New pet store specializes in exotic reptiles | Rome Daily Sentinel - Rome Sentinel

-

SHERRILL — When walking into Upscale Exotics, don't expect any fuzzy stuff.

That's the motto of Sherrill's new pet store — Upscale Exotics, a family-owned retail reptile store that opened its doors on June 19. All manner of exotic reptiles are up for sale, from snakes and tortoises to turtles and lizards with new pets coming in regularly.

The store is owned and operated by Tim and Andrea Becker. Oneida residents might recognize Tim as the owner of Mind Games. Originally from Camden, he said reptiles have always been a passion for him — having been a reptile breeder for 30 years — and he's spent the last 13 years planning and preparing Upscale Exotics.

"It's a new, fresh start for me," Becker said. "In the basement, I came up with the business plan, I drew the models, and 13 years later, the presentation of the store is exactly what I have in my book."

Becker credits his family's work, helping make it possible to open the doors and keep things running. As for the community, Becker couldn't be happier with the response he's received since opening his doors.

"The outpouring of support has been here since the first day we've opened," Becker said. Being so close to the Turning Stone Casino, people from all over the country have stopped in to see what's for sale.

"The alternate pet world is starting to show its face and places like PetCo and Petsmart, and we wanted to show the world what a real pet store is when it's developed for reptiles only," Becker said. "We want to specialize and not worry about being a pet store that has everything for every customer."

Upscale Exotics features special climate-controlled PVC cages that keep each creature comfortable and secure. After a sale, cages are cleaned thoroughly, let to sit for 10 days, and then reconfigured to house a new animal.

"The store is going to change frequently as every week, we bring in new animals that have passed our quarantine, have had exams, and then put on display in the store for sale," Becker said. "So when you go home with a pet, you know everything is up to standard and starting with a nice, healthy animal."

And besides just pets for sale, Becker plans to use two exhibits to teach local children about the reptile world.

One is an Argentine Tegu affectionately named "Tony," and the other features two rare panther chameleons.

"We had a very generous local chameleon breeder offer us a pair of panther chameleons that are super rare to have in captivity," Becker said. "The male has courted the female, so they'll be producing offspring, and we'll be selling them to pet homes in the future."

Both enclosures are still being worked on, with the chameleon exhibit getting a mister and an additional tree soon. Becker said Tony's enclosure is expected to be finished within the next two months. Until then, Becker has been working on socializing with Tony. Argentine Tegus are very intelligent and social animals described as "dog-like" that require a lot of attention.

Becker hopes to discuss field trip opportunities at local schools so children can learn something new about reptiles.

"At VVS High School, when students have earth science classes, I teach genetics and adaptation, and I bring animals," he said. "Teachers have said how they'd like to pay me to come in, but I don't accept their money. And now, I have a place where students can come and learn."

Becker stresses the importance of ensuring pets go home with people that will ensure they're as healthy, happy, and safe as they were in the store.

One type of pet that's been getting popular as of late are turtles, and at the turtle enclosure at Upscale Exotics, a painted turtle could run $80 while an albino turtle could run upwards of $1,000 — but they're expensive for a reason.

"These are expensive because they're rare. For some of them, there's less than 15 in the world," Becker said. "They were provided to us by Gerard Siatkowski, who owns albinoturtles.com."

When an animal goes out the door, Becker said he'll always be worried and wants to make absolutely sure it'll be taken care of and loved.

"We provide a care sheet for every animal, and that's how we take care of it, so when you get home, you're giving it the same care," he said.

During the grand opening, Becker said a father and his nine-year-old daughter had come into the store, looking for a pet. The daughter had wanted one of the albino turtles.

"I asked him 'she wants it or you want it?' and he said again, she wants it," Becker said. "I asked him if he understood the kind of care that turtle is going to take. He said, 'Yeah, I'm going to show her for a week and a half, and then it's all on her.'"

Becker showed the father the turtle tank, everything that came in the kit, and just what went into care.

"I told him, 'There are 36 objects in this kit that your daughter will need education on how to use, operate, and how to set up to make sure that turtle lives. And I do not feel safe enough, and I'm refusing your $1,700 sale."

Becker said that's how he plans to operate in the future — putting the safety and the well-being of the pet first before a sale and ensuring new pet owners know just about everything they need to know when taking home a pet from his store.

For more information about Upscale Exotics, visit www.upscaleexotics.com or call 315-376-5002

Reptile owners in the area looking for care tips can visit Upscale Exotics Facebook page at www.facebook.com/UpscaleCurator and leave a message or stop in the store during business owners.

Adblock test (Why?)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

All In The Family: Maine Mother & Son Charged in Massive Drug Bust

-
Image
corso dog :: Article Creator Woman Hospitalized After Attack By 2 Dogs At Same Edmonton Home Where Boy Died: Lawyer UPDATE: On April 15, 2024, the City of Edmonton provided an update on the fatal attack. It said that prior to the deadly incident on April 1, "the city had no lawful basis to remove the dogs from the home." The city added that "all prior complaints about the dogs involved in this incident were investigated thoroughly and appropriate action was taken in accordance with the applicable legislation." The city also said a review found that its staff "acted appropriately in accordance with our standard practices and in compliance with the relevant legal constraints given the nature of past complaints and reports." A woman was hospitalized after being attacked in February by two large Cane Corso dogs at the same home where an 11-year-old boy was killed last week, the woman's lawyer told Global News. "I...
Read more

Rare Frogs And Illegal Drugs - Palisades Hudson Financial Group

-
Image
Colombian conservationist Ivan Lozano has hit on a brilliantly promising strategy to protect his country’s rare and endangered amphibians. His plan: Flood the market with them. Lozano is not hunting rare frogs in Colombia’s Andean forests. He is raising them himself and selling them at prices designed to undercut poachers and smugglers. If he can raise the frogs cheaply enough, and in large enough numbers, he might manage to drive down the market price to the point that poachers no longer find it worthwhile to harvest and smuggle the creatures onto the black markets. Lozano told The Associated Press that his company also encourages collectors to breed their own frogs. Picture yourself as a poacher. If the government toughens the legal penalties and steps up enforcement, you will shrug your shoulders; legal risks are a basic cost of doing business. Since the demand for your product already exists among foreign collectors and other buyers, tougher enforcement merely reduces supply a...
Read more

Burn scars, winter storms threaten rare and endangered species in San Gabriel Mountains - The Bakersfield Californian

-
Image
LOS ANGELES — Up until a few weeks ago, the West Fork of the San Gabriel River was one of the most abundant wildlife habitats in Los Angeles County, a secluded and rugged area defined by its steep peaks, lush canyons and mixture of rare and endangered species. Recently however, a team of federal biologists and forest rangers was aghast when it visited the stream following the Bobcat fire, which has burned more than 115,000 acres in the heart of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. Terrain that once resembled a High Sierra granite gorge now looked like ground zero after a nuclear explosion, and the usually clean mountain air was sharp with the stench of smoke. Particularly unsettling were the bare and ashen slopes that were now primed to dissolve under pounding winter storms. A heavy mudslide, experts said, could reverse decades of conservation efforts by inundating the last outposts for such federally protected species as the Santa Ana sucker fish and Southern California m...
Read more