I love these smaller, privately-owned pet stores so much! Ive actually worked at this store several times starting in high school, & theyre still the best when it comes to friendly service and well-informed employees! 😁 So much better than the chain stores! Theyre dealing with the pandemic pretty well, but, of course, their animal stock is limited. They have an AMAZING collection of various species of tarantulas, though! My friend was so impressed when I took him here for the first time. & theyre still the only pet shop I know of that still carries saltwater fish, coral, & invertebrates! Call ahead if you need feeder insects/ rodents, as their supply is sometimes limited. A+ for knowledgeable & caring staff, for any of the creatures that float your boat! 🐕🐱🐁🐹🐀🐇🦔🦨🐦🦜🐸🐢🦎🐍🐟🐠🐡🐙🐛🪲🕷🦗🦂🪱

This place is amazing I love the atmosphere and people that work there. Everyone is so knowledgeable, patient, and guiding to the numerous questions i had. Being a first time reptile owner it was quite much I needed to know. I got my precious bearded dragon from here. With the feeder reward program and other pricing i saved so much coming to this place everything you need with affordable pricing.Its officialShout out to the team YOU ROCK

Best most friendly pet supply store. They treat their customers like family.

Never have had a bad experience with this place, Ive been here numerous times, purchased mostly fish, feeder shrimp and anything needed for my aquariums. Fish are priced good as well as great selection, they always have shrimp in stock, and theyre shelves are always full. Customer service has always been good and the staff is knowledgeable.

At first glance, the store appears to be small; however, once you walk in you realize they have a better selection than any other store in the area. This turned out to be one of the best pet supply stores I have been to. The staff was extremely helpful, patient, and informative.During my visit I had 3 different employees take time to check in with me, answer a variety of questions, and offer guidance on products I was looking at.In addition to amazing customer service, the prices are very competitive and actually better than larger pet stores.I definitely recommend stopping in and checking this place out.

Nice folks — with cute animals! 🐰

A small mom and pop shop that has a large variety of animals. Live feed. And a smaller variety of pet supplies. The staff is really friendly and a majority of them have alot of knowledge and can answer most questions easily. Love shopping here.

This is the last place that sells live reptile food in the area, so you have to take what they offer I guess. They push buying a box for mice when they can paper bag them for free, and they have printed paper punch card for a reward /discount for being a repeat customer. Should have business cards made for a punch /rewards card..??

Super laid back and friendly. Very happy they knew about and carried exotics and supplies. Check them out, buy local!

They always have a variety of stuff there and the prices seem reasonable. We bought some fish for my daughters saltwater fish tank and we are very happy

This was an excellent experience! The ladies working in the front are absolutely knowledgeable on everything in the place. I learned more about a pet that I already have and care for while there, then when I purchase the pet. The pet was purchased elsewhere by the way. I would definitely go back there for any of my pet needs.

Freindly and helpful. I wouldnt trust everybodys knowledge on all pet types (find the person in the store who actually knows about your type of pet) they get feeders from local breeders and everything in the store is healthy and high quality. I love this place its my go to for my exotic pets.

We love this place. Staff is always friendly. We have gotten a bird, fish, supplies, and so much more from here. We highly recommend visiting.

I really love this store. Staff is friendly, they have what you are looking for most of the time, and the owners are always sweet to talk too. Lately however it’s been poor quality. Every time I go in for feeder rats they are always sold out even if I go during the week. I know shipment comes in Wednesday but not even 24 hours all the rats are gone. Unfortunately it looks like I will have to start looking else where to find feeder rats.

So impressed with this place. I bought a super energetic and friendly hamster that is playful and loving. They bred them and take care of them unlike the mass animal stores. They love the animals and take extremely good care of them. They’re very knowledgeable and definitely practice proper care even in their free time. I will be coming back for sure.

Great Customer serviceNow I go weeklyFor feeder (ball python pastel)

Absolutely love this place. Donna is so much fun and the rest of the staff are great too!!

At first glance, the store appears to be small; however, once you walk in you realize they have a better selection than any other store in the area. This turned out to be one of the best pet supply stores I have been to. The staff was extremely helpful, patient, and informative.During my visit I had 3 different employees take time to check in with me, answer a variety of questions, and offer guidance on products I was looking at.In addition to amazing customer service, the prices are very competitive and actually better than larger pet stores.I definitely recommend stopping in and checking this place out.

