I appreciate that this is a locally owned business and that the owner appears knowledgeable about the animals at his store. However, I was disappointed to learn that the birds and small animals are still sourced from breeders for resale. During my visit, I saw birds, a guinea pig and other small animals in small enclosures. It seems like the store owner cares about animals. It's disappointing though that Red Hill Pet Center treats living beings as products to be bought and sold. There are thousands of birds, guinea pigs, mice, lizards, and other small animals waiting in rescues for homes. I would much rather see this business use its knowledge and reputation to partner with local rescue organizations and help place adoptable animals instead of purchasing from breeders. I hope the owner considers transitioning away from selling breeder-sourced animals. I would happily support a pet store that focused on supplies, education, and rescue partnerships rather than the retail sale of live animals. read more

Red Hill Pet Center - Pet Stores Near Me - San Rafael, California

I am so bummed to see one of my neighborhood pet stores selling animals! I came in for the first time to see what I could find for my rodent friends (it's hard to find any brick and mortar that sells rodent supplies), but I was so taken aback with how the rodents being sold were living. Rodents need a good amount of space to move around laterally -- there were several mice confined to a very small tank. Birds and fish were also living in small and dirty quarters. I want to support local business, because I believe the owner knows a lot of about animals and gets a lot of local business. But I we really need to address the harms of the retail sale of animals. Please stop selling them in your store! read more

I stopped in looking for a jacket for my dog since it's been so cold out. I wanted to support a smaller business... but small business does not mean ethical. I thought they only sold supplies, but to my dismay they sell/exploit animals like objects. This place is misery for animals. Birds, reptiles, fish, and rodents languishing in tiny, miserable cages.... just so that they can make money selling them. It's not okay to treat animals like merchandise. Most pet stores nowadays just sell supplies - not animals. I hope this store will transition away from selling animals and just sell supplies. If you need supplies do not shop here, try Woodlands Pet Food & Treats, Pet Pro, Pet Food Express which are local San Rafael pet stores that don't exploit animals. And if you're looking to get an animal, please adopt from a shelter or rescue never buy them from places like Red Hill Pet Center. Check adoptable animals at petfinder.com read more

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The owner is very knowledgeable and has helped us with all our fish questions. Speaking of fish, they have an amazing selection. I purchased two fish for our pond, which have been doing great, and recently set up an aquarium, to which I plan on buying more fish from here. The store is a bit quirky but has a lot of supplies, and well tended for pets. Best selection and healthiest looking fish in all of Marin. read more

This is a legit pet store that covers all my needs. I have a bearded dragon and a dog. They have everything my lizard needs - dubia, crickets and worms (preferably king). My dog loves the treats and dog food. I also can get his accessories here. My kid went through a phase where he wanted to feed the birds in our garden and I was able to get a bird feeder and food for them. I have also traveled in the past and needed to board my dragon and I knew he would be in good hands here. I moved from San Francisco to Marin County and have learned the prices for everything is extremely reasonable compared to what I used to pay in the city. I will be a loyal customer as long as I live in the Bay Area. read more

Red Hill Pet Center - Pet Stores Near Me - San Rafael, California

Elvis cares about the pets and has answered every random question I've had. All the fish purchased have survived despite all my best efforts. read more

I've been trying to support local businesses as much as possible during this time. This is ideally the kind of shop we should preserve in our community. However, it's just not safe to go here. The ventilation is not great and the owner and sometimes employees never wear masks. Or gloves. Or sometimes shoes. While in the past, this would be a quirky thing that one wouldn't care about, it's clear they are playing with fire and not playing by public health rules n order to stay open and prevent the spread of COVID. I wish them well and hope they survive. But I won't be returning. read more

I rarely dole out one-star reviews, but I couldn't find anything redeeming about Red Hill Pet Center to boost this one any higher. I called in advance to check stock on some tick spray I needed for my daughters' lizards; not everywhere carries it, so I did want to make sure in advance it was in stock. The person I spoke seemed knowledgeable, told me he had what I needed in stock, and said he'd set it by the register for me. That said, when I arrived to pick it up, the (very) young man working the counter said he had no idea where to find it. After barely a minute of looking around, he told me he'd call the owner to ask where it was, but the owner was at yoga, then went back to the front desk and ignored me completely without finishing our conversation or trying to assist further. I went ahead and searched the shelves myself and noticed toxic items (such as cleaners) intermixed with pet food (dangerous for pets!) and the entire place looked to have been ransacked; things were grimy, out of place, and the muggy stink of the facility was oppressive. I'm really puzzled by the positive reviews here; I had a ton of hope, and would have loved to support a local small business, but I will never be back. read more

awesome! always have rabbit food. workers are so kind, and they always help me out to find things! i also think the prices and veriaty for rabbits is way better than petco! read more

