I have randomly found myself visiting this establishment on a few occasions. Once it was to accompany a friend as she procured live mice for her python...and now, more recently, to tend to the whims of a mysterious Hedgehog known only as "The Aug". (Or Codename: The Mysterious Gentleman, or Le Tigre de la saleté). No one knows his real name save for his caretaker, who also has a codename: Teh Hotness. The staff that I've encountered here have always been the eccentric type, but you can tell they work there because they likely also have a menagerie at home. Not unlike Ace Ventura, I can imagine them walking into their homes and extending their arms upwards only to be seconds later covered with creatures from Wild Kingdom. Many of the display cases are open, and you are allowed interaction with the safer critters...rabbits, a cluster of hedgehogs (or a Hedgehoggery, as it's called in the biz. Did you know that a group of hedgehogs is called "An array"..as in "An array of hedgehogs ate my grandmother!". It's true.) It may smell like dumpster juice in there, and the kids who work there may take too keen an interest in feeding mice to lizards and snakes, but they're by-and-large good people and the business is interesting to visit, should you ever find yourself in need of an exotic pet. Just don't complain to someone if you find yourself sans a finger from that desert monitor you thought would be cool draped over your shoulders at parties. read more

My friend told me there were baby pigs at this Herpeton, and for weeks, I obsessed about going to look at the baby pigs. Finally, one day when we were going to Target, my boyfriend suggested we first go look at the baby pigs. I was thrilled! When we walked in there, the first thing I noticed was the incredible stench of reptiles and tiny mammals (one star off for that). Whew! Once I got past that, I felt like a kid at the zoo. Each aquarium had an even more amazing animal than the one I'd just looked at: bearded dragons, veiled chameleons, exotic roaches (okay, that's just disgusting, and I'm glad they didn't come out to say hello), chinchillas, ferrets, and even just plain old mice. There were so many varieties of reptiles, I couldn't remember them all. They even had a Reticulated Python in its own closed off quarters that had large viewing windows. I don't think I'd ever seen a snake so large that close. Truly frightening. It will definitely give you the creepies. A gigantic tortoise also free-roamed the shop - he was fast, and he was chomping on all lettuce strewn about the floor. Oh, they didn't have any more baby pigs, but they offered to put us on the mailing list. We politely declined, but I just may have to go back and see if they're there next time. read more

Herpeton Exotic Pets - South - Pet Stores Near Me - Austin, Texas

You know what surly teenager working behind the counter? All I want is some damn mealworms for my gecko. You don't have to dish me attitude when you a) don't have said item like you usually do and b) I have the audacity to ask you when you might be getting them in. Put down the bong and be human, you freaky bastard. read more

First off, the "CLOSED" appendage isn't exactly true. While Herpeton Pets is now known as AAA Exotic Pets, it still says Herpeton Exotic Pets in front of the store which is in exactly the same location. I'm not sure if they have new owners or if the owners changed the business name to escape what I see is their increasingly bad reputation. Secondly, until the management adopts more responsible policies regarding the treatment of their fertile animals, I would NOT purchase anything that you would not be happy to find pregnant later on. I just plunked down several hundred dollars for a cesarean section to save a guinea pig who was sold to me pregnant, despite a lengthy conversation with the salesperson about how I did NOT want a male to go with my existing female, or a pregnant guinea pig. While it's possible they didn't know she was pregnant, that also means they're dealing with dishonest breeders who allowed a guinea pig to breed who was too old to bear piglets. And conveniently for them, their return policy is short enough that by the time one realizes one might have a pregnant animal, it's too late to return them. I also later noticed they fail to separate their fertile animals by sex, so it is entirely possible that she became pregnant at their store. This is horribly irresponsible. People go there to buy pets sometimes, not just to buy live food for their reptiles. I can only assume they think everyone does the latter or they would treat the animals with better respect. I went to Herpeton because of their local reputation. I'm afraid my experience did not match. Only because I happened to have a bit of money saved up did we avoid a traumatic experience, and I still had to lie to my kid about the dead baby guinea pig in the cage we found this morning. And let's not forget the high school staff who is clearly more interested in frightening the animals with loud punk rock music and too-frequent handling by their friends, who they are too busy hanging out with to really pay attention to what's going on. read more

