Worst pet shop in Champaign. They jack their prices on fish by 60% compared to a real reef only store like in Chicago., STL, Indy, and, ATL. They do this because there are no other saltwater fish store's here to compete with. They wanted 90 dollars for an Orchid Dotty back the size less than a minnow. I always cringe stepping foot in there. Never again. Ill take my 500 and go to Chicago and get alot of marine life. read more

i purchased rat food from here today and when i went home and put the food in my rat bowl i saw it was covered in bugs. the bag was full of bugs it was so disgusting. i went back to return the bag and the manager just told me "they are wheat weevils, it's just extra protein for them" ... i told her im just not comfortable feeding my rats bugs and she said "you just have to freeze the food for next time" like um no i shouldn't have to do that and the manager just did not care about my problem, didn't even APOLOGIZE for the inconvenience and was undermining my concern. i never had this issue with the rat food before and i definitely won't be going back there now because of how this manager dealt with my problem. they need a better manager who actually cares about customers and doesn't brush off their concerns. read more

Best and most helpful pet shop around they have everything i need and more for the aquarium hobby enthusiast

I'd say that this is the best pet store in the area, but some information I got when purchasing a pet rat was just plain wrong... i was told that it's okay to keep a single rat, that the cage they showed me was big enough, that I needed to feed him three different kinds of food (and the amounts were wrong), that I shouldn't handle him for two weeks, that a wooden house was perfect for him... that's all pretty bad info. I went back the next day to get one of the litter mates for my rat, returned the food they had me buy... you need to do your research and be CONFIDENT that you know the universally accepted care methods for the pet you're buying. I regret being nervous and talked out of what I knew to be best after months of researching for pet rats. my rats are skittish but we're working on that. they seem to be healthy and are growing well! the owner (?) is knowledgeable about rats for the most part, but some of the staff need better training. read more

Sailfin Pet Shop - the two rats I purchased. they're bonded and sweet with each other. - Pet Stores Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

This store is the only place I can get frozen rats for my ball python. The rats are fine. The staff is usually helpful. However, the way in which they treat the other animals in this store is unacceptable. Multiple times I have seen them putting two or more ball pythons in an enclosure together, both juvenile and adult, and every single hide for their reptiles are facing the glass (meaning that they don't really provide any sense of security for the animal). This is EXTREMELY stressful for the animals and dangerous if one of the co-habbed animals gets sick (which they are more likely to get ill when not given proper husbandry like this). When I asked someone working at the store why they had two BPs in one enclosure, they said that "they were brought in together". Ball pythons are not dogs. They do not form friendly bonds. They should have never been together in the first place and that is no excuse. The ball pythons are stressed. They are on paper bedding with no temperature gages or humidity gages visible. There is no way they can have enough space to regulate their temperature (their tanks are approx. 10-20 gallon for two ADULT ball pythons!) This is unacceptable. Please change this treatment for the animals. If you don't have the room to properly house these animals, either don't accept them or buy more tanks. Hell, even a rack system would be better. Please fix this. It is not okay. read more

Sailfin Pet Shop - Improper hides and enclosures - Pet Stores Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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Best Pet shop in central Illinois . John is well known for stocking many pets you just won't find in any average pet shop. If you don't see something you're allowed to keep in Illinois, chances are he can get it for you. His crew is amazing. What more could you ask for? read more

The fish we bought here died pretty much as soon as we got them home. Also every experience we have had there has been negative with the older gentleman. A lot of the advice the other staff has given has been incorrect. read more

If you need food for your fish it's great but beware of purchasing salt water fish bought 2 fish to add to my saltwater tank and both fish came with parasite that quickly killed them and my other fish I usually travel pretty far to purchase saltwater fish from a very good shop who only specializes in saltwater he diagnosed what was wrong with those two fish and told me never buy from dealer who don't quarantine there new arrivals which I should have done too just wanted to find someone locally never again buyer beware expensive mistake read more