Elvis has helped us care for our fish and cats for over 10 years. He knows so much about fish animals and is a great resource for needed products and advice. He is so kind and caring about our pets. I love the times I have walked into the store in San Rafael and have had the chance to listen to long time clients share pet stories with Elvis and staff. Elvis is like the local pet owner therapist! He and his staff are great listeners and very responsive. If I need anything special for our pets, Elvis either has it or will get it. Definitely a local, independent store, run by a person with a kind heart and lots of knowledge about pets (and a delightful musician on the side). read more

Love this pet store. Always has bugs and reptile lights in stock. Wish I found this place sooner

No mask, I'll pass. I wish I would have read these reviews before wasting my time going to this store. I went here to support a local business but was so weirded out to see the employees without masks on! The store was cluttered, felt dirty and the man and young girl working together with the fish couldn't be bothered to help me. I did ask you both for help. You and the girl heard me and continued with what you were doing. I stood by you both next to the fish (not the entrance) for a minute but I didn't want to stay any longer with you both not wearing masks. Yes, I was in and out in 2 minutes. read more

This store and Elvis represent how Marin used to be before all the corporate blandness took over. This store has soul and deserves our support. When we went everyone was wearing a mask and I was helped when I asked. I really like seeing the same people when I walk in. I find it odd that people will say they've supported this store for years and are done with it because of masks. I wonder if the people writing these one star reviews have been working during the pandemic or can at least empathize. Wearing a mask for 8-10 hours at a time isn't comfortable, if you aren't vaccinated use the curbside pick up. If you want someone to wear a mask, ask them politely to put one on. If you want a spotless, subservient, soulless McDonalds/Amazon/Wholefoods experience go to petco, but don't crap on a local business because it doesn't conform to your dogma. read more

I have shopped at this pet store since it was actually at Red Hill Shopping center. YEARS I have bought supplies from here. I sent my daughter there to pick up supplies for our pets. She said upon entering that the counter person was not wearing a mask. She felt uncomfortable and left. Today I called ahead of time and inquired if they were wearing masks and if they had the supplies we need. I was assured twice by both of the people there they would be wearing masks and that they had what we needed. I arranged for curbside pickup and wouldn't you know it, when my daughter arrived the second time the guy still weren't wearing a mask! I'm sorry to say this will be the last time we buy from this store. If you are going to explicitly lie to me twice, I won't be giving you my business. read more

Super helpful and knowledgeable about getting my snake to eat. Great pet shop, and love that it doesn't have a large corporate feel or agenda. Thank you. read more

I am not a "cat" person and was to a diner invitation with a lady friend (cat owner). I wanted to bring the cat a few treats. The young lady was most helpful and led me to one area that had all of my needs. I ended up buying Sushi tuna treats and a yellow banana (catnip), at her recommendation and both were a huge success! What impressed me the most was the great service, their concern to assist you and their product knowledge. read more

I really wanted to like this store since it's a small business, but I cant after going to the store multiple times. The store is visibly dirty but that's not even the biggest issue. The customer service is unprofessional at best and they didn't even apologize after selling diseased fish. the owner blamed me for the fish dying even after seeing fish in his tank with the disease that lead to the deaths. I have seen multiple employees not wear face masks or keep a safe distance even when one was coughing. I really wish this wasn't the case but I advise going to pretty much any other pet shop. read more

This is a farm and aquatics store which is hard to find in this area. Some reviews on here complain that the store is dirty... well, as a new person to the area who's spent more than a minute around farms, this is what farm stores are. If you want yuppy stuff for your animals go to a pet butique. This place is for those of us looking for high quality, divers animal needs: reptile feed, avian care, pond/tank management, livestock supplies. These are things you can't find at just any pet store. Furthermore the staff is friendly and clearly knowledgeable about their stuff. My only qualms is that the store is small and with such a wide array of wares it's crowded, hard to move around with my dog on a leash next to me, that said they happily offer to order specific items and are always right there to help. Which brings me to my second qualm, the staff is so attentive, and the store so empty that it was a bit uncomfortable to try to shop on your own. This said it is perfect to come in, ask questions, get help finding things, etc. Great store, great people. read more

