Aqualand Pets Plus

Mikaela Shea

2023-09

This place is so dirty and grimy. We bought 5 fish and 3 died within days. All the males. The tanks were grimy. One fish was acting weird but they said it was normal so we got it anyway. It died the next day. It makes me sad that they let their animals live in filth and then we bring them home and they die. Great experience for my kids and their first pets. When we walked up two employees were smoking right in front. Not very professional. I’m very frustrated with this experience and this place.Update: The last of our 5 fish died. It burst actually. I called and let them know one fish died within a day, three within a week, and his first question was why didn’t I call sooner? I actually did try calling a couple of times and nobody answered. Plus I didn’t know what the heck was wrong with the fish. He said they don’t offer refunds (probably because most of their animals are sick) and offered to replace them. Hard pass. I told him the fish were sick and the tanks were disgusting at their store.

Andrea Cottey

2023-08

The owner was very welcoming and fun to chat with. He let us hold a couple of rats and fed the chameleons so we could watch them eat. Way cool! The smell of pets when you first walk in was the only bother but you quickly go nose blind and all the adorable pets distract from it.

Cali McDonald

2024-04

So many words to describe this place terrible, sickening A DISGRACE. If I had enough money this is the first place I’d have shut down. If you support this place you must not care that animals are being neglected and abused. Improper cleanliness to say the least improper substrate at its finest. They house different species together so so sad. They over price these animals as if they don’t have a chance at being able to live a good life, absolutely heartbreaking. This place has nothing but bad reviews yet it is still open? Anyone in there right mind wouldn’t support this business.

Chloe Ossowski

2024-03

Haven’t even stepped into the store yet and already disappointed! New to the area and just called over to this store looking for frozen feeders for my snakes and was told they only sell live feeders because “it’s better for your snake”. I’m not sure how the risk of rat bites, infections, injuries to their mouths, and the overall stress of feeding live is good for any snake but the fact that they’re telling people this is incredibly concerning.It really doesn’t matter what these animals do in the wild to eat and survive because we’ve pretty much chosen to domesticate them as much as reptiles can be so they need to be cared for as such.Please do better and do your own research on why frozen/thawed is so much better and safer.

Rayanne Payton

2023-11

Update: came in again to see if anything changed. Lets see:1. Leopard Gecko that is so skinny I'm amazed it's still alive (and it's yours for $75!)2. Guppies in two different tanks covered with Ich (the white spots)3. A macaw with way too overgrown beak and nails that they're selling for $7500Don't support a place that doesn't care about the animals wellbeing, even chain pet stores are better! Overpriced as wellThe worst was seeing a ton of budgies crammed into a single, filthy cage with zero enrichment (as with the doves below but at least they can move) and rats that have no space to move. Whoever owns this local business should be ashamed at the conditions these poor animals have to go through waiting for someone to shell out a high pricetag.

Alicia Gray

2024-04

If I could give zero stars I totally would! My husband and I were looking for a rabbit and was at pet supply store and they told us not to go here because they treat their animals bad… We went to the ARL and rescued a rabbit and decided to swing by instead of driving to Altoona and that was the worst decision ever!! We were appalled at how bad the store actually was.. they don’t take care of the animals, store stinks, lazy workers, and way over priced cages! We spent 165 on a cafe and I found the same cage at another store for 50 dollars cheaper!!! Please don’t buy from these people!! I’m shocked that they haven’t been shut down.. They’ve been around since 1973… don’t they get audited?!?!? Shop at a chain store or find a different business to spend your money at.

Crystal Rumbaugh

2022-05

Staff we're extremely knowledgeable and helpful in getting a good aquarium set up for my son. Several years ago, I didn't always have good experiences here, but they changed a lot of stuff and i am extremely happy with their quality of fish and materials. So far we've had our new fish for over a week a none are sick or dead, which is far better than what I can say for my experience with Petsmart and Petco.Thanks for a great experience! We'll be back again for many more fish!