The best local pet store in Brandon. Everyone is super nice and friendly, they know their stuff and will answer all of your questions. Really positive energy. My husband and I drive from lakeland for all of our aquarium needs because we cant find anyone better than this store.

Picked us up a new pet. Very cute store

Always get great food for my beardie. Live crickets and superiors in abundance. Had HUGE, thick Hornworms. Bought some hermit crab food from here and unlike when I get it from a regular store, they actually eat it. Have cats to buy and cool reptiles and even a nice selection of arachnids

The people that work in here actually know about the animals they sell. Pricing is competitive. Been here 3 times and not one negative thing to say.

Best place to buy feeders. Great staff very knowledgeable.

I love this place it’s a very awesome pet store they have everything you need for all animals very friendly staff and awesome pets I recommend everyone to this place

Been coming here for years. Great service excellent pets

Nice little spot, friendly helpful staff, pleasantly surprised with the layout of the store.

Wouldn’t dream of going anywhere else for my pets BEST IN TOWN!! they are always happy to help with anything

I just went there to get feeder mice after calling at 1:45 pm to make sure they had some which the lady said they did! I tried to ask how many they have they said I just have to come on in and see! I came all the way from zephyrhills to be told they have none and the lady that was there acted like I was crazy and said they didn’t have any since Sunday! Y’all need better communication between staff!!’ Thanks for having a pregnant woman drive allllllllll the way over here for literally nothing and on top of that have no sympathy and an attitude!! Bad service for your mistake!!!!!!!

Went there on Saturday and the owner said the would have feeder mice Wednesday morning. She Specifically told me to be there right when they open because there’s a long line for the mice. Well got here when they open and of course she tells me now they’re going to be here after three. Guess I should’ve read the reviews looks like this is a constant problem. I refuse to ever go to this place again.

I have been coming to this store on and off for about 3 years now. Anytime I need something for my pets I know I can count on this spectacular business. They have a wide range of supplies for your pets and if your coming in looking for a pet, than you are sure in luck. I bought an iguana from this store about 3 years ago, unfortunately due to mouth rot he passed away. This was not the stores fault which I know for a fact. They take wonderful care of the animals under their roof. You cant blame a sickness on a store. I eventually went back about 4 weeks ago and bought a baby chameleon. She is in great health and is as happy as can be. I am very pleased and appreciative of this store. They take care of their animals like their own and you can tell they are very passionate about what they do. Great staff and wonderful business. Thank you Species!

Best in Brandon! Always do a great job on my dog.

This place was very nice. We needed some items for my beardie and was looking for a different pet store to go to. I enjoyed that they let you pick up the animals. My kids seen some animals and critters that they have never seen before! Great place, cant wait to go back! PS..my beardie loved her superworm, yum yum. Thanks, from Bri the beardie!

We bought 3 hamsters and all the supplies they needed from here and they all died with in a week. We took our upset Child back and bought a 500.00 bird and all the supplies it needed cage and all. It DIED in less than 24 hours. Took it back and they wouldn’t do anything about it said it was our loss. They were so rude about it in front of our already upset child. They apparently only sell sick animals. Be aware don’t buy animals from this place. They don’t take care of their animals!!!!

Great place. Doing some remodeling now, and the store looks great. Little understaffed but it could have just been a one off, the one on one you get when its your turn to be helped makes up for it. Plus tons of cool stuff to look at.

Great non-chain pet store with lots of animals most pet store chains dont/wont stock. Great source for all kinds of feeders your peers may need. If you dont see it ask and they either have it and you just didnt see it or they can get it.

I purchased a fish from them yesterday and it died within 20 minutes of being in my tank. I took it back with water sample and was refused a refund because he said my water was bad. He said my nitrates were toxic but they were around 10ppm (light orange) in color. 10 ppm in a fresh water tank is not toxic. 5 ppm-10 ppm is normal for a tank. No fresh water tank will have 0 ppm, unless its a new tank that hasnt cycled yet. He also told me I left the fish in my car and it got baked because he could tell I never opened the bag. So did my water kill the fish or did I leave it in the car? They are just making up excuses to not refund my purchase. I Immediately went to Petco after they refused me a refund and purchased a flower horn. It been in my tank for 15 hours and is completely fine but yet my water is toxic to fish.

