Don't get me wrong, it's a pet store. you can go and get your basic supplies and equipment, but i would not ever buy a single pet there. i went there simply seeking some form of bio-media for my new fishtank, which they could not offer me. the person in the aquarium section simply pointed me to chemical startups and 24 hour cycling products. any reputable or at least hobbyist run fish store would have offered gravel or sand off the bottom of an active tank. he told me they did not even have a sump system they could pffer me a sponge or water from. which by the way they did in the cabinets below there 65 gallon angel/discus/catfish tank (noticed this while i was checking the place out). to be honest bad service and smelly pet store doesn't really bother me, i like to shop in peace anyway. the thing that bothers me is DEAD FISH IN 4 OF THE TANKS. also i over heard the person in the fish section helping another customer, or not helping i should say. his information on cichlids was truly very innaccurate and also a mass stereotypeing of the over 1500 cichlid species. i didn't really look much at the other animals but based on the appearance of their aquariums i would not buy a single living creature of any sort from them. I've read a lot of other bad reviews about their dogs as well (i did some digging after my terrible experience). PUPPY MILL DOGS ARE WHAT OTHER REVIEWERS ARE SAYING. IN MY PERSONAL OPINION ANY HUMANE AND RESPECTABLE ESTABLISHMENT WOULD NOT LET DEAD FISH ROT/ BE PICKED APART BY OTHER FISH IN THE TANKS. THIS WAS THE CASE IN AT LEAST 4 TANK I TOOK ACCOUNT OF. read more

I bought what I was told was a purple tip anemone for $45 and was told that it was non-aggressive. I should have done research before I bought it but I did not. I spoke to someone at another shop about it's semi-aggressive behavior and he said that the anemone that I bought was a Haitian pink-tip and should not be kept in a small tank. After I found this out, I called Zoo Creatures and was told that I could return it for a store credit. I brought it back (which is very stressful for a sea creature) and was told that they never take any salt water creatures back for credit. If I had been told this over the phone, I NEVER would have brought it back in. I really had no choice but to leave it with them. I wasn't going to stress it out even more by driving it all the way back home. So, they are just going to turn around and sell it to someone else again. ALSO, I have seen the same anemone for sale on-line for $10! I will NEVER go back to ZOO Creatures. Oh, by the way, they sold my husband a Sun Conure a couple of years ago (he wanted to buy me a bird for my birthday as a surprise). They told him that it was a really quite bird. Sun Conures are known for their screaming and now my husband regrets his purchase every day. Stay way from these people they are a bunch of liars. read more

I live in Massachusetts. I breed Redfoot tortoises. By that I mean, I have a pair of captive-bred Redfoots who mate (all on their own), and I hatch the eggs and raise the babies. I wholesale my baby tortoises to Zoo Creatures for sale as pets. I carefully looked into pet stores in New England before I chose Zoo Creatures as the only store that I will sell my babies to. These are great people who are very knowledgeable about the animals and take great care of them. They make sure that people who buy the reptiles as pets are educated about proper care and buy appropriate housing. My baby tortoises are second generation captive bred-animals. They are not wild-caught. They are exceptionally well fed and cared for, they live outside all summer, they are taken for regular veterinary exams and get a final exam by Dr. Greg Mertz at the New England Wildlife Center in S. Weymouth, MA before I sell them to Zoo Creatures. These are happy, super healthy 1 1/2 - 2-year old babies that make great life-long pets. I've had the father for 30 years. I've made this post to help educate the public about where some of the baby tortoises at Zoo Creatures come from. It is so important to NOT purchase wild-caught reptiles and birds for pets. read more

Bought multiple pets and supplies from here, a great day trip. Even if you don't plan to buy anything this place is truly a zoo. A wide array of animals to a snake room, piranhas, hedgehogs, ferrets, parrots, peacocks, tortoises, an alligator, monitor lizards, anything you could think of. read more

All I can say is that its interesting in a not so good way yet they have potential even though its been years and not much has changed. They have lots of dead fish there reptiles I guess aren't bad and there poor birds. The staff were at least honest by saying they were learning about birds. What's your excuse for fish. Do u just don't care about fish. There were just so many dead fish. The pricing is high to considering there's not much for selection but at least there better then pets plus but barely. I might give this place a few more chances so please improve on birds and fish. read more

Michael in the fish department really knows what he is talking about and very customer friendly. Our new saltwater tank is thriving because of his knowledge! Couldn't be happier with the service here read more