I've been here twice within 3 weeks just to go look at the pets and stand in awe. The employees are incredibly knowledgeable about every single animal they sell, which is a nice change from most pet stores. That and they have a good deal of products for any pet (which all of the employees know everything about as well), all of which seem reasonably priced. They also have a baby sugar glider that stole my heart. read more

Visiting this store is like a quick trip to a really cool zoo. They have some very interesting "pets" and animals here. Quite impressive really. The staff here is very professional and educated and can help you make sure you don't make a huge mistake when picking out your new exotic pet. From big snakes to pigs, sugar gliders, tarantulas and much more, they have it all. The prices are actually very fair and you would be amazed at what kind of unique friend you can buy for just a little money. I have to admit I don't ever buy anything here, I just look and look and look, and then ask some questions. IF I was to buy a pet, I would buy it here though!! read more

Terrible. Smells... cages are disgusting... no clean drinking water for the animals... as an animal lover it was heartbreaking. And... a clearly dead snake in a cage that they didn't seem to care about removing-- or taking care of it to perhaps, oh, i don't know... PREVENT it from dying?? I agree with the other sentiments over the staff-- no interest in talking to people or even acknowledging them as they come in. I would tell anyone and everyone to stay the heck away-- don't bring your business there and encourage them to do what they do-- which is very little. read more

Uninterested and immature employees. The entire interior is dirty and small. There was a rat running around on the floor. I told one of the employees about it and his response was indifferently: "yeah, we set up traps but some get out." Not a good environment and pretty uncomfortable being here. It reminds me of an episode of hoarders. read more

I bought a sugar glider at Herpeton almost a year ago and he is doing well. I liked going into the store until I saw a man buying two sugar gliders for his daughter for christmas. The kid helping the man was grabing the gliders by their tails and carelessly flinging them around. The gliders were very upset and I don't think they should be treating their animals in such a way. read more

TRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA *breath* AAAAAAASHY! I've owned a Bearded Dragon for 6 years and have had pet rodents, fish and birds as well. I've been to a lot of pet stores in my short time on this earth. I'm not sure I've ever been to one that felt more "black market/ guy's garage" than this one. Somewhere between the lousy conditions the giant Monitor Lizard is kept in and the sign advertising feeding snakes live food (Research on feeding snakes will advise against using LIVE animals when possible) for $2 I get the impression that the staff doesn't really care for animals, but instead treats them as minor amusements and stock. Its obvious that they have no concern that the people buying the pets are putting them in a proper environment. In the end this is unfair to the pets AND customer who will never get the most out of the purchase. This was only reinforced by the prior review about the "house lizard" and the horror stories I've been told by a friend who used to work there and refuses to go back. All in all, its just a glorified warehouse. read more

This place is really disappointing. I used to be a frequent customer for feeder mice, but now exclusively buy from ZooKeeper up North. The cages are disgusting, covered in fecal matter. There's flies/bugs. Once I was in there, and they had maybe about 30 ball pythons or so in one giant display. About half of the snakes had stuck sheds on them, something that takes about 10 seconds to fix and really should never happen to begin with. I witnessed one of the workers selling an elderly woman and her grandson (obviously did not know much about reptiles) an adult bearded dragon, and then tell them that a 10 gallon terrarium would be just fine for him! This is FAR too small. An adult beardie needs about a 30 gallon, minimum, ideally much larger. He also told them that they did not need to purchase a lamp, which is wrong. I've seen snakes sitting with regurgitated mice in their terrariums. I've seen huge animals stuffed into enclosures FAR, FAR too small. Many of their more "exotic" animals (specific example = a beaked snake there a while ago) are WILD CAUGHT specimens, meaning they were taken out of their wild, natural habitats in Africa. After a bad batch of feeder mice, I completely abandoned going there all together and resolved to start making the 30 minute+ drive up North every 2 weeks. 90% of the time they do not know the answer to your question, and 5% of the time if they do claim to know will give you the wrong one. I could go one with more examples of bad business practices, I've been in there probably close to 20 times, but I think I've said enough. Seriously, ZooKeeper. Burnet Road. Clean, better prices, good looking animals, friendly, regular staff. It's worth the drive. read more

