Shedskin Reptiles

Best place to buy a turtle, tortoise, or any reptile. Owner is an expert and tremendous resource for questions before, during, and years after your reptile purchase. I also buy my supplies there. I have a healthy tortoise he’s 4 years old now and a really cool low maintenance pet. I referred friends and they bought their pets here too. All 100% satisfied. Thanks Jeff keep up the great work.

Took the drive down here to see the location since there aren’t that many reptile shops around. First impression walking in was that it didn’t look bad, I’m assuming the gentleman that helped us was the owner which he was very kind and acknowledged us.
I strolled around the place to only notice that a lot mostly all of the animals had no water, not one drop. Some looked to have trouble shedding as well. There were no thermostat on any of the animals at all. Also there were a few different species snakes housed together. In one cage for instance there were maybe 3 – 4 ball pythons hosed together which is a huge NO unless for breeding purposes which I know was not the case due to them not being of breeding size.
Also noticed they have a BRB marked NFS, I myself have one and did extensive research before ever getting one and there was a few things wrong with her housing. There was 0 humidity it looked very very dry in there, and there weren’t enough hides and as well no water in the bowl.
I understand that caring for reptiles is very time consuming and running a reptile shop takes a lot of work and employees that know what they are doing. It’s unfair to the animals to be kept in poor conditions.
I believe this place does have potential. Just needs more employees to take time to actually care for all the reptiles.

So last weekend, my boyfriend and I drove up to Lodi for the reptile convention. When we were looking into information regarding the convention, this store came up. We realized it was right off the freeway so we figured we’d stop on our way home. Apparently, this store had recently moved to this new location.
We were super excited to go to Shedskin Reptiles, because from looking on Unilocal it had fantastic reviews!
I wish we hadn’t even stopped…
We walk into a very dirty, low dimmed lighted store with 2 teenage kids sitting at the front. They did not greet us, let alone look in our direction. We were in there for maybe 15 mins or so and not once did either worker even acknowledge us or ask if we needed anything. Whatever, I wasn’t too bugged about that, although thought it was a bit rude and quite unprofessional.
What got me was how sickly and sad the reptiles looked. the cages were a disaster, dirty, and most of the reptiles looked like they were having problems shedding. I barely saw any sort of wet hide in order to help them shed their skin…
The worst part about all of this was EVERY single water dish (I am not exaggerating when I say every) was black and FULL of mold and other gross things. Definitely not sanitary for the reps to be drinking, let alone bathing in to help shed. The water looked like none of them had been changed out in months. I felt so sad and sorry for all of them. I wanted to save them.
We went in there initially because we are in search of leopard gecko babies and possibly full grown females. They had a a couple cages of leo’s but all of them look very pale and sick. (And not the pale look they get right before shedding.) Plus, those two cages had a dark black film on the glass so it was a bit hard to see. They should be exposed to some sort of light in order to regulate their internal clocks to know when it’s time to sleep and be awake.
Anyways, I heard good things about this place, but maybe that was when they were in the old location. Not that the customer service, care for the animals etc. should be correlated at all to the location of shop… Either way, the current state of this place is terrible and the animals living there deserve way better care than what I witnessed…

Great place to go if you are looking for a reptile expert. They have everything from snakes to dinosaurs.

Jeff sold us an awesome
Bearded dragon. He is very knowledgable about his reptiles. I highly recommend going to see him for your next pet. Great prices and quality reptiles.

This is my favorite reptile shop. Very helpful with tons of info not to mention super friendly. Keeping my business local love that it’s family owned and operated! Can’t wait to see the new location in Tracy

You can tell that the owners take great care to make sure their animals are healthy. We visit the store often because my girls love to visit the animals, the owner is always very friendly and willing to share information with us because we are respectful and careful not to touch, be too loud, or run around. I’ve seen families walk in and the parents completely ignore their young children while they are banging on the glass and touching the turtles. If someone came into your house and started harassing your animals I’m sure you would have a few words to say so please don’t rate these guys lower for trying to protect their reptiles. We have no intention of buying a reptile because I don’t think we could properly take care of one however, whenever I go in there I ALWAYS put a few dollars into their donation box. That money goes to helping the local herpetology society. Thank you, Shedskin, for all you do to educate Central Valley citizens and provide them with healthy pets to raise and enjoy! The Puri family appreciates you!

I have been meaning to write this review for a while. Feeders are overpriced. The large lizards are kept in small enclosures. The water monitor isn’t given enough water to submerge itself in and is having a hard time shedding (not to mention it looks depressed). Poor creatures do not have adequate living conditions, yet that staff scolded me for buying my Sav crickets stating that those do nothing for him, after I specifically stated that I was buying them as a treat to keep him mentally engaged and active and that his diet mainly consists of the San Diego zoo diet. They did not acknowledge the San Diego zoo diet by name which is ground turkey, raw eggs with shell, calcium and a multi vitamen…-that is what it is referred to in the herp world. Very disappointed in my local herp shop. I would rather stock up when I make trips back to socal or the bay area.