Moss Faun

2024-03

Absolutely reprehensible business. I've been here a couple times in the hopes that it would get better, but I don't think I will return here even as a last resort for supplies because of how awful the husbandry is.There was a tegu the size of a small dog cramped into a 40 gallon tank chasing crickets on aspen bedding, getting a mouthful of wood chips every time it caught one of the measly and thin crickets. That animal should have been eating pinky mice, at the very least, which they have in abundance, so why was it eating crickets?Tons of ball pythons kept in Kritter Keepers the size of a small shoebox, with no sign that they were ever taken out aside for feeding, if that.Rats, hamsters, and mice all kept in tanks with barely an inch of bedding - there's a marker line on most of the tanks that says "only fill to this line" or something similar - completely ignoring care requirements for these fossorial rodents to save a quick buck.The owner struck up a conversation with me while I was looking at the crested geckos one time I was there, and told me that mixing their meal powder with water was a scam and that they eat the plain powder just fine. Mixing CGD (complete gecko diet) powder with water not only makes it last longer, and it also supplies these rainforest dwelling reptiles with the hydration they need - which obviously wasn't otherwise being supplied, because their tank was bone dry.I could go on for several more paragraphs. What's the most heartbreaking to me is that two of the younger staff seem to genuinely care about the animals, but they are massively mislead and uneducated about husbandry requirements so they are complicit in the massive neglect perpetuated at this establishment.Do not support this business.

Kollan Kolthoff

2021-05

Alright, so this place is super unique and the owner is super helpful. It isn’t like your chain stores so don’t expect it to be, but what it does have is an amazing array of pets that you may not be able to find at your local shops from fish to lizards to birds. I definitely would recommend this place if you are looking for something off the beaten path. Just don’t expect the standards that you would see at your run of the mill chain store.Update: I searched all over Des Moines for this Dwarf Puffer for my little 5 gallon. Had given up and popped in on a whim and they had some. So I am adding a star because they have such a unique selection of fish that it’s worth a look. They may just have what you are looking for!

Emily Hofland

2022-05

Don't be discouraged over 3 stars. This is a good store, with knowledgeable people. I've been accustomed to some very nice private stores, that are the standard, for me.The fish, need a lot of maintenance. The store its self could be a lot cleaner and improved by some general organizing of things like, feeders.But those aren't things that necessarily benefit the animals. They help the store, make an impact on the customer.I see reviews, talking about care of the animals. I don't think that's an issue. Yes, the snakes could use bigger housings, maybe they've been there for awhile and have outgrown them, idk. It could be many things causing this issue, maybe cut back on the population? Hard to say, without knowing more.But I love the way they house their spiders for sale, in a housing. I've seen my share of close calls with people trying to catch a spider for a customer.As a customer, you can expect better information, regarding exotic pets, than you would find in a chain store. You'll find a much better selection for better prices designing attractive enclosures. The fact that they will sell you used equipment makes them flexible on budgets.A customer needs to understand that these animals aren't housed for life here. They're intended to be sold quickly. And moved into better housing. Life in a pet store is stressful for exotics, and they will show the effects of it for awhile. I tend to give new pets, alone time at first, for this reason.The one biggest improvement I could recommend. Is that the store is unclean. And I never see the staff working on this... I tried to drop the hint once. A girl had been following us around (appearing to straighten up shelves) we had a backpack with us, I'm sure she was making sure we weren't stealing. But I took the opportunity to talk to my partner about the dust on the shelves. Lol.Anyway, to the owner. If you'd ever like some help. I'm sure my partner and I wouldn't mind volunteering some time.(A lot of work had gone into this place since placing this review, stars are raised for it).

Stinker

2024-02

Place needs shut down for animal abuse. You walk in and it smells like the destroyed hopes and dreams of the animals. Reptiles have no uvb, no water, are housed together, and are extremely overpriced for the condition they are in. Hamsters are keept together in 5 gallon tanks with no wheel or any toys or anything. Wouldn't be surprised if these animals are all crawling with mites. Macaw was kept in a cage and only being fed seeds with on or 2 perches in the cage. Would never go there again.Shame on you.

P Smith

2024-01

I went today and the living conditions of all the animals were terrible. I wish I could give less than one star.Different species of reptiles living together in the same tanks. So many rats, mice, guinea pigs, and hamsters per cage you couldn't see the floor, with no enrichment or places to hide. Animals living on wire grates. Birds so overcrowded with no enrichment and with no room to spread their wings. Full grown 12+ inch long turtles in 10-20 gallon tanks with barely 2 inches of water. A macaw with wildly overgrown nails and beak being sold for $7500. A tegu in a cage barely bigger than it with a bleeding cut on its mouth. Not to mention the aquariums, all looking like they had never been cleaned before and filled with dead or obviously sick fish. Many animals were visibly sick, some had no food. Maybe they just thought they could eat each other when they inevitably died from these horrible housing conditions.If you come to see for yourself, please report them.