I remember when I got my first pet. It was a dwarf hamster from Herpeton. Herpeton has a lot of reptiles and a few furry creatures. The prices are pretty low for the animals and I would suggest getting tips on how to raise some of those exotic lizards that you've never heard of before. If not, those little scaly friends of yours will live 1/10 of the time that they should've lived. Herpeton has friendly employees and a crazy animal selection. read more

Dank, dark, musky, awkward, grimy... those are the first words that come to mind. It's a pet store, so it's understandable to have odors but not like THAT. its a fun place to kill some time and look around though. I would say the biggest problem is the employees. They are not helpful at all. Everytime i go in there i try to ask a question but just get this long drone sigh from the workers. Y U NO HELP?!?!? read more

I would only come here in a pinch for feeders for your pet. They don't keep their livestock's cages very clean. If you have a question prepare for a condescending answer. They staff seems to be comprised of highschool-aged kids who would rather be doing something other than helping you or cleaning the pet's cages. To be fair not all the staff is like this, I haven't been here in a while but there was one girl that used to work here that was nice and knowledgeable. However, I'm afraid she can't outweigh the bad staffers. The south location of Herpeton is a bit better than than the north one (But I haven't been to the north location since they moved). If you need feeders in south Austin, maybe. Looking to buy a pet? head north to Zookeepers (you can read my review on them). read more

Very cool place to see cool creatures but remember that most of these guys weren't meant to be pets. On piggies, that's my passion. I now have two. I realized after doing a TON of research that the employees either flat LIE or have no clue what they are talking about about pigs. Do a search on pig sancuaries and a LOT of research before trying to introduce on into your home. Pigs can be dangerous (mine aren't but...) to kids, dogs are dangerous to them, and they can get aggressive if you don't know how to train and treat a pig. The vet bills aren't tiny either... Pigs don't act like other animals. They are smart, funny, sweet, mischievous, social animals that are the best pet ever IF and only IF you know what you are getting into. You have to pig proof your home and follow many many guidelines to be a good pet pig parent. If not, you'll feel very angry or sad that you had to give up you not so tiny little baby. They will MISS you. They bond quickly. You'll get caught with one in an apt, don't do it! And know they will be around 100lbs average. Not the petite 40-60 they tell you. And if so their breeder is doing bad things to their pigs...BE CAREFUL! Hope this helps someone out there. It makes me so sad to hear them lie to the customers about these tiny little piglets and know they'll end up in a sanctuary or worse, sometime... read more

I stopped into Herpatons today thinking I'd see animals that were actually cared about and took my son. We walked up to the front door which was all blacked out so you really didn't know what to expect...immediately the place smelled soo rotten inside. if these animals were actually taken care of and cleaned properly there would be no stinch. The kids were punk ass high school kids who were too busy babbling on the phone to their bf. No one asked if they could help. There was a medium size pig sitting in its own feces with flys all over him in a glass enclosure !!!!! There were frogs that were crammed in a plastic container and snakes that couldn't even move in containers...there were small animals rabbits etc in a small pet carrier with Little room stacked all up on each other....its obvious these kids are just that children and this store is filthy even the turtles are filthy and pathetic...supporting this place is unethical and those who couldn't see animal cruelty here shouldn't be allowed to have pets!!!!! read more

Absolutely love this store! I've been going for around 10 years, and have purchased the majority of my animals from there, if not their cages and supplies. Their staff has been nothing but friendly and knowledgable, always willing to help out and answer questions. The smell is slightly detracting, but in all honesty, their smell is actually a lot better than the local PetSmarts and PetCos, which constantly smell like dog and cat litter. read more