Red Hill Pet Center - Happy girl after getting some treats and finding out what herp care supplies were here. - Pet Stores Near Me - San Rafael, California

This store sells everything a pet owner needs. If you're looking for something that they don't have, you can always special order and get it within 2 to 3 days. They are always friendly, helpful knowledgeable. They are a long-running small independent store worthy of support from all local pet owners. read more

PLEASE DO NOT SHOP HERE FOR LIVE ANIMALS - FEEDERS OR PETS. HORRIFIED BY THE TREATMENT OF THEIR RATS. They are very disorganized and dirty, nothing like any other small pet stores I've seen. Luckily they don't seem to have very many live animals, but they did have rats. It was a female rat and several babies. Rats have very sensitive respiratory systems - they MUST be housed in a wire cage. These rats were house in a glass tank with a GLASS SLAB over top - not even a screen (which is still a terrible way to house rats). The only air flow was holes drilled on the side, meaning they were breathing in harmful ammonia from their urine. This is cruel even for animals with not so sensitive respiratory systems. Regardless of whether or not these animals are meant to be sold as feeders, they don't deserve to live a life where they will definitely get a respiratory infection and die a painful death if they're not sold (and probably will even after being sold). I wonder if they were even fed the proper diet (it's just a kibble made for rats, not hard to do - veggies are good too for them) and had enough clean water. Even if you don't care about the rat itself - do you want to feed your reptile a sickly rat? (Not to mention the ethics of live feeding.) If they are trying to sell them as pets this needs to be fixed. It's tempting to want to buy and save the rats but DO NOT support this and give them your money. Along with this, the boy working the counter seemed to not care. When I asked him if the babies were female, he couldn't answer - even though they were old enough to be sexed. If you got a rat as a pet here, you risk it being pregnant. I asked if they sold cages and he pointed to a cage that while it's advertised for rats (a Kaytee rat cage) is so small it's cruel and definitely not big enough for the minimum 2 rats (they are social animals). None of the rats were socialized so they did not want to be touched and were very fearful. It's disappointing to see a pet store know nothing about their animals and not care. Honestly, I would consider this animal abuse and I wish people would care for small animals the way we do dogs and cats. read more

This place is pretty cool. Got a good amount of pet supplies and variety of actual pets too! From furry little ones like hamsters and rats to feathered and fish friends as well as a few reptiles too. Could use a little TLC though to help it come out of its shell more. Nice people behind the counter and very responsive. read more

Expert advice, great support, and a kind, helpful staff - Undoubtedly a local, small O&O, which is great to still find. I hope downtown San Rafael can continue to be a place to find and support local shops like these. read more

I discovered this store while waiting to meet a friend to go hiking. They have, of all things...quail and rabbit canned cat food, so I picked some up for a treat for my little beastie. It seemed like she would appreciate it, since she's not going to be able to hunt those in the city. If they had mouse cat food, I would have gotten that for her too (I know, that sounds disgusting, but that's what they're meant to eat, right? ). After all, when was the last time you saw a house cat take down a cow or catch a tuna? Hmmm...?? I didn't think so. read more

My cat is *bleeping* finicky of late, and I am constantly searching for new foods which will gratify him and stop him from jumping on my face at 5:00am demanding food. Since moving to the North Bay, I haven't pledged allegiance to any pet store, and just often pick up my kitty essentials whenever/wherever is convenient. Red Hill is close to my yoga studio, making it convenient, and a place I'm happy is convenient. The owner is really nice and helpful, is not an over-seller at all, charges appropriate prices (moreso than Woodland's), and though we don't have more critters besides two felines, this store caters to fish, birds, and reptiles too. I'm still searching for the right food to gratify my gourmand cat, but I think I'll be trying more from this charming store. read more

I came in earlier for food for my pet, and after finding what I needed, someone who appeared to be the owner was walking around and helping people inside without a mask. Not only is this incredibly unfair to folks walking from off the street and his staff (who were wearing masks), but highly dangerous and irresponsible during peak COVID season. I wish I had read more reviews on here before visiting...Needless to say I will not be supporting this business moving forward. BE WARNED and stay safe out there!!! read more