Great place with great people that are very knowledgeable and helpful with any if your animal questions or needs

We got my son a Bearded Dragon from Species and the lady was so knowledgeable and friendly. We have now had our lizard friend a year and he is so much fun and so healthy! You get what you pay for and we decided to go with a small local shop instead of a big name pet store. His healthy and well being reflects how well they take care of their pets. Great job Species! We are happy Beardie owners!!!

Do not take your bird here. I took my bird Little Pickle to get her nails trimmed and she came out with a swished toe. And the worst part was that one of the guys that helped trim them lied and said it was like that before when it wasn’t. And they didn’t even pay the vet bill. So don’t go to this place if your getting your birds nails trimmed.

My daughters and I visited this place on 12/26/2019 to purchase a bearded dragon. My eldest daughter has all kinds of reptiles as she is an avid lover. As soon as we walked in we were met with side eye looks as if we were not welcomed there. My daughter asked for the bearded dragon section and immediately the lady (looks like some type of meth head) told my daughter she could not afford the bearded dragon. Mind you we have one at our home along with a leopard gecko. As the lady was insulting my financial status a guy in the back started yelling at my daughter saying its 75 or 150, 75 or 150 and kept repeating this 3 times after. We have 300.00 to spend for all the dragons needs and we were treated very poorly. My money will never be spent in this type of establishment. We have a house full of animals. And all of them require lots. Safe to say we will go else where

Highly recommend! Staff is great, very friendly and knowledgeable. I was having some issues with my turtle, and the one lady who helped me out by coming up with another solution that I didn’t think of that really helped me out. Now my turtle is doing well. Thanks

Very nice people. An they have all kinds of animals

They are so friendly and know exactly what they sale if you have questions about specific animals they know exactly what your pet will need and cool facts about them. My favorite part is they have a huge knowledge in fish and especially in the exotic breeds of animals they have. And they have the best reasonable prices better then pet smart or Pet co. Will be coming back

If you love creatures and giving them a loving home then this is the place to visit.

I just started going to this store & love Donna for her knowledge. I have been having trouble with my Betta & she explains everything to me. She is always bubbly & smiling.She must enjoy her job & Im glad to have met her. Thank you for your help

Me and my family were there earliertoday around 2pm, so my girls can pick out a rabbit and 8mins later an older gentleman approached us and said if your not going to buy anything you need to leave.We will never go here again

Great store great people and amazing service. I bought a baby sulcata tortoise from here and I had no health problems with her or anything of that sort. I come here often with a different question every time and they are so happy to answer all my questions and concerns. The owner has had almost all the pets in that store so she is a very reliable source to your questions. I highly recommend coming here for any reptile concerns or if youre looking to buy.

They have a wonderful selection of all reptiles, arachnid/invertebrates, and fish. They have great customer service! You guys should have a website though.

The store could overall be more cleanly. Also, a little more diversity for rodent type living set ups.

So super friendly. You can pet the animals, they have a variety of spiders. They have fish for everyone, and everybody working in there knows theyre animals. The staff is so awesome. The snakes are beautiful, prices fair, and the feeders are plentiful. Almost always have superworms, which is important, and the more you but you get discounts! Hands down favorite favorite pet store. They even recognize me which is great!

Fantastic customer service.

This is a very well kept pet store. The workers and owners are very friendly and helpful. The animals all look and act healthy. This is the only pet shop I know of near me the sell feeder mice for my python. Would recommend for pets, pet supplies and fish.

Great little fish store... Awesome prices and very polite

Great service and affordable prices.

The staff is amazing and so helpful! I am also impressed with how clean the fish tanks were! You can really tell that they not only care about their customers but about the quality of products they sell as well! I will absolutely be going back there.

If I could give zero stars I would. The workers were rude as hell, they over charge and we waited 45 minutes in the parking lot for the lady to open the door because she was hanging out with her friends

Wonderful store with people who actually know and care about the animals (looking at you petco)

They are amazing, and prepared, they seemed like experts to me, I went in with whole bunch of questions and got out with my answers and the items I needed.

Lets fix the hours for the store on google b4 someone else drives 40 mins for a Placentia doesnt open til 12.....Not 10 like the site says!!