Can’t believe how many negative reviews there are on here. This place is GREAT! I stopped in because my girlfriend was given two turtles and we had no clue what to do with them. Jeff was kind enough to take his time and walk us through exactly everything we needed to make sure the turtles are happy, step by step. You can really tell he wanted our turtles to be healthy and he gave us some pointers on keeping them in tip top shape.
I have no clue where his prices fall in comparison to other pet shops, but that doesn’t matter. I would much rather support a local shop and a guy that has WAY more knowledge than some punk employee at Petco. You can really tell that he cares for his animals. Anyways, it is my personal opinion that anyone that doesn’t like this shop must have a few screws loose, and must know nothing about caring for their animals. It doesn’t matter though because I’ll be going back.

Stay away from this place. Employees and owner are beyond rude. 4 $ for a pinky rat is absurd. Red tegus, iguanas, monitors, and pythons are living in deplorable conditions. This place is disgusting and should be shut down immediately.

Let me keep it 100! This guy doesn’t give 2 fucc’s about his customers! The customers are the ones who are going to keep him in business. But he could care less. So he gets off the phone with a customer and I overheard him say, «fuccen A! People expect me to have all the time in the day to listen and answer all their questions! «Dude just doesn’t care. But whatever. This old fart tried to charge me $ 170 ON SALE for a chameleon kit when I found the exact one at petsmart for $ 130. You ain’t foolin me! Tryna charge an arm & a leg. Anyways I’ll take my business else where.

I absolutely love this store. When I first started going there I was deathly afraid of snakes. I have always thought that lizards were great, but snakes just freaked me out. I continued to go back over time to take care of the few lizards I had. With the amount of knowledge that was shared I ended up falling in love with everything.
Because of Jeff, his family, and his shop my family went from having two snakes and two lizards, we now have over 30 reptiles in our home. Every question we have Jeff answers with out missing a beat and, if he absolutely does not know, he finds out the answer so he can educate us as well as himself.
I see on here that a lot of people find him rude or feel he is disrespectful, but you have to look at this from his perspective… every time I have gone in there people are trying to touch the animals or are tapping on the glass to get their attention. He CLEARLY has many signs throughout the store that indicate that actions of that sort are not tolerated. For the rudeness part, people come in with ridiculous questions and get upset with his answer. The many questions he gets multiple times a day are questions such as «Are these dead?» «Do the babies get as big as the parents?» «Are any of these for sale?», and my favorite of all time «Why would you want any of this???». All of these questions are asked throughout the day, repeatedly and quite frankly are stupid questions! If you do not like the store, you do not have to come back. You can’t call your self a customer if you have NEVER purchased an item from him.
All in all, if you are a reptile enthusiast you understand that the cages are not too small, not are they dirty. The shop smells like an animal shop. You shouldn’t tap on the glass because you wouldn’t like it if some one came to your home and started tapping on your windows or knocked on your door to just move on to the next house. Yes the babies grow to be as large as their parents. No they are not dead. Yes animals are for sale, but as babies only so that you don’t take home an animal that has a temper and end up hurt. He has those animals because he likes them!!! Some of those pets he has had since the animal was just born. So guess what? He is gonna keep them until they pass away.
So to reiterate, this shop is amazing and Jeff and his family have done nothing but welcome us every time my boyfriend and I come in. His prices are amazing and he has a sense of humor like no other. If I could give a rating higher than 5 stars I would love to. He deserves it!!!

We have been thinking about getting a tortoise, but are willing to drive to Pleasanton or Hayward to make a purchase since we have never once had a decent customer service experience at this store.
Not sure why he even opened a retail store if he is so out out when a possible customer asks a question.

It is an awesome store with a very experienced handler. I have to say the owner does carry himself in an intimidating demeanor, but I sympathize with his patience. I’m sure he gets tons of people in the store telling him what to do. He is a true enthusiast and knows his stuff. I want to consider my options for a reptile so I will certainly be back. I hope he doesn’t mind all my questions, because I’m in no way an expert haha. The albino diamondbacks are so awesome.

I recently went into this store in Tracy because of all the hype and when I got there it was wall to wall people inside. It was clean and remarkably there was not animal odor like in most pet stores. The variety of animals was great and the the owner was knowledgeable and friendly in spite of the crowds and the continued interruptions. One of the best and unique stores in our little town. I used to have to drive 25 miles to the nearest reptile store for my foods and feeders. This is a great store!
Before posting this review I did notice a few of the other reviews that were less than flattering and wondered how there could be such extreme differences in my review to theirs. So i thought about the complaints. The cage size is not a big deal to me because I recognize the animals will not live out their lives in the small cages as they sell much larger cages as in the store. I was even referred to a person who could actually build a large enclosure «furniture like» for my home. The cages were clean when I was there so I can’t say anything other than that.
I get that some folks want to see animals in the wild, except many animals these days are not born in the wild, but rather born in captivity and in cities just like ours thus the animal know only this life experience and would die in the wild. The only real bizarre comment I noted was that they should be able to roam throughout the house. That is not a good idea with reptiles. SAFETY FIRST right!
I like the staff, they are funny, helpful and yes, sometimes even sarcastic, but can you really help it when you hear someone ask «are these real» or «will they bite» or my personal favorite «so the babies get as big as the parents»? I heard all three of these in about a 30 minute span while I was there. Well come on goofy questions almost beg for a goofy answer.
So, If you are not too sensitive you should enjoy the experience. I have shopped here since last year and will keep coming back. Best cricket prices in 25 miles!

