and a half just as this happened.
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January 2023 by Raiden A.
As a reptile and exotics collector, I cannot express how amazing this place is, I've gotten a wonderful Asian Forest Scorpion from them, I got a Dumerils Boa from them (the jewel of my collection, plus I got to hold his dad before buying him), and my first purchase from one of their expos was a Mangrove Monitor I got from one of their vendors. Now being totally transparent, I was and am still not ready for a monitor lizard, and upon recently coming to terms with that and the fact that I didn't have him in a great setup, I decided to call Pet Shop Santa Cruz to see if they could help me rehome him. Sure enough they almost immediately got me in contact with someone that had the knowledge, experience and facilities to take the monitor off of my hands. I'm sure many pet stores would have told me that I bought him and it was out of their hands, especially because I bought the monitor from a vendor they had and not from the store itself, but they still went out of their way to help me, and the animal who is now going to a better home. And on top of my personal experiences with them, it's also worth mentioning that the people working there are incredibly knowledgeable when it comes to the care requirements of reptiles as a whole, and their animals all look extremely healthy. If you want an exotic animal and they have it, get it from them! Speaking from personal experience I can guarantee you will get a happy, healthy animal and they will make sure you know everything you need to take care of it.
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December 2022 by Michael Heinecke
Amazing family business! Super helpful, especially for first time exotic pet owners. Highly recommended, even if you are just stopping by to see some rare and amazing creatures!!
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December 2022 by Rose G.
Went in today just to check out the shop and it was the best decision I made today. As soon as I walked in I was greeted by the cutest lil puppers. They were so sweet and let me pet them for forever, and followed me around lovingly while I wandered about the store. One of them is 14 and another is just a pup.The store has some really cool reptiles, like the snakes and lizards were really cool to look at. I live in an apartment, so I wasn't able to adopt one of those, but there are some great animals in there if I was in the market. The owner Aaron introduced himself to us and even told us the story behind one of the pythons they have there that they rescued from someone online that wasn't taking care of it (it was rubbing it's nose away, and it's grown back now in their care). Very friendly service.While their dog and cat supplies in the store are a bit limited (it's def geared more towards reptiles and fish and stuff, but does have some stuff for cats and dogs), I bought my Lilo some yummy pork and bacon flavored trainer treats and a size xs gray sweater (great price too). I also picked up some yummy salmon flavored cat treats for my sister's cat for only $4.99. Definitely a friendly and welcoming store. I'll be back for some more pup stuff for Lilo (even though dog stuff is a bit limited) just because of how awesome they were. Lilo's always needing some good treats and I'm much happier buying them there than at a chain. Plus it's pretty cool to see the well taken care of reptiles as I shop. And honestly, I might just stop by to pet the puppers lol.
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November 2022 by Karen Ruhleder
This pet store specializes in fish and aquariums. I bought a miniature pond for my balcony (think 2' diameter heavy duty plastic bowl with a waterfall and room for aquatic plants). They were very helpful in showing me how to use a special adhesive to add rocks to the waterfall, suggested plants, and told me what fish would be best. It's the exact opposite of a big box store-small and personal, with a knowledgeable owner who will take time to explain.
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October 2022 by Peter Crofts
I dread going to pet smart to pick up supplies only to be met with no one who can help me and very long lines.But at pet shop Santa Cruz the owner and staff are always very brisk and supper knowledgeable. Always a pleasure to come through pick up supplies and chat. I've gotten some really great deals here on used equipment as well.
