Zookeeper has always been an excellent supplier for the more exotic members of my clan, (and also conveniently located next to my casa!!) I found our little stabby there, a very sweet but bratty hedgehog. He was very friendly and tame when I brought him home, which is a definite plus. However, after some online research, I found the instructions on his care I received to be the bare minimum. Just a reminder for all, make sure you know and can provide exactly what it takes to make your new animal friend happy before bringing home to meet the fam! And, as a side note, you'll be happy to know, Stabby is now a very content and well-adjusted hedgehog. read more

PLEASE PLEEEEEASE READ!!!!!!!!!! Love love love the whole gang at Zookeeper. Got our bearded dragon there and she lived for almost 13 years with their support and advice. As long as they don't sell any animal like a SLOW LORIS that would live a miserable life being captive, we're cool. SEE http://www.ticklingistorture.org/ It's not worth it if your pet is unhappy!!!!!!!!!! read more

been coming here for years, have all that you need and lots of animals to choose from. always a friendly staff, love this place!!

Im not one to write reviews but this is necessary I usually love coming here when Dave is there but when ever I come in and I am attended to by a brunette lady with tattoos she always seems to be upset and she is constantly short and very rude with me and always gives me the wrong feeder mice that I have asked and paid for I was in a few weeks ago asked for a adult mice she picked one out didn't even show me and when I got home the mouse had it's tail and lower back all chewed up and scabed it was disgusting she definitely has an issue and she needs to be looked over read more

Went to Zookeeper today because I am interested in hedgehogs, which yes they sell. When we went in the staff was very friendly and asked what we were looking for, and after I said hedgehogs he showed us where they were. Than he took one out and handed it to me! You can tell that they were socialized because the hedgehog was very sweet. I definitely recommend this place. They have a sloth too! And baby pigs! read more

What you really need to come here to see is Sophia, their two-toed sloth. That sloth is sooooo sloooow and mmooooves llllikkkkke hooooww ii''mmmm typpinng. Anyways, they have those scorpions that turn turquoise in black light and they have tons of lizards and snakes. Very cool place. Their spiders and centipedes are really cool too. LOTS of taurantulas. I love tho hairy 8leggers. Their prices are a bit high but not TOO high. They don't allow public restrooms, I dunno why, maybe they don't wanna clean it as often or something haha, whatever. The people here are nice and they have some really big animals, but a lot of the cooler ones are NFS. GO SEE SOPHIA. read more

For anyone who owns an exotic animal(or is interested in owning one) this is the place. The staff are all extremely helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. They all know a good deal about most any pet you might have and can offer good advice on most subjects. Suffice to say, someone there has an answer to whatever question you might pose. Strangely, for a place that sells exotics, it's a good place to bring kids. Most of the time when I make my weekly food pickups, there's children in there marvelling at the critters on the other side of the glass. The staff are always friendly and answer the kid's questions-even if they know the parents will never buy them that cuddly little scorpion. read more

This store almost gave me a flipping heart attack! While north Austin browsing, I saw the sign for exotic pets and wandered inside. 1. Stroooong pet smell. Although I'm sure nothing can be done about that. 2. Bunny Rabbits, Parakeets, Scorpions, Tarantulas, Lizard, Dragon's, Snakes and a 900 pound python! Oh My! 3. Icing on the cake, I walked around the corner, after recovering from the tarantula sighting and saw a huge open container of live crickets. I ran. Go there for your very own 900 pound Python, but keep it the heck away from me! read more

I play games often at Emerald Tavern next door so I am always dropping in to Zookeeper at least once a week. The store layout has been rearranged recently and it is a massive improvement to the flow of the shop. There are new animals every single week I visit. Place is clean and they love their animals here. The staff is very knowledgeable about their animals. If you are planning on buying several animals (i.e. 2+ leopard geckos) then ask to talk to the owner and cut a deal. He will give you a deal if you buy that same day. **Here is a TIP** if you see an animal you want.. BUY IT ASAP!! They sell animals very quickly, there has been at least 2 occasions where I thought to myself "I will come back and get it next weekend" and whatdaknow... it sold by the following weekend. read more