Sophia Richardson

2023-12

As someone who works with numerous reptiles the conditions to which this animals are being kept is borderline abuse. Panther chameleons being kept in 10 gallons with no UVB or water, Leopard geckos that looks sick like they haven’t eaten on the brink of passing away, hardly any water in any enclosure, animals being kept in enclosures that are not in any way good for the animal ie aspen bedding for tropical animals. Even a blue-eyed lucy was EXTREMELY overpriced at 1.1k when i can find one for around 500. If you are looking for something petco or petsmart takes better care of their animals than them. One good thing is the employees were very nice. Improper husbandry, extremely musty and dirty.

Aly Munn

2023-05

When I walked in, no one greeted me. There were two employees behind the counter chatting. The store was extremely disorganized. The sections of aquarium supplies versus small animal and reptile suplies were not in the same sections. With the supplies being mixed up and scattered throughout the store it was hard to find what I was looking for. I was looking for some fish medicine and hoping to find a specific fish I've been looking for. Once I entered the back, an employee asked me if they could help me find anything, which kind of made up for the lack of friendliness at the front of the store. They didn't have the fish I wanted but they had the medicine. Granted the fish I'm looking for is hard to come by. They didnt even have frozen fish food. There was not much variety for fish and they don't have a lot of tanks which is odd considering their name. The betta fish were housed in the small bowls with methylene blue and there were a few dead ones. You would think being a small pet store they would know bettas need to be in 5 gallons to thrive. A lot of other pet stores keep their bettas this way and even separate them with tank dividers to save space. They also were selling the way too small "betta bowls/ micro tanks" as well as advertising a 20 gallon tank for goldfish, which need 40 gallons of water. There were low stocked display tanks and large fish in small aquariums. The fish couldn't even move. I'm guessing they've been at the store a long time considering how large they are. They should have been housed in one of the larger display tanks and marked as the only ones for sale in the tank. I would have purchased them to rescue them but I don't have the means to do so. The rodents cages were way overstocked. The rats and mice were literally on top of each other. They were moderately overpriced which is normal for a small fish store. I will not be coming back here because of the way they treat their fish and small animals. I would have gone elsewhere for the fish medicine but it was out of stock everywhere else.

L W

2023-12

Still the Aqualand we love for 30 + years. We grabbed a half dozen Neon Tetra's and a Snail tonight. Better than Petsmart ;-) Also my go to place for my aquatic turtles

Tonya Morgan

2024-05

Just went to price a start up fish tank for the kiddos. Holy cow has that gone up from what i remember with the last one. I mean it was probably 20 years ago but that shouldn't matter ...right?

Riley

2022-05

Absolutely terrible conditions in there. I've been in pet care for well over 10 years and I've never been so appalled. Fish in tanks way too small, Aspen bedding for tropical reptiles, and a lack of care for sick, injured, and dying pets in their store. Do not spend your money here. I came by to see if they had good prices on feeder insects for my reptiles, but now I'm afraid of bringing some illness home with me. I'll find somewhere else to spend my money, thanks. Their prices are just ridiculous too. Over $300 for a normal morph bearded dragon. Most places in the pet trade wouldn't charge more than $150 for some of the slightly cooler specialty morphs. Don't waste your time.

Gretchen Blain

2023-12

Staff is super knowledgeable and friendly. They go above and beyond to make sure your pet care needs are taken care of! I appreciate their local values and ethically-sourced products and pets. Highly recommend coming here for your pet care needs!!

Matthew Taylor

2024-02

The owner and staff are always amazing and knowledgeable. We have gone here for years to get everything we need. Highly recommend!

Kelly Ihme

2022-05

Very knowledgeable and helpful. We bought a locally hatched bearded dragon. My son was allowed to gently handle and select the one that was the most calm with him.

Justin Rubek

2023-07

I initially liked this store as it has some niceties like bulk pellets. This is only a surface-level view of the store, though.I can't ignore the well-being of the animals. Some of them are packed in far too tightly. I'm talking bunnies that can't move because so many are in a small cage. This isn't the only example of this as it was the case for many animals. There was a solo guinea pig aged about 3 months there. She had no hay nor any role models or friends. There wasn't even a single hidey. Upon inquiring, these were treated like they were unnecessary. That's just no way to treat an animal. She was visibly terrified without as much as a place to hide. Coming back at a later date there were two of them in there that were just as scared.I don't like seeing this attitude at chain stores, but I especially don't think it should be supported in local businesses. This kind of behavior is a disgrace and simply shouldn't be tolerated. I am urging all of you to avoid giving money to places with this kind of attitude.