I have owned several different types of exotics over the years and have traveled to many petstores all over the US. Herpeton has had its ups and downs over the years, mite issues, employee issues, and smell issues, but what pet store hasn't?? This store has always been the most helpful, and usually the cleanest. Zoo Keeper is also in town but most of the employees there ignore you the whole time or practice very shady business techniques. I personally have seen their DAILY list where they must feed, water, clean, and care for ALL animals every day. If you make your trip in the morning you are likely to see some dirty cages and stronger smell from overnight, but return later in the day when the list is done and your sure to notice the huge difference. Mites are an issue at alot of stores that sell reptiles...mites are a-sexual...one makes thousands. Mites take several treatments to kill them properly, ask any manager about them and they are very aware of the issue and are constantly treating new incoming and current animals. If you go into the store now you will notice alot of new faces. The store has a high turnover rate and constantly tries to bring in the best employees to provide customers with the best possible customer service. They only hire people well qualified or with an extreme passion in what they are doing. They strive to be family friendly and I have witnessed that on several occasions. Check out the new north store location, its AWESOME!! It is 2 blocks north of 183 on Burnet Road...its no longer next to Trudys were you can never find parking. The address from Google is 9327 Burnet RD, go check out the cool spray painted mural! I know every one has their own opinions but just hate reading the reviews from "hobbists" talking down about this store all the time. Go check it out again if you are one of them...likely your return trip will be better than the last. read more

This is a terrible place. They have random rats and mice running around everywhere. It is run by young people trying to get through the day and don't treat the animals with respect at all! I went in today with my boyfriend looking at some cute bunnies. I wondered off the the snakes, which I am very scared of. I looked at them and started to tell my boyfriend I was scared. The man working there started to laugh at me. Later I was looking at a skin tone colored snake with yellow circles around it. It was an albino kingsnake or something and I said that it was really scary and gross. One of the two ladies working there told me what I just said implied I hated white people. Um what?! After taking offence to that, the man comes out with a huge snake!!! He puts in on my boyfriend after scaring me with it! After a while I finally feel brave enough to touch it and put it on my hand. I was doing fine until it was crawling up my arm to my face and that is when I got really scared. I started crying and saying, "Someone please get it off me!" Both the workers watched me and the woman says, "Sweetie don't do that, it was freak out." At this point I am really upset and almost running away from this snake. The man finally comes and gets if off me! I have never been that scared or upset over something like this but to top it all off the female worker from the front came and played with the snake, not kindly, infront of me to rub it in that I got scared over my biggest fear. NOT a good place! read more

Location is dingy. They do have an alright selection. So far on my cricket stops I have met one nice female employee. The first time I went there to try to support a local business rather than buy from Petsmart and the girls behind the counter would not get off the phone when on a personal call. Rather than listen to what I wanted they gave me a dozen medium crickets instead of the 2 dozen large I wanted. Throughly disappointing. They also had quite a few snakes for sale that were crawling with mites, so many you could see them. I tried to tell the girls and they just said they were under observation when they were clearly up for sale. Mites are a serious health issue for exotic pets, especially when you have hedgehogs for sale in the same building. As you may or may not know hedgehogs are susceptible to mites and they can be potentially fatal if left untreated. When I went back to give them another try the girl working was very friendly and she gave us the right crickets. I didn't see any mites but I didn't look very hard. The third time there were high school boys (employees) talking about "hot girls" while we were ordering the regular crickets. Not a fan of that when there are small children at the bunny display less than 5 feet away. Many unprofessional employees, 1 good one so far. read more

The only good thing I could say is that they have the widest array of exotic pets for sale in Austin. The one time I went into Herpeton the first thing I saw wrong was that two young boys, who were maybe 10 years old were in there by themselves buying an exotic lizard. When I over heard the boys talking to eachother, they did not have permission from their parents to buy a pet, they had no cage at home nor any food for the lizard, and were not buying anything else except the lizard. The most disturbing part was that the person selling them the lizard did not ask them any questions and overheard the same things I had heard when they were talking to each other. So that poor lizard probably was just set loose outside at their home into a habitat it was not meant to live in in the first place. My personal experience was just as sad. I bought 3 Red-Ear sliders and 3 Yellow Belly sliders from Herpeton for an Ecology project. When I got home to put the turtles in their aquarium I noticed one of the Yellow Bellies was just a hatchling, much younger than the others and its shell was soft. A soft shell is a sign of low calcium from improper lighting/improper diet, or a bacterial over growth. After I started treatment for this little guy, which was mostly the proper lighting/habitat/diet, and some vet care it made it about a week and died. If it had had proper care and habitat from the beginning this never would have happened. I am not sure what more I can expect from a pet store does not care where the pets go that they are selling. read more