Best Local Fish Store within 100 miles of CU. There are others with better selections of niche products (such as Johnny's Reef Experience in Normal has better coral), but Sailfin is the overall winner, especially when it comes to fish. Their prices are not the lowest, but it is not cheap to stock a large selection of healthy animals and maintain an educated staff. If you have questions, the staff are very good about giving you a straight answer, even if that means dissuading you from making the purchase. Sometimes it can take a while to get service, but this is just b/c this sort of consultation takes time, and once they get to you, you will appreciate the personal attention. If any staff members are in doubt about a question you may have, they send it up the chain, all the way to John if necessary. Speaking of John, he genuinely takes an interest in every hobbyist that comes through the doors and wants the best for all. Don't tell him that you got your equipment or livestock from other sources, such as craigslist or Internet forums, as he poo-poos them. This is because he dislikes the anonymous nature of this stuff (and maybe a little competitiveness no his part). They have a 1 week guarantee on their fish (but not invertebrates) and have sales from time to time on their website. When they have these sales, it is not to clear out existing inventory, but to generate volume, so they stock up huge in advance of them and are thus a great opportunity. read more

They seem to take very good care of their fish and have a large variety. HOWEVER, and this is a big however, I was very disturbed at the way they kept their small mammals. The ones out for display are in fine enough cages, a little small for the rabbits, but the door to the back was open one day and as I walked by I saw stacks and stacks of wire cages (with wire bottoms, very painful on their feet) stuffed with rabbits and other small mammals. There was no cover for them, they didn't seem to be getting the variety of food they need (fresh hay, greens, ect), and there were entirely too many animals per square inch. They seemed distressed, dirty, skinny. I was disappointed since I expect small businesses to be better than the big chains, but I would not suggest supporting their small mammal business. read more

This is the place to go! Whether you're looking for fish, reptiles, or pets of the furry kind, they have you covered. I frequent them for fish and, most recently, bought a baby ball python. He's healthy and eating very well. Go there. You won't be disappointed. read more

Sailfin Pet Shop - Dino! - Pet Stores Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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My review is in regards to fish: Awesome place and definitely the best in the area. Their betta setup is AMAZING. They have a wall where every betta (probably about 30) has filtration and a large space. Freaking awesome. Nice staff and nice selection . read more

Great pet store. Owner John has been super helpful with the set up of our new fish tank.

Different information each time you ask. Wasted a 40 minute trip out to be turned away after a staff member told us over the phone it was okay to come Thursday morning for a fish exchange. The phone call was a follow up from an email exchange where I was trying to converse with the owner about exchanging my guppies for albino cories. Upon arrival we were told supposed to set up an appointment and that they are not excepting guppies at this time because they produce so quickly. Very poor customer service all around. The owner hid in his office and would not even come out to offer some type of remedy. read more

My friends and I refer to this place as the Aquarium. Who would've thunk one could find such an awesome exotic pet store in the middle of Champaign? I came here to see whether they had any hedgehogs, and was pleasantly surprised at everything else they had! You find tropical fish of all sorts, koi the size of submarines, frogs, lizards, newts, snakes, spiders, birds, and pretty much any furry little creature (including chinchillas, ferrets, etc.).... and that isn't even the complete list! The staff there is extremely knowledgeable, nice, and helpful. Plus, if you check out Sailfin's website, you find that there's always a sale or deal of some sort going on. You have to check this place out! When you're driving past Neil, it's pretty easy to miss initially because the store looks like it's located in an abandoned white warehouse, but just make sure to keep an eye out for the sign on their building. read more

This place is WAAAAAY over priced. They take advantage of being the only exotic pet store in town. I try to avoid them as much as possible. I think it is ridiculous to pay over $5 for a frozen baby rat. Not even a large rat, or a medium size rat, but a small rat. And they don't give discounts if you buy bulk (which any other exotic pet shop I've been to, from Berkeley to Chicago does). I order my exotic pet supplies over the internet or drive up to the Chicago Reptile House in Orland Park. read more