Always my favorite reptile shop to go to. Every animal I have purchased here has been healthy and well kept. The workers are great, very knowledgeable and very kind to those who deserve it. It is really annoying though that many ignorant people come in and complain about the space for the animals, though they have been provided the appropriate cage size. Kind of wish the location was different, that way there wouldn’t be as many idiots constantly walking in!

No acknowledgement when we walk in, no price list. Sub par animal conditions. Cages not cleaned. $ 6 for 2 pinky rats which is very over priced. Condescending people at the register. A nice selection of reptiles just not properly cared for. It’s a nice location in the mall so all the kids can see the reptiles they just need to work on their husbandry and customer service.

I was in the mall with my fiancée today, and we saw the turtles in the window as we were walking. We were drawn in to the shop, and began to look around.
Before I get started… please know that I am a very fair person and I write truthful reviews. I really put a lot of thought and time into these and I give credit where its due (and also point out what I don’t agree with).
We were browsing around looking at the different animals and taking our time. I personally examined the enclosures, and looked into the eyes of the reptiles. I am not a huge lover of reptiles, but I love and respect all animals. As we worked our way to the back of the store, I noticed very very large snakes. I watched them and curiously pondered what they must eat. My fiancée was right behind me, and nudged me to ask the man at the counter. I did just that. I warmly turned around and asked him what those snakes ate. He, at the time, was looking down at his phone. He replied, «Do you really want to know?» I realize these animals have to eat, so I know they likely eat rabbits and animals of like size. I wasn’t sure why he was treating me like I couldn’t understand or comprehend their survival needs. I don’t care to know graphics of it, but I wanted to know, yes! I replied, «Without going into extreme detail– yes, I want to know.» He stood up and said, «Alright! They eat frozen pigs, goats, rabbits — » My jaw dropped. I was stuck on «goats.» What did he mean? I looked over to the snakes in wonderment.
We didn’t say anything much, just sort of looked at the snakes and thought it over, I guess. The man preceded to go on in a very irritable tangent, «I get so sick of people coming in here getting all upset about how these guys eat and live. I have people from PETA coming in here all the time inquiring about their well-​being and I just go in the back, grab a rabbit, and feed the snakes right in front of them.»
I stood there and looked at him and my stomach turned.
I’ll have all of you know that I am a die-​hard animal lover. While I am not a member of PETA, I think a lot of what they do is important. I have seen them investigate animals that are being tortured and blatantly hurt for no justifiable reason. I think they are people just like you and me that are out there fighting for what they believe in– compassion. So, when this man rudely poked at me with that comment, it really sunk into my skin and stung. My fiancé was right there with me and I know he felt it, too.
We kept cool, and continued to look around. It didn’t make sense to get into it with that man, so instead I began to ask questions about the cages and the animals that inhabit them. I asked everything I could.
He is the one who takes care of the animals in the shop. I have to say, the enclosures were very clean and well taken care of. I know that he must work great hours and put forth immense effort to take care of his animals. I respect that. I think that is a very challenging labor.
But just because he works hard doesn’t make the whole concept okay. Many of those animals needed MUCH larger enclosures… not just a box-​shaped pen to turn around in. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to recognize when an animal is in a crammed living space. I noticed that some of the animals weren’t even for sale, and that puzzled me. Why hold onto these animals then? There are so many of them… why keep them captive? They aren’t living… they are just surviving. They are fed, given water, and that’s it. They are exotic animals that belong in the wild, or in a home where it can roam and live in an instinctually correct way. Do you see what I am trying to say here?
I don’t buy it. I don’t support it. I think this whole shop is unnecessary. After seeing a few of the other reviews here, it seems Jeff is the owner and the same guy I talked to today. Some advice for Jeff, then:
–Don’t talk to customers in a condescending and rude tone; especially when they are genuinely curious and innocently asking you a question.
–Look up at people when they approach you in your own store.
–Maybe you should re-​evaluate how you start conversations with people… bringing up PETA and bragging about demonstrating a live feeding in front of them as if to be a «punishment» is wrong, and extremely hurtful. They were just doing their jobs, and I was just asking you a question.
My heart is with these animals. I hope they find the love, bliss and freedom they deserve.
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I walked in and it smelt horrible poor reptiles they weren’t able to move in there little cages they looked depressed. I wonder if they would like it if we locked them in a little cage. the decorations for this place was literally was shredded skin from snakes gross

Can we start by talking about how awesome it is that there’s a reptile store conveniently located in the mall?
Jeff, the owner, is super awesome. I love that I can look around the store and never feel pressured to buy anything. He’s also incredibly knowledgeable about all things scaly. He won’t sell you something just to turn a profit if it’s not the right product, which I think is awesome.
All in all, this is a great place for all your reptile needs.