Reptile Stores Abroad- House of Reptiles in Tigard Oregon

I just returned from a harrowing 10-minute journey over to Tigard, Oregon (I currently live in Portland), to take stock of House of Reptiles, easily one of the best reptile-centric stores in the area. They have a large assortment of reptiles for sale and on display, many of which were rescues or adoptions, and the selection of specimens available for sale alone rivals all of the pet stores I have been to in Oregon thus far easily.

A selection of monitors, geckos (including the expensive and difficult to acquire Leachies- Rhacodactylus Leachianus- or New Caledonian Giant Geckos), corn snakes, ball pythons, and even caiman lizards are all available at this store, and more beyond. For display only, either due to rescue or otherwise, they have three small American Alligators (in the 3 ft range or so), as well as a full grown Argentine Black and White Tegu and an adult Black Throated Monitor, a massive albino Burmese Python, and a full grown King Cobra! This selection alone rivals even the local Zoo in terms of sheer variety and exotic range.

In addition to these many animals available, the shop breeds some of their own, namely Leachies from what I saw. They also, of course, stock the normal care products, many varieties of glass and mesh cages, turtle tubs (massive, fairly inexpensive open-air enclosures for aquatic turtles or tortoises), and the necessary cage furniture to provide a proper environment for your animals.

The staff seemed more knowledgable on the subject of snakes than any other reptile unfortunately, but what they did know was very helpful, and they certainly know the business well. Pricing for most of the animals is somewhat above the norm, which seems to happen a lot with retail stores. For example, they had a Sumatran Water Monitor for $250, whereas online you can find one for roughly $120 plus shipping (figure about $175 shipped). However, considering that they keep their animals exceptionally healthy and well-cared-for, and considering that I love to support local shops to help keep the businesses afloat, the price seems worth it, especially since you can buy the animals outright, and not have to wait for delivery.

All in all this is easily one of the most impressive reptile shops I've seen thus far, although I've only been to stores in Oregon for the most part. The selection is superb, the employees knowledgable, and the atmosphere is one of care and overall knowledge about the trade and the animals involved. An A+ in my book any time.

Darwinism At Large- Lucidum Exotics: Your guide to pet reptile ownership and husbandry

Welcome to Darwinism At Large, Lucidum Exotics' guide to the ownership and husbandry of reptiles as pets. The humble scaled ones are not often thought of as "cuddly" or "cute," or even as being animals that can be kept as pets on par with dogs, cats, hamsters, and fish. In truth, they are quite different both in behaviour, feeding, and intelligence. With an unfortunate bad reputation based on the rare yet over-hyped venomous snake or "man eating" crocodile attacks, a negative stigma seems to be attached to reptiles, even in the 2000's era. Luckily, through people such as the late Steve Irwin and the odd Discovery Channel special, people are becoming more and more enlightened about the true nature of our cold blooded friends, and they're starting to become acceptable as a normal pet to own. We here at Lucidum Exotics hope to reinforce that, both through the sales of exotic reptile (and, occassionally, amphibian) specimens as pets and zoological curiousities; and through this comprehensive, species-by-species guide to those reptiles most commonly seen in the pet trade today. We will be updating on a semi-regular basis (hopefully weekly), and will include excrutiating detail on care, captive requirements, and special needs of various reptilian species.