If you are in the pet store or reptile store business, you know how important it is that your clients buy reptiles that they can adequately care for, and how much they rely on good reptile supplies. A tiny, adorable iguana can become a 5 to 6 foot lizard in adulthood that its owner no longer knows how to care for. In order to assist your clients in choosing the best pet and reptile supplies for him or for her, consider the following:

1. Does your store offer a variety of pets, including small, easy-to-care-for sizes?

2. Does your store carry an adequate supply of reptile supplies, such as cages, lighting and food?

3. Does your store carry an assortment of books, DVDs and educational materials that can help teach your customers proper reptile care?

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Provide a variety of reptiles and live reptile supply goods

A pleased customer is more likely to return. Whether you are stocking geckos, iguanas, chameleons, Savannah monitors, snakes, tortoises or turtles, be sure to include some species that are relatively easy for a first time buyer to care for. Offer a few species that don't require specialized lighting or an increasingly larger cage. Also offer live reptile supply goods such as crickets, meal worms and other insects.

I recommend: Big Apple Pet Supply sells a variety of reptiles, most of which are from their own captive bred stock. LLLReptile and Supply Company, Inc. is another online source for reptiles, as well as reptile cages, reptile food and other reptile pet supplies. If you live near a large city, The North American Reptile Breeders Conference may be a place for you to meet breeders as well as fellow reptile aficionados and herpetologists. Reptile Food offers live reptile supply goods.

Carry the necessary reptile supplies

The more the terrarium or cage mimics the reptile's natural world, the more likely it is that the reptile will stay healthy. Creating such a space can be creative and fun as well as scientific. Customers may need to buy a variety of reptile pet supplies, from specialized cages and thermostats to humidity indicators and lights. They may also want advice on the small touches that will help make their reptile's space more realistic.

I recommend: ReptileGuru is a retailer of reptiles and reptile supplies. PetCareRX also carries supplies for reptile care, as does Hagen.

Feature educational materials on reptile care

An assortment of artfully arranged educational materials on reptile care could assist your customers in learning more about their pets and appreciating their pets' unique idiosyncrasies.

I recommend: There are many reptile product suppliers, many of whom also carry educational materials. Animal Network sells reptile youth books, reptile health and care books, and reptile resource books. Reptile City specializes in reptile pet supplies, and carries an assortment of reptile care manuals, all with free shipping. The website Acorn Naturalists specializes in educational materials, and they carry everything from puppets to books and DVDs.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Rather than copying other reptile stores, do what you can to carve a niche and make your business a place customers want to go to for their reptile supplies.
• •  Don't be afraid of change. In an ever-changing marketplace, it makes good business sense to keep trying new approaches to marketing and sales to see what works for you in the reptile supply industry.