Pet Shop Santa Cruz

Kirsten Janowski

2024-04

I got my daughter’s Ball Python from here back in December and it’s thriving! We get a live rat for it here weekly. The owners are very knowledgable, good people, great local business to support!

Sierra Lyon

2021-05

This is a great store with a wide selection of specialty goods for all your exotic pets. The guy (whose name I unfortunately didn’t catch, sorry) was super helpful and knowledgeable and loves to connect with customers about mutual hobbies and educate them on ones they might not know about. He runs the shop and takes care of all the tanks himself, and they look great. The rocks I picked up for my tank look perfect! I’m new to the area and glad that I can count on this store for all of my pet keeping needs. Thanks for everything you do.

Cole Landis

2019-05

This locally owned pet shop is fantastic. The feeder crickets are healthy and good quality, and the owner is very kind and supplies the shop with reptiles from trusted breeders. My baby leopard gecko I got from them has grown a ton in just a couple months and is doing great!

Mason Taylor

2019-05

Really awesome selection of critters and displays, very friendly staff, and they are more than willing to let you going the animals! Very cool shop and I go frequently when my friends get crickets for their gecko they got here.

Sarah Westbrook

2023-08

I liked the vibe of the two people working there. A lot of the enclosures were nicely decorated and natural. There are signs not to tap on the glass which I love that they care. There was no odor usually associated with reptile places.

Jeff Herring

2022-05

Fun place, nice helpful staff. Tiny little place but good selection and knowledgeable staff. Shop local support local business.

Maddie Brooks

2023-07

I come here because of their extensive knowledge of tarantulas! They’ve always been so helpful and lead me in the right direction no matter what questions I have. They also set up really cool live enclosures full of real plants for my spiders.

Travis Koon

2023-05

Highly suggest going here first if you are looking for Aquarium/Terrarium goods. They specialize in freshwater/pond fish and plants and reptiles, but have a selection of saltwater fish and creepy crawlies. The supply is limited because it's a small shop, but the owner won't hesitate to source what you need including livestock for your tank. I've had good experiences purchasing both shrimp and fish that lived a full lifespan after entering my tank. They also carry an interesting selection of hardscapes. You can always count on a good conversation and seeing some beautiful healthy pets when you visit.Also if you are entering the hobby for the first time this is going to be the place to go. You will not get info you need from any other store around in my experience. And you can trust that the pets you purchase are healthy. Don't go to PetSmart and purchase a fish that will likely be the wrong choice for your tank and will die quickly.

Gustavo Quepón

2024-01

Best place to get your fish or reptile friends! Love pet shop SC!

Rachael

2023-08

You don't usually expect to have a host like this, but it's pretty cool and also scary. This shop has almost everything you need.

Peter Crofts

2023-05

I dread going to pet smart to pick up supplies only to be met with no one who can help me and very long lines.But at pet shop Santa Cruz the owner and staff are always very brisk and supper knowledgeable. Always a pleasure to come through pick up supplies and chat. I've gotten some really great deals here on used equipment as well.

ellora sethi

2023-08

Very patient, knowledgeable, helpful people. I appreciate the information this shop has provided for my fish tanks issues. It gives me peace of mind.

Leilani Central Coast Cab

2022-05

Awesome shop with friendly people, exotic animals bred in store which is always the best way to get them, recommend this place over any name brand pet store

DR R DARCEY

2023-05

I bought 10 neon tetras and one black molly recently. Somebody had ick so I treated the tank right away. Lost the whole tank within 3 days. They have a return policy but I was headed out of town for a week and a half just as this happened.

Xavier Boluna

2023-05

I ordinarily don’t post reviews, but I consider this one overdue. I can’t stress enough how knowledgeable the staff are on animal and reptile husbandry, and I’ve received some stellar advice over the course of 5 years shopping here. They are my go-to for feeder mice/rats. My snake quite literally will not eat rodents from anywhere else. This is an excellent example of a small business which is valuable to its community.

Karen Ruhleder

2023-05

This pet store specializes in fish and aquariums. I bought a miniature pond for my balcony (think 2' diameter heavy duty plastic bowl with a waterfall and room for aquatic plants). They were very helpful in showing me how to use a special adhesive to add rocks to the waterfall, suggested plants, and told me what fish would be best. It's the exact opposite of a big box store-small and personal, with a knowledgeable owner who will take time to explain.