Both employees were super helpful and answered what questions I did have about setting up a tank for a betta fish. Got everything I needed in just one trip with the exception of the fish just because I wanted to make sure the tank was ready to go for the fish. Wonderful small business we should all be supporting. read more

What a great experience here today. They are so knowledgable and helped me a lot with my fish purchase today. Also some very healthy aquarium plants at a very reasonable price. This is such a great resource! Let's support their wonderful store! read more

I love this place! Super friendly, attentive, helpful, and very knowledgeable. I came in wanting to build a fish tank for the first time, he equipped me with everything I needed, plus the right fish. He has almost everything you can think of for your pets needs! Even food for my chickens, plus chameleons. The best in Marin! I'll be back! read more

They didn't have the Nulo brand that my kitties like in the store....but they special ordered it for me! very good customer service and the suggestions for a better canned cat food yielded great results with my picky kitties. I am so pleased that they actually care about their customers and offer to special order if I need something that they dont carry in the store. Great little shop! read more

I've been going to RHP for the past 5 years because Elvis is a great guy AND he carries the highest quality dog food around. Perhaps I could find Acana for less money somewhere else but I'm willing to spend a few more dollars in order to keep a good, local business rolling. (and honestly, I don't even know what the competition is asking for the same food. His prices seem perfectly reasonable to me.) Elvis supports the community by employing local kids. He takes his time to answer any questions you might have about any kind of pet. And he knows the business. Oh, plus he has a great record collection! He always has some fun music playing. Red Hill Pet is a down-home store with quality products and nice staff and an overall good vibe. read more

I have purchased pet supplies at the Red Hill Pet Center for several years and recommend them highly. The staff is helpful and the owner, Elvis, is very knowledgeable on any pet or pet food. read more

Extremely informative staff about the pets and food sold here. They also have used equipment if you don't want to pay top dollar for new equipment. Straight shooters that are also animal lovers. read more

This is the last of a dying breed...a great little non - trendy neighborhood pet store that actually sells pet food and pets! (Not just fancy dog bed and pedigree collars.) Elvis, the pet store owner, is a musician/DJ who plays eclectic tunes while you shop. His staff offers personal service (that you won't get at a big super store like Petco) and advice on what your pet needs. Pets are welcome in the store and so are kids. He has a big selection of fish supplies and tropical fish, organic and raw healthy pet foods, and healthy organic pet supplies like non toxic flea shampoos and herbal pet remedies. read more

Love this small business! My girls and I went and bought some guppies and a bowl last Saturday. The girl who helped us was amazing! She was super cool and entertained and taught us a lot about different animals in the store. They open at 11, my advice is go on a Saturday hit Johnny's donuts across the street first! read more

Really helpful and knowledgable. Thoughtful of my pet.

Very nice and helpful. Great fish! I love my GMO glow fish! All fish are healthy that I purchased from them. Sales help is knowledgeable and pet friendly! read more

Elvis was highly knowledgeable, enthusiastic, friendly and helpful. He was happy to answer all of our questions. We will definitely be going back! read more

Yay I'm a fan! The staff is kinda quirky but fun, especially if you like to hold the snakes. I like shopping here. But let me tell you that if you need mealworms, you open the fridge to find the worms...plus the employee food condiments lying down in dried bloodworms. Yes this is true some of that hotsauce has been in there for years. If they offer you a bite of anything I would politely decline and continue shopping. Otherwise this is my favorite pet store. read more

I had a very pleasant experience shopping at Red Hill Pet Center. A lot of the workers there are very helpful and kind. The pets there look a lot healthier compared to the ones I've seen at Pet Smart or Petco. One of the workers, who I believe is named Terra, was particularly helpful and kind. She helped me figure out what dog food would be best for the type of dog I had; she was very easy to talk to. I enjoyed her type of humor and attitude a lot, making this pet store unique amongst the rest. Look forward to shopping there again :-) read more

Please support this local privately owned pet food store. The owner is just great and he is so knowledgeable of everything when it comes go food, nutrition, toys, litter, holistic medicines, flea treatments--you name it. This is a fabulous store stocked with the best types of foods. read more