These guys are the best. So very knowledgable, friendly and eager to please. Their selection ranges from exotic species down to your regular hamster. I alway purchase my snake food from here, and the few times my snakes are not hungry, Zookeeper happily accepts them back in exchange for credit. Customer service at it's finest. If you need animal food, have a question about a fossil or just want to peruse their amazing selection of exotic animals and insects, Zookeeper is the place for you. read more

My son has been begging me for a sugar glider for awhile. After some research we decided to just "go look" at them at Zookeeper. That never actually works. Daniel, the owner, was amazing. He answered our (at least) 200 questions and let us get used to holding our new baby before we even left the place. He gave us a great package deal for all the essentials. He genuinely seemed like he cared for all his animals, he even asked us to call in a few days to "check in." This place has the best customer service ever! We will be back for all of Gizmo's needs! read more

Zookeeper is the best place to go to if you want rare exotic plants! I went in thinking that they would have a variety of fish, but they really are a reptile store. They're the only store in the area with balloon mollies so I just HAD to buy them. Their plants are so amazing and are different types every time I go in. I always forget to ask for the owner's name, but the taller one is a HUGE plant enthusiast! He knows everything about what is on the rack, from their name to their care. They restock their plants on some Monday's (don't know when) and they have shelves full of them! The owner was saying that they sell out real fast, so you have to go in early to get what you want! read more

Sloth, mini pig, furry tarantula, tortoise..you can see quite an unexpected bunch of animals here. Part of me hems and haws at them, like so many others. Yet part of me also feels badly for them. Also as a pet shop plain and simple, they don't have as much natural food selection as I prefer. But if you want to see some unusual animals, you can do it here. I'm just not sure I'd shop here otherwise. The staff all seemed friendly enough, that's for sure. I suppose this is more a review for the "hem and haw" factor of the store, than anything else. read more

Alright so I have to agree on everyone else's reviews on this place. It's pretty nasty inside (dusty and just a mess) and the animals seem to be taken care of but it seems messy. It's the only place that sells easy access roaches around me but it's really not worth it. I think with this place, they know they have the only store around so they don't care much about anything else. read more

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I am a very new Tarantula keeper, and joined a Facebook group to learn more about them. The members of this group raved about Zookeeper and owner Dave. I went to Austin this past weekend for a work conference and was so excited to get to visit Zookeeper. This place is awesome, and a tarantula lover's dream come true! Even though they were super busy, Dave took the time to learn more about me and what I was looking for and helped me choose 2 tarantula's for my experience level. I will also say, it is one thing to be knowledgeable of your product. It is quite another to be knowledgeable and passionate, and it definitely shows! I am now totally trying to find excuses to go back to Austin! Thanks Dave!!!! read more

Zookeeper - My new Costa-Rican Zebra Tarantula (Aphonopelma seemanni)! - Pet Stores Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I went in for the first time today as I was having trouble finding the hedgehog food I needed. This was the closest exotic store to my area (Cedar Park) so I decided to check it out. When I walked in, the odor wasn't any worse than a normal petsmart or petco which was nice. They seemed to have a lot of customers which I consider a good thing. I looked around for a bit and couldn't find the food I was looking for, but an employee asked me if I needed any help. I asked for the food and he grabbed exactly what I needed from under the counter. (If I would've spent a little more time looking for the food I'm sure I could have found it myself.) I checked out and was on my way! Overall, I was very happy! The only reason it get's 4 stars instead of 5 was because it was a somewhat small store and felt a little unorganized/cramped. Other than that, I thought it was very cool! The scorpions and tarantulas on the counter were quite fun to look at as well! read more

I stopped in here hoping to get some expert advice on geckos but found multiple leopard geckos kept in 1 tank (I counted at least 4) with sand. I had hoped so much that a place that specializes in exotic pets would be a great source of knowledge, but they lack knowing even the basics. The store also stinks when you walk in. read more

