A young boy loudly announced what most had already noticed at Hogtown Reptile Shop Saturday afternoon.
“It got out of the cage!”
The subject of concern, a 5-foot iguana, sat on top of a cage and lazily stared back at the finger pointing in its direction.
The owners smiled and explained that it didn’t need a cage.
Then they showed 4-year-old David Sneed the large tortoise strolling across the aisle, the possum sitting on the counter and the kinkajou, a small, rain forest mammal related to raccoons, perched on a customer’s shoulder.
Doug Foster, Dave Neven and Chris Glass, the owners of Hogtown Reptile Shop, approach their business as an interactive experience. They have been working on creating that intimate atmosphere since May 1 when the shop first opened.
The trio, 51, 45 and 33 respectively, started Hogtown Reptile Shop because of their long-time love for reptiles. Glass bought his first snake at Foster’s old store, Hogtown Herpetological Supply, when he was 12 years old.
They are the only workers at Hogtown Reptile Shop, located at 2104 SW 34th St. near Sweetbay Supermarket. Glass said it makes the days long, but they aren’t hiring other people because he wants their customers to be given quality service when they come to the store, something that he believes is lacking in bigger chains like PetSmart.
“Employees have no idea what they’re talking about,” he said. “No offense, but they’re students just trying to get a paycheck.”
At Hogtown Reptile Shop, the owners breed more than 50 percent of the animals themselves.
Saturday marked the grand-opening celebration for the store. Regular customers and first-time customers alike eyed the corn snakes, played with the kinkajou and asked the owners questions.
At least 50 percent of the customers at Hogtown Reptile Shop are college students, Neven said.
Saturday was Kathryn Rush’s first time at the store. She brought along her son, David, who moved excitedly from one reptile to the next.
Rush brought David over on a wagon. They pass the store during their walks, and David was thrilled to stop this time, Rush said.
“He was playing with the iguana in the back, and then he found a tortoise walking around, and then a kinkajou was crawling all over him,” she said of their first trip. “It’s like a hands-on zoo.”
Matt Anderson, a senior at UF, is a regular at Hogtown. He came in to the grand opening to trade his big chameleon for a baby chameleon.
Anderson used to go to different stores before Hogtown opened. He said he comes to Hogtown now because there is a better selection, the workers are friendlier and the prices are more reasonable.
Because of the large variety of reptiles, there is a considerable range in prices. A yellow-bellied slider turtle can cost as little as $15, while a mata mata turtle costs $750.
Snakes can cost anywhere from $15 to $1,000. According to Neven, the biggest factor in price is the color. Albino and pied snakes are always more expensive.
The most popular pet is the leopard gecko because of the low maintenance and price, and the most exotic reptile in the shop is the alligator snapping turtle, but it is a felony to sell it. Instead, customers can pay $2 to feed it, adding to the interactive experience.
Alex Deme, a sophomore at Santa Fe College, took full advantage of the opportunity to participate Saturday.
He watched Glass’ possum, Chauncey, eat a mealworm and then decided to try one himself.
“It was juicy,” Deme said of the mealworm. “I bit into it, and it pussed out.”