Great family owned business. Honest people that are willing to answer all your questions. I stopped buy just to see what they had, in terms of fish, vs their competitors and they by far have the best selection. They don’t have bulk quantity but excel in quality.

I called ahead, wonderful place. They had turtles. Lady gave us all the instructions and told us what we needed to do. Amazing.

Great staff. Very knowledgeable

The people here are always nice. Great customer service.

Jerry and his staff do an outstanding job. They are knowledgeable and fair. I’ll take this locally owned shop over ANY commercial chain pet store every day of the week. Great place to stop by and pet the kittens and guinea pigs even if you don’t have any pets of your own, YET. Love this place.

Friendly and knowledgeable staff, always willing to help you help your pet.

I had an issue with someone and it was resolved. Thanks for that.

The reviews I saw made me a bit skeptical about going. The owner would reply to good reviews saying thank you for the support and stuff which is pretty normal but they said why dont you try running a store to the bad reviews which Ive never seen before. I still wanted to go to look at the ball pythons and ask about a job. Once I walked in I saw the very poor conditions the tarantulas are living in as I saw in the reviews. The smaller and bigger tarantulas were kept in the same size (very small) containers and had bugs crawling all over the substrate. They didnt even have stickers that had the common name on it let alone the scientific name. So I got to the snake area and saw a worker telling customers all about the spider ball pythons. I completely despise breeding and selling pythons with the spider gene. They cant properly strike their food because of the constant head wobbling and can even strike themselves. Not to mention the fact that its a neurological disorder. The worker made the gene seem super cool and a great idea to buy which is an awful thing. So I go to ask about the job and a lady comes to answer my question and says that I have to be 18 and deal with dead animals which is strange because animals shouldnt be dying that often (besides the fish, which there were a lot of, but thats besides the point). I go to ask about volunteering and she just walks away. I come back another day to see about the ball pythons again, so I go up to what seems like a new worker and ask to hold some of them to see which I like. We go over and asks which and I said the bumble bee, he gets it out and says, so.. do you wanna pet it or something? theres nothing wrong with that but that made me feel super awkward and want to get out of the store. Over all, I never want to go again and strongly suggest going someplace else.

BEST PET STORE AROUND!! FRIENDLY & KNOWLEDGEABLE STAFF THAT WILL GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO HELP! GREAT PRICES AND GREAT SELECTION! FIRST CHOICE FOR ALL MY PETS NEEDS.

Love this place go there for my feeders for my snake 🐍. If they dont have something they will make sure they find it for ya or tell you when they expect to have what your looking for in.

Customer service was amazing! They can answer almost any questions you have and provide help to the best of their abilities! Staff is quite friendly and most importantly their love for animals shows each time you visit there! Price can vary depending on your preference, but you can get a soft loving pet for a cheap price!

Really nice staff and super diverse store (seems they have a little of everything!) Lol. Anyways, I wanted a fish that they didnt have, and without any hesitation, they asked me to write down exactly what I wanted, and then they showed me two tanks filled with possibility fish straight off their cell phone! Awesome job! Now I know which fin baby I want and Im just waiting for a call to pick him up! Go to Species and slowly look around, it is relaxing educational and just plain neat! I highly recommend this store.

Very helpful and friendly staff. All knowledgeable and if one doesnt know, they will find an answer for you. Great selection of pet supplies for whatever critters you have!

Great and knowledgeable staff and super variety of products for virtually every kind of pet. I have been here numerous times with my children for help with every pet from fish to water dragons. You cant find this kind of help and support just anywhere.

The store had a nice selection however the conditions they kept the animals in were poor. Pythons with no hides no UTH mats only heat bulbs. The prices are ridiculous I’m not sure if these astronomically high prices are normal around here but I’ve been to far cleaner and more professional establishments with way cheaper prices in South Florida. The state of the enclosures was the biggest shock. I don’t know if they owner sees some of these enclosures but it’s disgusting and should be addressed. I’m hoping I caught them mid cleaning enclosures or something. All things aside the variety of animals was great and the actual health of the animals were fine.

Friendly family owned business. I always get supplies and feeder here.

Great little privately owned Pet Shop in Brandon Florida. Originally called Creature Castle, it now has new ownership, but its been in the same location well over 30 years. They have everything you need for your pet!! 🐕🐇🐭🐢🐠🦎🕷🐍

The people that work there are very helpful and friendly. And its one of the only places that you can find mice and rats in all sizes.