This was our first experience at this pet store and we had absolutely no issues until we returned the fish we purchased the night before because there was a 7 day guarantee and it was belly up the next day. I sent my husband back to the store which is 1 hr from where we live and the owner John was very RUDE and DISRESPECTFUL! You DO NOT treat your customers in that manner. This business is clearly being managed and owned by a very unprofessional person and we will NEVER be back . It's sad you can't even go to a pet store with out being disrespected and treated like we were . I do not recommend this pet store, it is not family friendly and the owner is a prick . read more

I was like a kid in a candy shop at Sailfin Pet Shop. I went for some medication and advice for my fish. The staff was quick to help and was not scared to admit they didn't know the answer. They asked me to call back in a few hours when the manager was available. I called and the manager was a huge help. The large selection of fresh and saltwater fishes was impressive. All tanks were clean with healthy inhabitants. read more

Absolutely terrible service from the much older gentleman working in the pet store. He walked away from me twice, no desire to help me, and spoke down to me as if I should know about dead fish. I would not recommend this place to anyone !!! -Concerned customer read more

I got my first gold fish for my start up aquarium from here. Staff here are very friendly and helpful. they guided me right from the type of food I should feed and the environment I have to maintain. When I went back after a week, to get my water tested they were really helpful to suggest what extra care needs to be taken and even helped configure my filter manually with the new setup. Very knowledgeable staff and they have a great selection of fish and other animals. read more

0/5 stars!!! HORRIBLE WILL NEVER RETURN. They were rude and judgmental. I went in to buy a beta fish and was put under interrogation if I was a worthy fish owner. Then tricked into buying expensive unnecessary equipment for the fish... left with a fish bowl and NO FISH. However, was very happy with my experience at petsmart:) read more

Update: They've now infected my tanks with pond snails, copepods, and blue green algae, even after I dipped my plant purchases. While I can't speak to other parts of their stock, I would not recommend their freshwater plants or animals. All have brought me nothing but trouble. Make sure of what you're getting, as I saw juvenile African clawed frogs labeled as African dwarf frogs (big problem for buyers) and have seen even the hardiest fish species dead in their tanks. Employees are generally nice and helpful, but the owner was extremely rude to me. Sad we don't have a better local fish store. read more

Sailfin Pet Shop - Pet Stores Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Went here to get a bigger fish Aquarium.Advertisements and store manager was a bit misleading in order to lure in purchases. Aside from semi unfriendly attitude of the store manager and the steep prices I loved the large variety of fish and other pets this place offered. read more

Variety of pets, and lots in stock, but AWFUL husbandry. First time i came i wasn't even two feet in before i was yelled at for carrying my very docile pet snake. I take this snake to every pet store i go to, never ever had an issue. In fact when i walked in a kids eyes lit up and his mother looked interested as well. But before i could offer to let them see, i was told "No, put it away" by the man behind the counter I asked why it couldn't be in here as it was a "pet friendly" store and i was just met with "you can bring it in, in a bag" I didn't have any pillowcases and i wasn't going to leave it alone in my car, so i brought it in a cat cage (which he could've easily gotten out of anyway) Instead of being able to freely use my hands with my snake around my neck i had to carry my 3lb ball python in a 12lb cage. As i walked around i couldn't help but notice how many birds where in each TINY cages, as well as how many ferrets are in a cage that's even too small for ONE guinea pig. Very bad husbandry between the store and animals. Variety and selection of animals was impressive, but they weren't correctly taken care of. Bad costumer hospitality, and poor care for these living creatures. Very disappointed. read more

Once again, a terrible experience. I left a review on Facebook a month or so ago about John being extremely rude to my fiancée. I said if I could help it we would not spend money there anymore. Unfortunately we had a gift certificate. My fiancée went in again today to get help with a filter and now she insists on never spending money there again. We are gearing towards getting a bigger saltwater thanks which could lead to thousands of dollars spent at Sailfin. I will happily spend that money elsewhere. Even if it means traveling to another town. I have always supported local businesses but never again will we spend a cent at Sailfin. read more

Friendly, knowledgeable, efficient and decently priced. This place has been my only place to go for my fish and aquarium supplies, plus I love it's a local business that has been here for a long time. P.S. To the two only negative reviews, it's obvious from the text that they are not A) knowledgeable on the subject matter of their pets, and B) more concerned with price rather than the few extra dollars you pay for a well-educated, friendly staff who will walk you through every step of the process of choosing and purchasing your pet. A+ for this place. read more

