Reptile City 4414 Augusta Road, Lexington, SC 29073

"All reptiles were not being taken care of properly. Many looked deathly sick and they were not being provided with any enrichment, basking or burrowing opportunities. Anyone who has done proper and recent research would realize just how horrific the conditions of these animals are. No UVB, no (non-colored) heating bulb, scars everywhere, fed live, crammed, improper humidity, improper enclosure measurements, lacked knowledge about the animals they "care so much" for. Beyond horrific."

"John and Jason are very knowledgeable about snakes/reptiles and are very friendly. They tend to have a good assortment of reptiles in there and always have plenty of feeders for your reptile babies."

"Location is Barnyard Flea Market, Row I (i) - at the back. My suggestion: park and walk, or go around back and park where no one's selling. I've been talking to and buying from John (the owner) since I was around 17 or 18 years old. I am 34. (About sixteen or seventeen years). I feel I have experience with him and his business, enough to write a solid review. The reptiles, arachnids, and other animals he has are always well-kept and healthy. I'm not sure where the other reviews are stating the animals are "stressed" and "sickly," it seems people are more self-proclaimed animal 'lovers' and 'activists' that have no clue how animals act when they're put together on display to sell in a business when they're kept solitary all week. You'd be active and curious, too, if you lived one way and someone stuck you in a smaller room with a bunch of others, right? Right. The shop is kept around 90 degrees, even in the dead of winter. This eliminates the need for each tank to have a light or heating pad on it, which anyone who has actually kept a reptile (or is educated on them) would know. Almost every tank has a substrate of newspaper because the animals inside are ultimately on display, not the decoration of the tank, and newspaper is perfectly fine for them to be on for a few hours. It can be easily changed if soiled (which is done immediately following it being soiled), and if a provided water bowl gets knocked over. Almost every reptile you see is eating fine, and is docile as can be. There are a NO photograph sign for the shop, as well as a NO handling without permission sign that should be respected by all customers. Yes, that includes you. Proper husbandry after buying your animal is crucial from the second you leave the shop. If it is too cold out when you buy a reptile (around Christmas, perhaps?) - it will NOT thrive. It will likely catch a nasty respiratory infection and pass away. This is YOU asking for it when you didn't pay attention when you bought the animal. YOU have to be ready to bring these creatures home and keep them safe and warm during the transportation, too. None of the animals I have ever bought from John have ever gone home with me "sick" or "sickly." I unfortunately had the displeasure of a rampant respiratory virus going through all of my three snakes the last time I had them, and John himself attempted so hard to save them and help me, it was unreal. He met me where he could to treat my snakes during the week when he did NOT have to. He has a business, and that business runs 24/7. He treated me like family when he didn't have to. That man is amazing, and deserves the world. He knows more about reptiles than people who claim to be experts seem to anymore. Ask him questions! He has answers, and jokes in between. He is the most straightforward and honest person I have ever dealt with. Remember, his store is in a *flea market,* and therefore is not some beautiful, gilded palace made of marble. It's going to be a little dirty on a concrete floor because a lot of dirty, disgusting people with their dirty, disgusting feet walk all over it all day on weekends. Snakes don't vocally warn you when they have to go, either, and sometimes it goes on the floor. There are no professional cleaners to make it sparkle, so you really can't expect it to be perfect, as no one else's store in the market is perfect, either. It's ridiculous to expect that in a flea market. The prices are always fair. Do some research if you're worried about that. If your animal does die within a week, he usually will work with you if it wasn't any fault of your own. (However, you probably shouldn't be handling your animal within a week anyway - as they are still getting acclimated in 7-14 days, just saying.) The people are always unapologetically themselves. If you want a no-frills experience with an honest person who truly cares about all the animals he sells, this is who you go to."

"John and his team help us out big time with our snake star, and he has really good prices. Very friendly environment ment. Although, at times, it is crowded due to a small space. But that doesn't stop john and them at all"

"Reptiles had no heat sources and were cold to the touch, store was dirty, people were smoking in the store. I was very upset with how they were taking care of there animals."