I've been coming here for my aquarium and reptile needs for a long time... But I've recently stopped going in as often. I am giving Zoo Creatures two stars because their selection and overall quality are good, but there are some major flaws including service and cleanliness. I can't give this place four or even five stars because SOME (not all) of the staff are extremely rude and act as if you're pestering them. Okay, I get it! Taking care of all those animals is not an easy job, but have a little respect for the clientele. I have had many negative experiences with the young man who works in the fish section (I think his name is Michael). I have bought most of my aquarium fish from here and a few reptiles and he is consistently rude. For example, I asked him to get me some feeder fish and he literally looked at me, ignored me and walked out back. He came back out and said "just a minute.." Wellp.. to make a long story short, he kept ignoring me for about ten minutes. All I wanted was a few feeder fish. Eventually I got a nice young girl to help me and she was very polite. This young man is so tough to deal with that it has actually gotten to the point where I do not go there for my feeder fish and supplies anymore. I get my feeder fish and aquarium supplies from Petco and only go to Zoo Creatures if I really need something that one of the chain pet stores might not have. Like I said, their selection is fantastic! I have bought a bearded dragon and a few other reptiles from them and everyone who works in the reptile department are helpful and knowledgeable, especially the heavyset young gentleman who walks with a cane. I do not know his name, but he is an asset to this company. He is very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Also, their selection of animals is astounding. They have some amazing and beautiful reptiles and fish. However, sometimes their cleanliness is questionable. I really like Zoo Creatures, I just wish I didn't have to feel like I'm pestering the attendant every time I go in to give them business! read more

This is the best pet store ever! Before I came here people said it was disgusting. It wasn't! I really want a ball python and I got to hold a few. The guy was very informative and gave good tips. I'm asking one for christmas. I will definitely come here regularly read more

I really love it there. It's such a breath of fresh air from the PetCos and PetSmarts of the world. I love going in and playing with the dogs, looking at the exotic lizards and fish. The people are very friendly and I really enjoy going there. read more

I have been a frequent visitor to this store. After many visits I became familiar with the bird department. When I decided to get a parrotlet I figured this was the place to go. I lucked out and picked out my parrotlet in the incubator on my first visit. I named him Howie and he was amazing! I had him for 6 months and he was the happiest, sweetest bird. I loved him to pieces. One day I came home to find him dead in his cage and I was devastated. I couldn't imagine what could have happened. After about 6 months I felt ready for another bird. I called and asked to be put on the waiting list for parrotlets. A few months later I got the call and was excited. I picked out a little blue boy, Simon. He was precious. I took him home and got him settled (he was already out of the incubator). I bought all new things because I still had no idea what happened to Howie. Simon died about 36 hours after coming home. I couldn't believe that I had let myself get attached to this precious little bird only to lose him. I brought him back and received a full refund-but that did nothing to ease the pain. They were rude when I brought him in asking me MANY questions about how I took care of him. I've read book after book about parrotlets, I did everything right and I knew it. I am devastated that I have lost two amazing birds from this store. I have now learned that I will only look and never let myself get attached to another one of their birds. Last week I went in to say hi to the birds, and to my disgust I found a bird dead on the bottom of the cage in the bird room. I alerted the front desk that there was a dead bird. They asked if I was sure-aparently they have a bird that likes to sleep on the bottom of the cage (pretty sure that isn't healthy). When they went in the room they realized that I was infact correct-dead bird in the cage. Clearly there is something going on with these birds and I would not be comfortable making a purchase from here in the future. read more

Zoo Creatures is by far the most knowledgeable pet store in the area! I have gotten animals from there in the past and am always welcomed by their super friendly staff and am given more information on how to care for my pets than I would ever find on google. They truly care for all their animals and give them the best care and strive to make sure they will still be cared for correctly long after they leave the store. Today we brought home a bearded dragon. Steven was a huge help in finding everything we needed. We were there for almost two hours asking a million questions and he didn't hesitate to run all over the store making sure we had everything we needed with a smile on his face the whole time. Even carried everything to the car for us. Thank you, Steven! read more

Friendly. Smart helpful staff wild store keeps me going back

Zoo Creatures has always been there for me for support when I needed advice about reptiles purchased there, and sold me the two most wonderful animals I've ever had. I'd thoroughly recommend them to anyone looking for a new scaly companion. read more