Yeah, this place is amazing, and it's all because of the people that run it. My dad had a 120 gallon marine invertebrate reef aquarium (very complex to manage all the chemical levels and make sure the critters don't each each other) and he came in here regularly to do tests, talk about what was happening, and buy more coral, anemones, fish, sea cucumbers, etc. He always got expert and first-rate service and came home with a lot of remarkable specimens. read more

While looking for a dechlorinator, the fish guy on duty told me that boiling water removes chlorine but that it's bad for fish because it "kills the trace elements." This was interesting to me, as I did not know that trace elements could be "killed." It reminded me of the time a friend informed me that microwaving water kills the water's DNA. This was also interesting to me, as I did not know that water has DNA. But hey, I am an open-minded dude and love to keep up-to-date on the new sciencey info. I still bought the dechlorinator, though. They do have nice fish. read more

Sailfin is awesome. Hands down. This is a small biz that truly cares about their pets and products. Some reviews mentioned too pricey and customer wait time to get help. Well, there is a downside and a benefit to everything. Maybe it's more costly than a big box store, however, you'll never get the customer service and the passion from the employees at stores like PetsMart. Plus, at those stores, they don't have the most quality products or selection. As far as the wait time goes, just remember when it does get to your turn, the staff is going to spend that quality time with you now. It's sort of like having a really great doctor who takes the time to talk to you, but meanwhile there are other patients waiting in the waiting room next door. I'd much rather support a place that cares than a place that sends em in and sends em out. The staff at Sailfin are so knowledgeable. They know the natural habitat of the animals they sell. If they are selling you a product, there is a reason. They truly care about the longevity of an animals life and the enrichment it receives. And actually, you should care too if your going to make that kind of investment. If a customer doesn't seem to care....then they won't sell it to you. Bravo to them cause it keeps out the impulse animal buyers who will get bored and not want to take care of their animal. This pet store is the perfect example of how a small biz should be. Support your local small business and you'll be supporting your community. I've had my birds from Sailfin for almost 20 years now and they are heathy champs! I owe it all to intelligent staff there! Thanks Sailfin, keep doing what you do. read more

After becoming a full-time resident of Chambana, I decided to get gerbils. I have owned gerbils on and off for 7 years, so I am not new to the species in any way. I had been calling for about a week about the gender that the store had, and was told they had males. I came in, chose 2 "male" gerbils and was pleased at first. Two weeks later, after examining the gerbils myself, I realized that both were in fact female. Which was a bit displeasing but nonetheless, it did not matter too much to me. 3 days after that, I was shocked to find 5 babies crawling around in the tank, at least a week old at this point. I called the store, and was told that they "were not experts" at determining the sex of the animals and that I could bring the babies back in a few weeks once they could be on their own. Two days after that, the mother fell incredibly ill and died within hours. I then bottle fed the babies for a week, and after that they all died within 24 hours of each other. So at this point, I had gotten 2 gerbils, ended up with 7, and then 6 dead gerbils. Which was incredibly saddening to me, an animal lover. So the next day I went to the store to voice my situation and my concerns. The manager, John did not express understanding or true resentment. He told me it was hard to sex gerbils at 5 weeks, and that they can't guarantee "virgin gerbils." In my opinion, at the very least, a store selling animals should be able to determine their gender. He continued to tell me I was wrong about everything I knew about gerbils. Keep in mind that the store had me under the impression that the gerbils I was getting were babies themselves, which was clearly not the case. John also told me that "kids" breed the gerbils for the store and get paid. Which, after my experience sounds like they sell gerbils, sometimes pregnant, to unknowing customers and then get the babies back. Not to mention that litters are kept together until sold so ALL of the babies here are extremely inbred, which is probably the case for many of the small animal species here. I stupidly took another female to replace the gerbil that had died and went to return her the next day. I then talked to another manager, Michelle, who was just as insensitive, and she refused to give me a full refund because John had not given me a real receipt. I also asked why they could not learn how to sex gerbils, because had I been given males like I wanted, this whole disaster would not have occurred. She said "there are far too many gerbils and small animals coming through to take the time to do that." That right there sums up what I think of Sailfin. They have little care for their customers and even less for the poor animals being sold here. I have never had such a horrible experience and such awful customer service. I will never set foot in this pet shop ever again and will do my best to discourage anyone I know from going there. read more