Lauren Lemon

2023-05

Great place, wonderful people working and running it. Fair prices, great quality of care for the animals they house there based on what I've seen. They also have three very cute dogs that are just as much a draw as the quality of their store.

lisa miller

2018-05

I recently rescued 2 Iguanas with ( as I soon realized ) a limited amount of knowledge about. I Googled reptile stores and was surprised to find out this place existed. I went there and was fascinated at all the different Reptile's they had. All in great shape!. I began asking questions about these two beautiful creatures that I rescued and was amazed at how genuinely friendly and knowledgeable these people are. Not at all like most pet shops I have been to where the people hired could care less and have no time for questions. All of my questions were answered. I have been back with some pretty silly questions ( especially the one where I couldn't figure out how to open a terrarium I had purchased ) and he took me to one just like mine and it slid right off lol! ). when I remarked at how lame I felt he assured me I wasn't. I NEVER do reviews but it would be a injustice if I didn't. Its so rare these days to find such caring people. Thank you for being here and my future business will be with you.

Meagan Starr

2020-05

This place was a great discovery for us! We wanted to find a place with neat fish. The lady was very caring and knowledgeable about their animals. Lots of reptiles, many of which they adopted & use for parties & such. A wide variety of strange critters & found a very unique array of fish. Some were hand picked. They had at least 6 species of rainbow fish & though they dont have a lot of tanks, they had a great selection of even rare tropical fish. We will be back!

Lori Deal

2022-05

I recently went to this pet store to get snails for my Berta fish tank. It will be my main place that I do business. Absolutely loved the shop and enjoyed looking around. Passed it onto my neighbor also. Can’t recommend them highly enough!

Michael Heinecke

2023-05

Amazing family business! Super helpful, especially for first time exotic pet owners. Highly recommended, even if you are just stopping by to see some rare and amazing creatures!!

Kaleb John

2019-05

I've been going frequently to this pet shop for the better part of almost 6 months here after the owner was kind enough to properly probe and gender my ball pythons when I spent over 60 at an animal hospital to tell me they didn't know. Aaron and his family better take care of their animals more than any pet shop I've been too, they have tons of knowledge with everything in their shop and they always offer great advice. It's things like this that keep me coming back and recommend to others for good reason!

Charles D Smith IV

2021-05

Great family store that is knowable and know their stuff.I get all my reptile and fresh water products from them! I would give them ten stars if they carried salt water fish and some equipment.Only reason is I prefer to spend my money with them due to being a family store with great staff+

Melanie Meyer

2021-05

Great locally ran pet store, excellent customer service!!I called a couple hours before arriving and when I pulled up in the front I called in my order of 100 small crickets, the owner proceeded to come out within 30 seconds and handed me my order he had change in hand already for my cash transaction! Easy, convenient and locally ran!!

Jordan Garcia

2020-05

I recently visited this pet shop not to long ago and I was impressed by the dedication and passion the owners had for all their animals, all the animals I saw were in amazing shape and they knee what they're doing. The people running the shop were nice, sweet and treated me perfectly fine. Now, I've seen some other reviews, one in particular, that seemed as if it was some butt-hurt, entitled loser that were disrespecting the animals that weren't used to being told 'no'. Don't listen to 'those' reviews, as its just some sour entitled folks trying to unrightfully defame it these nice people. The truth of the matter, both this pet shop and the people are lovely and I'd recommend visiting them. Just don't tap on the glass, respect the employees and the animals, and leave any sense of entitlement at the door. You know who you are..

Denise H

2019-05

Walked in to this shop and saw a fabulous monitor (reptile) hiding under a shelf :). The owner and I didn't exchange names but he shared his knowledge of reptiles and made suggestions on what types to purchase when it was my time. Really cool guy and when I decide to make a new amphibian home, I'll definitely return to this shop for help.

Sequoia Forrest

2019-05

Fabulous, very reasonably priced family business. I've been going here for years to get great deals on rats and other accessories for my ball pye (the buy 8, get 10 rodent cards are awesome). I always have a great experience when I go and the workers are always friendly and helpful.

Celeste Webster (VillageBootsy)

2018-05

Love the people at Pet Shop Santa Cruz! Super casual, relaxed, friendly, and knowledgeable! The owners are awesome and work so hard too! Been shopping there for years, love their Salt Water selection, always something different! Highly recommend them to everyone I talk to to!

Amy Redfeather

2022-05

Thanks for always helping us here at Native Animal Rescue when we get an escaped pet and don't know what to do about it! You guys are the best, me and my family love to support you and I'm glad we can walk around the shop again.

S

2023-09

Such a awesome owner, funny, friendly. Great place to kill some time on the walk to the harbor with the kids.