Everything I wanted in a exotics store! The animals look great and are obviously well cared for. Loads of arachnids, snakes (esp fancy boas), geckos, tegus, bearded dragons, skinks... The price and selection of feeders alone made me wish I lived closer to Austin. Two separate people asked me if I needed assistance and everyone was knowledgeable and friendly. The plants are to die for. If you don't have reptiles but live plants you need to visit. read more

Daniel helped us with our bearded dragon when we thought she was not well (and also with her tank light) pre-pandemic. He was just super, and we appreciated all of his help very much! BTW, we also purchased our bearded dragon at Zookeeper several years ago, and she has been great. Thanks so much, Daniel! I'm sorry it's taken me this long to review! read more

Best pet store ever. From cute little snakes, to a freakin two-toed sloth to the tiny ferrets they get in. I love this place more than words can say. I also get to hold and touch anything I want. Amazing!! I wish this place fame and fortune. read more

These guys are the BEST. We board our two leezards there every time we go on vacation and they take great care of them. We buy our weekly crickets from there for the schnieder skink. They are super friendly and treat all the animals really well. Ever want to hang out with a sloth? You can there! If you're in the mood to go look at interesting animals from snakes to bunnies to birds to lizards and more, this is a great place to go even just to waste an hour. However, just a warning, you may walk out with a new addition to your family (it's happened to us!). read more

I appreciate that they have a pet sloth and chicken and understand not everyone wants a puppy dog. I appreciate that they let me play with the baby rats so I can decide which one has a good temperament instead of bigger stores where they act put out when you ask to actually touch an animal before you agree to buy it. I appreciate that they always have different animals available every single time I go in there. I work nearby and will sometimes stop in to look around and the staff is friendly and isn't put out by someone just admiring the animals. They'll often tell me information about what I'm looking at but it's by no means a hard sale tactic. If they had birdies in more often, I'd be in more often. But as it is, the owner said he can help me find the bird of my dreams when I'm ready to get one. Thanks! read more

The BEST pet store in Austin, hands down. No dogs or cats (go to pets alive for that), but a huge selection of all things reptile, frog, ferret, bunny, bird, rat, an ever changing selection and the absolute most complete collection of tarantula and scorpions you'll find anywhere. Seriously, every breed, sex, size, age, etc of tarantula you could imagine. Sometimes they even rehome animals people have given away just to make sure they get a new loving home and not dropped off at the pound or "released". Plus, these people are super knowledgable (even if it means telling you something that's not going to push the sale thru), and not stingy in letting you touch or interact with the critters. And they have a sloth! And sometimes the cutest fuzzy frizzle chicken shows up to help behind the counter/ eat mealworms/ look at you condescendingly :p read more

The animals were really active during our visit. Sophia the sloth was kissing the iguana and put on a show. Very cool store to visit.

A really informative staff with a great variety animals and supplies to choose from. On this trip we did not purchase anything, but we did learn a lot for our next visit. Everyone enjoyed seeing the sloth in the window sleeping and of course all of the creepy crawlies of spiders, snakes, and more like the guinea pigs, rabbits, etc. ... This may be a "pet" or "animal" store, but I would also consider it a great learning experience because the staff loves to talk about what they have and they are versed in answering your questions while asking you the same questions to make sure that the animal you think you "want" is actually the animal you "need".. because they keep you and the animal in mind. Great experience overall... read more

This place is like a fairy wonderland with pets! Awesome pets! Even comes with its own fairy godmother! Prices are so fair I wonder at times how they keep the doors open. The staff knows it all and if they don't they know someone their that does. We as a family love sulcatas and had something tragic happen to baby Stanley and every time I almost leave with another but now I have kids and a wife to look out for too. I'm sure if we make an addition it will be 2 sulcatas this time. Oh and one more thing thanks for always being open when we think to pop by. read more