Two months ago Sailfin Petstore owner John Cwaygel identified the Guinea pig I was adopting as a female. A month later, I bought my Guinea pig a new female companion to be friends with. Unfortunately, this female became pregnant and a further analysis revealed that my first Guinea pig was in fact male. I'll admit some fault in not checking the sexes myself but one would imagine a pet store owner would be even better than myself. I went in to the Petstore in search of ANOTHER new male companion for my "newly" male pig. Unfortunately, owner John Cwaygel was in the store and I informed him that he had mis-sexed my previous Guinea pig. He didn't take this criticism well, in fact he told me to go to other pet stores in town in the future since I didn't trust his judgement. All he had to do was admit his mistake but the stubborn old man in him wasn't having it. Apparently 40 years in the pet shop business doesn't mean much when it comes to proper animal sales. Great Petstore in terms of value but the owner isn't the brightest crayon in the box. read more

Really love this pet shop, John seems really nice and very knowledgeable about birds as he gave us great advice on our umbrella cockatoo

I was tasked with buying the little lady's niece a birthday pet, she wanted a turtle but the folks here steered me towards something easy to keep for an 8 year old, a hermit crab. The staff was extremely helpful and answered my questions about strange creatures for 20 or 30 minutes. I knew absolutely nothing about little reptiles and the like but they answered every question I had and pointed me towards an animal that was both in my price range and in the upkeep range for a child. Huge selection and tons of weird looking critters to stare at. Highly recommended if you have tons of questions. read more

Best pet shop ever. Very knowledgeable. Excellent animals. Will explain how to successfully use every product they sell.

We got our first pair of furry children (aka dumbo rats) from Sailfin, and we couldn't be happier with our boys. Sailfin gets their rats locally, from one of several local breeders, and they are meticulously cared for (quarantined for a week before you can purchase them, kept in a warm room, separated by gender, only one litter for sale at a time so you don't see babies with their eyes barely open with adult rats, etc.), so we were able to buy brothers who had been together since birth. They are the happiest, sweetest rats in the world, and it was clear that they had plenty of human contact before they were brought to the store. The fact that Sailfin doesn't ALWAYS have certain animals out pleases me as well. For example, I've been there when they haven't had any rats at all, because they were waiting on a litter from a breeder, and told me it would be a week or two. It's not like they have a room in the back full of attention-starved animals waiting to make it out into the main room to have a chance to be bought. The selection of treats and toys are really amazing, and it's clear that the staff really know what they're doing, though once I saw rats picked up by their tails before, which is not a best practice for handling rats. It's really uncomfortable for them, and their tails can actually detach. Other than that, we're happy to continue shopping at Sailfin - happy employees and happy animals. read more

I'm a fish guy , and this place is great ! It has that old dingy, kinda 'old school' pet shop vibe going on which I love. The sound of all the aquariums hummin when I walk in, puts me in my happy place. read more

This is a great store. The employees are very helpful and knowledgeable. They have a great selection of fish and supplies, as well as mice,ferrets,birds,reptiles,and hermit crabs. If you have a problem with your tank, they will test your water and tell you how to fix it. read more

Very helpful when getting a new pet. The workers know about their animals and are really helpful. Really recommend getting your pets from here. read more

Very pleased with Sailfin. We went in to start up a freshwater tank and John was extremely helpful and even dry set up our tank before we left! He took the time to explain the entire set up and what we needed to do before we bought fish. We will definitely be purchasing our fish and supplies here. You can't beat the service here and the prices were fair. read more

I love this place! They take good care of all their critters. My fish from here have lasted longer than the ones from Petsmart/Petco and the customer service is always great. read more