My wife and I had a wonderful experience at Zoo Creatures tonight! There was so many more options then your typical pet shop and there is no other store like it that I've been to that has such a variety in exotic creatures. There was so much to look at and explore we took over and hour in there just looking around and we didn't even get a chance to really see EVERYTHING. Alana was extremely helpful and friendly and had answers to all of our questions in the fish department as well as the rest of the shop. We will definitely be visiting again and also stop by at some point to take the tour of NERD. read more

This is one of my favorite places to go so check out the animals, and to browse their selection of goods they have to offer. I purchased a cooter turtle 10 days ago here, and it was under 4 inches, so you need to sign a waiver. Yesterday night, it passed. I call the store right before 9 to talk to them. They say to come in and they will get me a replacement. I go in today, and I'm told first that there's nothing they can do. I remind myself them that there's a health guarantee, and he says it's for 7 days. It's technically been 9, and couldn't show up in time before closing. Then, I'm told that I could get another for 30 dollars off. Ultimately, all I wanted was a replacement, but I wasn't going to dish out any more money for it. Says sorry, it costs him money and it does him no good to give out a turtle. Now I'm a firm believer in finding ways to meet the customer's needs, and today they weren't met. Im a regular too, so it's even more upsetting. I don't think I'll be back here, unless they make it right. read more

I have been going to Zoo Creatures for years and have purchased numerous reptiles from them. Let me start out by saying that the people at this store that handle the reptiles are quite knowledgeable and passionate about the animals they deal with. The store on the other hand is crowded and disorganized and in general i have been unhappy with my last few experiences in purchasing from there. This last time I purchased a snake and a used cage from them. The snake is, as always, amazing. However, i didn't even get receipt from the purchase of snake. And the cage? Well as it turns out they charged me the same cost as a brand new cage of the same model. When I found out the cost of a brand new cage i called to complain. Their reasoning for the cost? There is apparently a wait to get these cages from the manufacturer and because of the shipping cost of them. In addition, the cage was absolutely filthy. I asked to return the cage since I didn't want to pay full price for something used. Their reply was that they would only give me store credit for it. Their receipt states Unused, unopened or defective merchandise may be returned within 14 days of purchase. The cage was not used by me, so they are not even honoring their own return policy. The best i could get out of them was a $50 store credit which really doesn't do me a lot of god since I have to go to the store to get it and I live 40 miles away from the store. read more

If you're looking to buy Dubia roaches for your reptile, expect to pay a whopping $1.00 per roach at NERD! Jabberwock Reptiles charges $0.19 per Dubia. Can't knock the experience of visiting, but do some research before you buy, as some things here are a bit too overpriced. read more

I am not a pet enthusiast, but purchased the Zoo Creatures tour from Groupon for my child, and all of us had quite rewarding experience! During the tour, I learned about snakes and lizards more than I learned for the last 40+ years of my life. The place is truly unique! If you have a choice between a zoo visit and a tour at Zoo Creatures, definitely, pick Zoo Creatures (but you must take the tour which shows areas that are not accessible during normal store hours). Highly recommend! read more

Zoo Creatures is the most BEAUTIFUL Pet Store : Reptiles/ Amphibians/ Birds/ Fish/ Fuzzy animals, Tanks. everything you need for your pets store Ive ever been to!! Nice & knowledgeable staff, so many dif. kinds of beautiful creatures under one roof!! We went on a tour & we are so thankful our friend told us about this magical place!! A must see if your in the Plaistow, NH area!! Wish we had something this awesome in LV!! We will def. be back, & tell everyone we know, 2 thumbs up for this amazing pet store. :) read more

I wanted to buy a nice fish, I know nothing about fish! Alana had to educate me. Learned.Had to develop eco system.with a real live plant.. Went back.checked water I.was all.set..I love my special any Snowflake he is very interactive and.Happy Beta. Thanks Alana. We are well and.Happy togethers! read more

I absolutely love both the store, and its employees! I have now bought two birds with them, and their bird room's manager, Abby, has helped us through it all! Both my boyfriend and I enjoy this pet store due to the friendly environment, as well as knowledgeable staff! We have bought a Red/Rainbow Lory, and a Blue and Gold Macaw ( Will be coming home soon! ) and every transaction with Zoo Creatures has been simple, and joyous, and I can't wait to see what comes next in the store! read more