Just awesome knowledgeable staff, and way more items to choose from than what I would expect from a non- chain pet store! They actually blow away the much larger chain stores. It is nice to talk to staff that actually know what they are talking about!Just awesome.

Great pet store, large variety of animals, friendly service and these people know the answers to if not all, most of your questions. Also the prices are decent unlike other pet stores. I would recommend anyone in need of a pet, to come to Species and check out their animals. Couldnt be any more satisfied choosing my pets from there. Stay great Species (:

The only place in Valrico to get live mice and rats

Very good selection of rabbits and staff is very knowledgeable. We were guided by a lady who informed us about everything we needed to know and buy for a new bunny. Good pet prices, overall a amazing experience

Highly priced, not impressed at all with the store or there service.

Instead of the lady saying go down the road to pet smart and save 150 dollars she sold me everything seperatly for my 30 dollar chamillion I got off craigs list cause theres is 90 dollars and I spent 335 dollars on a terrarium that should of cost of 150 I even mentioned to her my wife said theres a 150 kit ill never go back

Everyone that works here is very friendly and knowledgeable. If you have questions about the care of your reptile they are more than willing to help.

I don’t see how hard it is to take out all the dead cherry shrimps..

Impressive! I used to shop at this place when it was Creature Castle. I was not a huge fan of it back then but I decided to stop in and check out Species and it doesnt even look like the same store. These people have done such a great job of cleaning the place up and adding a TON of merchandise for small pets, fish, dogs, and cats. Their reptile selection is unique as well. The staff is friendly, professional, and knowledgeable. I cant stress enough how impressed I was with this store! Shop here and support the little guy!

Best pet store in Tampa by far! The establishment was clean and the staff was very helpful. The prices are beyond reasonable and the animals in the establishment also look healthy and lively. I will definitely be going here from now on.

Every time I visit this place Im reminded why I say Im not coming back. On my most recent trip I got a great view of: overstocked tanks, poorly kept maintenance of the tanks, and the grand finally... A cichlid tank that had a serious velvet outbreak.Do not buy fish here.Below is the best picture I could get of the outbreak.

The store was very clean and well kept. The staff was very friendly and helpful.

This is a busy petshop with just about anything a domestic animal might need. Large selection of snakes, tortoises and other reptiles. Salt and freshwater fish curated by some very helpful and knowledgeable employees. This is the kind of place they remember you from one visit to the next. Check them out!

Just walked in to have a look around the store. They seem like a great supply shop. There was one cat in a tiny cage with no room to even walk, and when I asked about it, the sad lady behind the desk informed me that they do not take it out to move around at all and that it could be in there for over a month. I would love to shove these business owners into a cage for just one day to see how great of an idea that is.

Oh my goodness! My husband and I went in there about a week ago and while the staff was friendly, the fish aquariums were disgusting! Dead fish littered pretty much every tank, in the freshwater section. A tank with probably about 100 dead shrimp. Pretty much every tank that we looked at had multiple dead or obviously dying fish. Which as any tank person knows, is horrible for its tank mates. I understand that fish can die over night and perhaps go unnoticed till the end of the day or until looked at, should someone want to make a purchase, but these tank had not been looked at in days or perhaps longer. Really gross. Some fish swimming around were obviously diseased as well. The selection of fish was impressive, but I would never go back there for fish. Other pets, it might be great for, but the fish, definitely not. I dont usually feel badly about fish, but these looked so neglected and in some cases, WAY overcrowded that I genuinely felt bad for them.

I love this store. Most employees are very helpful and are always busy. Donna, Carleen and Jerry (owner) are the best when I come in. Jean is very educated when it comes to the animals and fish, But I mainly just see her standing around while all others are always so busy. I would highly recommend Species to anyone looking to buy any pet supplies as well as fish or feeders. They will go out their way to help you as well as if u need a special order, They will try their best to get it in for you. Thanks for being such a friendly environment place to shop at. They also are wonderful ppl whom will help not just to educate you about your animals but will take their time to groom certain pets as well. Thanks again Donna, Carleen and Jerry. Best 3 employees there.