*****Edit as a note in response to their reply below: I have never called this store for any reason, or spoken to staff prior to this visit. I was in once several months before just browsing, and didn't speak to anyone other than my friend I was with. I had no idea which days someone would be there. I did not ask nor insinuate that an employee should've come in on their day off. I never said she didn't know the plant price when I asked. And I've never had someone call management to complain at any of my retail jobs. The assumption that I'm some other customer who's spoken to them before without clarifying, upsets me even further. I just don't know what to make of the owner's defensive and accusatory reply here. He's replied to only a handful of reviews, so why I received this sort of response for sharing my experience is beyond me. No attempt to contact me to resolve this has been made, and I gladly would've considered modifying my review or shopping at his store in the future if there had been. His reply is just plain nasty, and implies I'm lying about not only the fact that he thinks I'm leaving a false review and smearing his name, but insinuates that I may be lying about having worked in retail. Inaccurate accusations were made in a reply on another site as well, by confusing me with another customer. Or perhaps there IS no other customer and the employee is lying to the owner about what happened. I wasn't rude to her, and didn't make a scene, so I doubt she'd even remember me 2 months later. I'd be happy to show him my phone records that show I've never dialed their number. Can't believe a business owner would treat an upset customer with such disrespect, even if the customer was complaining unreasonably and was in the wrong. I think his replies speak loudly enough. Take your business elsewhere. ------------ I asked for some help at this store, and I was told no one can help me because only one person could and he wasn't there that day...I was dumbfounded, as it shouldn't have been a difficult question. It sounds like this wasn't the norm experience-wise, but it unfortunately happened to me when I was starting from scratch building a terrarium, and needed to purchase all the supplies for it. So at the very end of October, I drove all the way up to Zookeeper (about half an hour) because I was getting a crested gecko. Well, I asked for help with the plants because none of them had pricing, and also asked what would be best for a crested's enclosure. The young woman at the register told me that the guy who'd be able to help with that level of knowledge (to pick plants for a crested gecko setup) isn't there...I said "okay, is he here later? I don't live anywhere near here" And she said no. She told me which days he would be there, except that doesn't help when I have a 30 min drive there and am standing in front of you. I also unfortunately really had to go to the bathroom and must've missed the sign that they don't have a public one, so my bad. But I mentioned I wanted to look more but really had to go, and she said they didn't have a bathroom. She hesitantly suggested the tavern at the other end of the building. She didn't even seem sure of that, and I don't like using facilities when I'm not supporting the business. Then before giving up, I asked how much the cork bark was, and she said she just "guesses per piece". She literally said guesses. Alright, well that's not helpful. So, I left. I can't believe this girl's lack of caring. She didn't even attempt to ask one of the several other employees about plants or get me any help at all. Driving 30 min to be told no one can help me (and that's with some pretty basic knowledge about a very common pet), she can't even tell me prices, and didn't offer to come look at the items I was asking about or get me help, is unacceptable. I gave up. I drove the short distance to Aquatek and not only bought the terrarium and driftwood I needed, which ended up totaling $200 in supplies (because who knew, but they sell reptile supplies and terrariums) but I also received (good) advice about crested geckos and plant suggestions. I really wish I'd had a different experience, because I'd like to give my business to a locally owned shop. But this is hands down one of, if not the worst, retail experience I've ever had. I've worked in retail for years including as management, and this was just (again) unacceptable. I'm greatly disappointed. read more

I love to shop for a more exotic selection of plants at this store. They are always fairly priced and have an interesting selection every time we go in. I always end up leaving with at least three new plants every time. Dave is so kind and knowledgeable and will always come say hi and tell us all about the selection of plants that he has. I'll keep coming back to add to my collection! read more

I really love animals...so, I love pet stores. This place is really neat. I love that they carry exotic animals and they are always very friendly. The staff is helpful and informative. Even if you don't like creepy crawlies like the hissing roaches, try visiting the sloth. Or watching the baby turtles. Good way to kill some time. read more

Pretty cool store, a lot of exotics and really friendly staff...most times. I understand that tend to get a little busy at times, however it really shows and sometimes can feel negativity exude from employees.... those days I just grab my pet supplies and jet without hanging out to chat and see what's ''new". Hit or miss customer service. Really cool if never been before. read more