Rebecca Adams

2023-11

The place to go for reptiles, small critters, fish and feeding supplies

Stephanie Somvong

2023-09

Edited to add AGAIN WITHIN A COUPLE HOURS: all of our guppies are dead. This place need to be closed forever and people charged with animal neglect.Edited to add: the second gubby has now died. I called to report it to them and was told, "Oh, well, sorry about that," nothing else. Gisgusting. If i could give them -3 stars, i would. I will be reporting them to animal control. They clearly dont take care of their animals.Terrible. We went in to purchase 3 guppies and some top vegetation for our aquarium... as much as the worker did seem to know what she was saying... I am now becoming 100% skeptical.We got the fish and vegetation (which I asked for 10 and was given 5.. weird...) paid for, and we were on our way home (30 min drive, by the way) when my son started saying "uhm I think this is leaking. "... low and behold the bag with the fish had 2 holes that were leaking quickly! We had no other option than to add the fish to the other bag.We did the whole process of acclimation, etc. And when we started looking at them, we noticed one had a VERY distended belly as well as their mouth was almost... locked open.. looked very sick.. by the end of the night, the fish has died.I messaged on FB and got no response, so the next day, I called and was very aggressively told "oh bring them in. Yup, bring them in. We have a policy" then hung up...I was NEVER told about the policy. Otherwise, I would have done it earlier in the day when I actually had time. Instead, I had to leave and drive 1 hour round trip to get the fish replaced during dinner time... because who wants a dead fish just chilling in a Tupperware on their counter?? And they had told me to bring the fish in, which is a reasonable request....I got there to exchange the fish and was not asked for anything. They just said "Yup go to the back." I got the fish and headed to the front counter, expecting to hand over the dead fish and show a receipt, but...nope.... was just told "ok bye" odd.... So I asked if they wanted the dead fish as proof and was told, "Oh, well, we can take it if you want..." To which I handed it over, and it was just tossed in the trash.Now I have another guppy that is now doing the same thing the other did.... I have other fish from another place that are THRIVING! But all of the ones they sold to us seem to be sick....I know I should have just left immediately when I saw cramped cages and at least 1 dead fish in each tank (noticed this on the second visit)... literally dead rodents getting trampled over by live ones due to having FARRRR too many in each cage.....Honestly, if this next one dies, I will probably demand a full refund. I can't afford to keep driving 1 hour round trip due to their incompetence.DO NOT GO TO THIS STORE!! They need to be reported for animal neglect.

Christy Carrigg

2023-09

As a master herpetologist and the owner of a reptile res ue and educational program, I was excited to visit a pet store while in Des Moines. I was horrified at the husbandry for the animals. The store was hot; far too hot for the chinchilla and her two babies. The aquarium for the juvenile iguana was far too small. The mice and rat.cages were dirty. The animals looked hopeless. It was sad. I will not support this business.

Carolyn Barlean

2018-05

I visit weekly! Only place in town that has live pinkies for my Chinese water dragon, Frankie. Staff is knowledgeable, friendly, and always willing to help without being overbearing. A special shout to a certain female employee, sorry not sure on her name. She was extra helpful one Saturday afternoon and went our of her way to help! Thanks guys! We ❤ you and we're super grateful for the important job yall do in helping keeping our babies healthy and happy!

Lib

2023-10

Walking in smelled musty & dirty. Very cramped and the animals were not properly taken care of. Bearded dragons were together in a tank and were aggressive towards each other. The chameleon was very malnourished and visibly sick. A bird's cage door was open, leaving a mess in front of the cage.Very upsetting and disgusting.

Heather Hyatt

2023-06

The only pet store in the area we could find pet fancy rats for my son.However, I had to update this review to add the poor rats were infested with mites. One had a stroke and died at the veterinarian's office. The vet said never, ever purchase a pet here. Lesson learned the hard way.

D Tasch

2024-02

Everything you could possibly need, for any kind of pets you have. They do a great job!

Knite Starz

2023-09

**ANIMAL ABUSE!!** How is it that this store has reviews, with pictures, reporting abuse on Yelp going back 10 years and they're still operating the same way?? This is insane. Bearded Dragons crippled, injured and dying in tiny tanks with no UVB, rabbits, rats, guinea pigs, fish, you name it, all being abused and killed here. Not only steer clear, but REPORT THEM!!

Tara King

2023-05

Kind of crowded and most things were overpriced compared to what I can buy online, of course that’s to be expected for a specialty store like this. The bugs for our bearded dragon were reasonably priced and all alive so I prefer this over ordering in the mail in winter.