Friendly staff. But NOPE! i actually gave a 5 star review earlier until i went back the SAME DAY i purchased a cage topper they told me should fit. It did not fit so went back a few hours later to return. They will only do store credit or exchange no matter what. It was still in box and had all pieces in original packaging except the cage part that we relized did not fit. Just kept replying that it says no refunds on the recept. Um hello there is no way to know what is on the receipt until AFTER you pay. Oh and a faded sign off to the side. I literally was there a few hours later will all original packaging. I cant exchange as the same thing will still not fit. And they dont offer anything else similar. I even had the tank in my car and would have tried it right there before purchasing if i knew they would not take something back a few hours later that did not work as advertised.When i mentioned a poor review the exact reply i got word for word was well add it to the pileToo bad. If not for today i would have recommended them.

The best pet store in Brandon! Ive been going to this location for years, have seen it fall under a few different owners, and can confidently say it has never been better than it is now.They offer everything you could ever want from a pet store plus a ton of extras. Theres a wide variety of exotics ranging from saltwater fish to spiders to birds, and they all look healthy and happy. Even their feeder insects/rats all look lively and I have no qualms about feeding them to my reptiles.The best part though, is the friendly, knowledgeable staff. Ive yet to run into a single worker who was rude or didnt know what they were doing.Overall, I love coming to Species! It feels more like a fun trip to the zoo rather than a boring errand run to the pet store.

This place has Gnats in substrate, Dont care about how the animals are housed, it smells horrible like they hardly clean. The owner is a complete jerk. When you point out something is wrong or what they could do to correct it they jump in with excuses like the animals wont be at the store long enough for it to matter. No scientific names for Tarantulas which if you have any knowledge at all you know that they are important because the same common name can refer to multiple different species. They dont even have the scientific name written down or anything anywhere in their files. Multiple species can look almost exactly the same. Anybody to the Hobby knows how important that is. Im waiting to see the owners response because you can see how defensive he gets about every negative review he receives.I have been here numerous times and would of liked to come back but after my last experience I will never step foot in this crummy store.Learn how to run a business that deserves repeat customers.I hope this saves somebody from shopping here.They dont deserve the business. Especially seeing how the owner calls people names in other reviews.

This review is in direct response to a 1 Star review written by “Sarah Piworar” about her cage topper. Normally I never write reviews, especially targeting other people. But I felt it was necessary to call her out for attempting to make the store look like the bad guy in her review.I was at the store when she tried to return it, along with another lady attempting to buy rats and it was her and her two kids. She wanted to return her cage topper because it didn’t fit. First she said “it didn’t fit so she needs to return it”. After the cashier told her they don’t do cash returns, her story changed to “I can’t believe you want take it back it’s unopened and everything’s in the box”. So did you open it or not? Also don’t let her fool you. There’s not JUST a “faded sign off to the side” there’s a sign HIGHLIGHTED AND IN BOLD NEXT TO THE CARD SWIPER. There’s also two on the doors, one as you walk in and one as you walk out, along with one on the window by the register. It’s EVERYWHERE. So she’s willfully lying or just isn’t an observant individual. On top of that, towards the end of the ordeal she began to harass both the cashier, and a coworker named Fernando who is a wealth of information and is completely open and honest about store policy. When purchasing a lid for my fish tank he advised me they don’t do cash returns so to make sure it fit in advance. She was extremely rude and then tried to demand to get the owners personal cell phone number to call and try to complain enough to get her way.To add to that, she even said she had the tank was in her car and she would’ve brought it in to make sure it would fit “if she’d known”. So she 100% made a mistake, didn’t bother to read any signs, wouldn’t own up to her mistake, and tried to argue and complain and cry her way out of it. Finally stating, to no one in particular, she was gonna write a bad review. She said it under her breathe though, an extremely passive aggressive move and nobody responded with “well add it to the pile” because no one heard her except me because I was standing right behind her this whole time. She set a terrible example for her kids.Bottom line? Don’t let her review lead you astray from this awesome store. They’ve been nothing but helpful and shouldn’t suffer because of woman-child who lashed out because she couldn’t get her way.

Species is a great place for any pets and pet needs! The people there are genuine and very helpful with their information! Very reasonable!!

So knowledgeable!!! They are just amazing in all of the information they can give, and super patient with all of my questions!!!!

Its okay, the staff are really nice.