We love going here! It IS like a little zoo. They have some exciting new thing to look at every time we go. We want all of the animals. The staff is very knowledgable and everyone seems to really enjoy what they're doing. Everyone we've dealt with was super helpful. So far, from the Zookeeper, we've added to our family: a Brooks Kingsnake, a pacman frog, and an orange-kneed tarantula. (These little animals are addicting.) We love them so much. If we decide to add any other animals, we'll definitely get them here. We live way South, nowhere near zookeeper, so our animals get Petco crickets. One day the girl at Petco who was helping, asked about my animals. She asked if I got them there and I said, "No. Up north at Zookeeper." She said, "Yes! I LOVE that place! Isn't it cool?! I go in there alllll the time!" Not that Zookeeper is at all like Petco, but I still thought it was funny. read more

I got my pet rabbit here and they are absolutely the best!!! I take him in to get his nails trimmed here! The sweetest people with the best customer service! The prices are right for animals and they're very educated about the animals they have. They'll make sure you know everything you need to before deciding on a pet! read more

Went here to pick up hermit crabs. Sure, there were things about the habitat that I could criticize. But hey, it was the best set up I've seen for hermit crabs at any store. Some of the crabs didn't seem toooo perky and the selection was relatively small--but the two goobers I purchased and brought home were clean, have appetites, have explored their new environment curiously and aren't fearful. They've got good dispositions and are making a healthy transition, shockingly quick! I would buy more crabs from them if they had other species to offer besides the standard Purple Pinchers. read more

Let me start off..and say "Jillian" is the BEST!!! You can tell, she really cares about her job..and the customer..She got us.. Set up..with all the stuff we needed for our growing hermit crab family ;) The whole staff, at Zoo Keeper was very friendly and helpful.. We will be back.. Great folks to deal with..5 BIG STARS!!!!! read more

Love this place! My husband bought me some gorgeous Gargoyle Geckos on Valentines Day, one was even red! We got a fantastic deal on them plus their terrariums. Love to visit. Always very knowledgeable staff, always willing to even let us handle our perspective purchases. Staff are also very funny an a joy to be around!! -Fans from Corpus Christi- read more

Zookeeper - Gargoyle gecko I got. - Pet Stores Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Absolutely impressed with the knowledgeable staff. My son had been wanting a kingsnake for the last year and had researched constantly on the web. We found Zookeepers online and went into their store. They had two different kinds to choose from but were willing to order any kind we wanted. Brandon allowed us to handle both for a while and was very patient with our questions and the amount of time we spent choosing the snake with the best temperament for our family. We came home with "Wade" & it is a perfect fit. Thank you so much. We live our in Round Rock but we will be back to this store for supplies many times over :-) read more

Zookeeper - Holding a kingsnake. - Pet Stores Near Me - Austin, Texas

This place is pretty great! I'm able to get feeder rats for cheap, compared to other places I have gone to. I have also gotten three tarantulas, and supplies for all my animals here. The prices are really nice, and reasonable. I really enjoy coming here, even if it's just to look around. The staff is very nice, and helpful. Definitely recommend! read more

went to get help with a hedgehog and was given awful advice and sold a bunch of crap. they only care about making a sale and will definitely take advantage of you. very disappointed. read more

I was expecting more exotic pets since they have exotic in their name, so kind of disappointed right of the bat. When I went in with my boyfriend, we were completely ignored. No one greeted us, or even looked at us a all. We were in there for about 10-15 mins, but since no one wanted to help, we left. The store reeked. I know some pets will naturally have an odor, and that's unavoidable, but with the proper maintenance it should not have reeked that bad. It smelled like dead animals. To top it off, it was sad seeing how many animals were scratching against the glass, and snakes trying to slither up trying to get out. This store makes you feel unwelcome, smells revolting, and sad due to the clearly unhappy pets in small spaces. Would never return. read more

I recently Purchased a reptile from Zookeepers, and Dave was awesome and very informative. Their customer service is unparalleled, to say the least. As a general sales manager I understand the importance of great customer service. They have certainly earned our loyalty. We love the pastel ball python! read more