Top Tier Exotics

14/12/2024

Red-footed tortoises (Chelonoidis carbonarius) are very popular as captive-bred pets. These tortoises often mature to a modest size, of around 11 to 14 inches in length, and can be expected to live for over 50 years. They are a significant commitment as a pet, which many find quite rewarding. Like most tortoise species, they can be prolific burrowers, so care must be taken to ensure they cannot escape. Native to a wide variety of habitats in South America (from wet rainforests to drier grasslands), this species often does not need to brumate, but does need a highly varied diet.

Be sure to thoroughly research the needs of any animal you keep as a pet!
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The photograph used in this post shows a close-up of a red-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonarius) observed in Grenada. The photo was taken by Christian Thrane and shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. The image was not altered for use in this post.
View the license information here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

12/12/2024

Still shopping for that perfect Christmas gift? Look no further! Our fully bioactive tanks (complete with plants, springtails and isopods) are a great idea for upgrading your reptile!

Don’t have a reptile yet? No problem! We have a good assortment of frogs 🐸 , geckos 🦎 and bearded dragons looking for new 🏠 !!!

PM us for more information
*Available only for local pick up

21/11/2024

We received this plaque for Sponsorship of the Tonawanda Football Clinic 2024 season. Tonawanda Football Clinic

26/10/2024

It's REXPO day! Come on out to The Dome today 10-4pm and check out some awesome reptile vendors and other cool stuff

19/10/2024

We’re out at Niagara Region Reptile Show until 4pm!! Stop out and say hi!

16/10/2024

*spotfund is the easiest place to create beautiful and free online fundraisers. It takes just minutes to start raising money today.

03/10/2024

03/10/2024

The green-and-black poison dart frog (Dendrobates auratus) is a strikingly colored, marble patterned native of Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia. In 1932, the species was intentionally introduced in Hawai’i for mosquito control. In its native habitat, this tiny species is a highly toxic animal, but due to the change in their diet, poison dart frogs maintained under human care are not toxic.
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The photograph used with this post shows a green-and-black poison frog (Dendrobates auratus). The photo was taken by Grigory Heaton, and shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. The image was not altered for use in this post.
View license information here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

27/09/2024

We will be breeding dart frogs in the near future. We picked up 4 different types of them . Stay tuned !

The strawberry poison dart frog (Oophaga pumilio), is a gorgeous Central American species native to Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. In some naturally occurring morphs, it is referred to as the "blue jeans" poison frog. The species is known to include roughly 15-30 widely varying color morphs observed in the wild. These tiny colorful frogs are diurnal (active during the daytime) and terrestrial. They produce their namesake toxin in the wild from the insects they eat. Poison dart frogs raised under human care generally do not produce toxins because they do not eat the same insect prey that they would in the wild.
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The photograph used in this post shows a pale green and spotted morph of the strawberry poison dart frog (Oophaga pumilio) known from a specific location in Panama. The photo is attributed to John P. Clare, and was shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) license. The image was not altered for use in this post.
View license information here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/

22/09/2024

In the wild, the golden poison frog (Phyllobates terribilis), or golden dart frog, or golden poison arrow frog, is easily the most toxic dart frog, if it is not the most poisonous animal known. As with other known dart frogs, when maintained under human care, these frogs generally do not produce toxins because they are not fed the same insect prey that they would eat in the wild. First described in 1978, this species is endemic to a naturally limited range of humid rainforests of Colombia’s Pacific coast. The golden poison frog has become endangered due to habitat destruction.

While dart frogs are generally tiny, the golden poison frog is the largest known dart frog, growing to nearly 30g and a length of 6cm at maturity. The species is known to exhibit some sexual dimorphism with respect to mature size, with females often larger than males. Adults of this species are brightly colored. Juveniles start out mostly black, with two bright stripes on their backs.

Despite its name, the “golden” poison frog, is known to exist in four main colors: yellow (golden), mint green, orange, and orange blackfoot. These brightly colored frogs are very popular subjects in naturalistic vivaria. The IUCN estimates that the majority of these frogs sold in the pet trade are legally produced from captive bred lineages.
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The photograph used in this post shows a golden poison frog (Phyllobates terribilis). The photo was taken by Daniel Bocanumenth E. and shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license. The image was not altered for use in this post.
View license information here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

21/09/2024

Sheesh just @ us next time 😂

21/09/2024

Stop out at Repticon today and tomorrow and see your favorite vendors!!!!

26/08/2024

The crested gecko (Correlophus ciliatus), or eyelash gecko, was believed to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1994. Native to southern New Caledonia, these geckos are now among the most popular pet geckos in the world. Like many species of reptiles, these geckos are proving to be quite long-lived animals.
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The photograph used in this post shows a pet crested gecko (Correlophus ciliatus). The photo was taken by Ze Chen, and shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) license. The image was not modified for use in this post.
View license information here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/

26/08/2024

How did they get so big?

Scientists have grappled with multiple theories over the years to explain the evolution of giant tortoises. A study in 2017 analyzed genetic and osteological data from surviving tortoise species, along with data from the fossil record. They wound up changing much of what we understand about modern tortoises. Spoiler alert: their findings do not support “island gigantism” to explain away the extreme size of the extant tortoises we think of as island dwellers today. Some excerpts:

“An unexpected outcome of the study was that the Mediterranean tortoises (familiar due to their popularity as pets) actually represent a dwarf lineage as their ancestors turned out to be considerably larger.”

"’Tortoises have been around for more than 55 million years and we are now able to better understand the evolution of this successful group. Today, however, out of the approximately 43 living species 17 are considered endangered and many more are vulnerable largely due to human-induced habitat loss; this is a disappointing fact.’ – Rabi points out.”
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Read the press release article from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) here: https://pressemitteilungen.pr.uni-halle.de/index.php?modus=pmanzeige&pm_id=2939

Read the peer-reviewed scientific paper in Cladistics:
Vlachos, E. and Rabi, M. (2018), Total evidence analysis and body size evolution of extant and extinct tortoises (Testudines: Cryptodira: Pan-Testudinidae). Cladistics, 34: 652-683. https://doi.org/10.1111/cla.12227
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The photograph used with this post shows a leopard tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis) observed in the wild. Leopard tortoises are popular pets, and the fourth largest extant tortoise species. The photograph was taken by Heinrich Human, and was shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. The image was not altered for use in this post.
View license information here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

26/08/2024

The diablito frog (Oophaga sylvatica), or “little devil” poison frog, occurs in south-western Colombia and north-western Ecuador. The species comprises multiple naturally occurring color morphs. Despite the highly variable colors and patterns of this species, genetic research has supported the idea that it is a true species, and not a species complex. Their eggs are laid on the ground and the larvae are later transported to bromeliads by the female, where she then feeds her tadpoles with trophic (unfertilized) eggs.

These tiny and colorful frogs produce a toxin in the wild from the insects they eat. Poison dart frogs raised under human care generally do not produce toxins because they do not eat the same insect prey that they would in the wild.
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The photograph used in this post shows a diablito frog (Oophaga sylvatica) observed near Nariño, Colombia. The photo was taken by Fundacion ProAves, and shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. The image was not altered for use in this post.
View license information here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

20/08/2024

House goals 💯

18/07/2024

Guilty 🙋🏻‍♀️