I have had many experiences with Zoo Creatures for multiple yrs. Every-time I go there it is a wonderful experience. All staff members are super friendly and knowledgeable about all animals at this facility. If they are unsure they will go to another worker and get the exact answer for you. In front if you. Kevin has been in the reptile world forever and I have alot more faith in going to Zoo Creatures and getting a reptile that he bred opposed to just some chain pet store that you have no clue how that reptiles life has been. I will also drive past three pet stores to Zoo Creatures to buy crickets. They are always same size, same amt, and on point with every pick up I do. I highly recommend skipping the chains and going to him if you need anything. read more

The best pet store I have ever visited. They have every reptile you can imagine. from geckos to monitors, ball pythons to anacondas and goldfish to alligator gars. They have two full rooms of reptiles and I could spend hours just exploring the different species to carry. The fish are all beautiful and well cared for with a crazy variety. They don't carry much dog and cat stuff - so the dog and cat stuff they DO carry is the very best. Tons of exotic birds and some are raised right at the store. The staff are so knowledgeable and welcoming! The tour of the upstairs breeding facility is absolutely amazing! There are some of the rarest animals in the country up there! This is the only pet store I trust with the care of my exotic animals. read more

My girlfriend and I decided to stop here on our way home from vacationing in Maine, we figured it would be quite the treat due to all the positive reviews. We walked in to a dozen employees aimlessly walking around and weren't greeted or asked if we needed assistance. I give props to the owners for literally having one of ever reptile, amphibian, fish and arachnid you can think of but it was a huge let down the more you looked around. Cloudy fish tanks, soiled bedding in reptile cages, and some improper set ups. No snakes are visible without assistance, otherwise you can study the index card taped to the plastic bin. Upstairs is the "glorified" big snake and reptile breeding room. Most exotic shops let you explore and hold all their species regardless on the size...not here. You have to pay a minimum of 40$ to just go up there and get a "tour" and not to mention it's only available on weekends and out of state customers make no exception because there's "only one person working up there". I'm sorry but as a reptile hobbyist this is complete garbage. Charging to go see big snakes? Treating the upstairs like it's forbidden? Long story short I wouldn't purchase any animal from this establishment. Tanks are dirty, crowded and unclean. Assistance is non existent and everything is WAY TO OVERPRICED. About 20$ more than the average standard. Ridiculous. If you're in the area, drive another 45 minutes and go to Dinkys reptiles in Oxford Mass. Much better read more

I went to Zoo Creatures today with my boyfriend to buy some fish for our tank, we drove 2 hours there hoping to see the "great selection". Upon 5 minutes of being in the store I was disgusted. One of the rude employees was plucking up baby rats by their tails and slamming them in a bucket saying "I can't effing believe people keep these things as pets" Myself as a rat owner understand the circle of life but no creature should be treated so poorly in front of customers. I was turned off by the cruelty and the language and we will not be returning to support them. read more

Unhealthy axolotls. It saddens me that many pet stores have no idea how to care for this critically endangered creature. The tank had a very bright light on, which causes them a lot of stress as they are very light-sensitive. One axolotl was clearly extremely stressed, flipping around in the tank (which is not normal). The water did not seem adequately chilled, the side of the tank felt too warm, and this can also cause heat stress. The filtration system was not adequate for them either, axolotl tanks require a lot of maintenance and this one definitely was due for a cleaning. All of them had unhealthy looking tails, gills, and limbs. I don't know if this was due to the algae in the water or the stress from the water temp and light (stress itself can easily lead to disease), but either way they appeared to be developing limb rot. $79 is a steep price for unhealthy axolotls, unless someone comes in who knows how to and is willing to rehabilitate them. Axolotls are very resilient and will regrow their unhealthy limbs, if someone in the aquatics department is willing to adjust their tank to the proper requirements. Then you'll have healthy, stress-free axolotls worth the $79. Another suggestion, the albino axolotls are not as popular among buyers as the white (leucistic) or copper-colored axolotl you have. Or you can use a UV light to find out if any carry the GFP gene which is also more popular among buyers and alter the prices by that. It shows that you've taken the time to distinguish them and gives the buyer more confidence in you. I understand that axolotls are not your main focus there, but I really hope this gets turned around, considering they're very endangered. read more

This place is amazing. Staff is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Took a tour of New England reptile distributors (upstairs) . There is a fee and also only on Saturdays and Sunday's. Call ahead. Best tour every! If you like snakes or even if you don't you will gain a whole new respect for them. Lack of 1 star is because they hide their bunnies etc in a corner in the store. read more

This place in great. The staff is very knowledgeable and very helpful (which seems a rarity, nowadays). The reptiles are kept in clean enclosures with plenty of natural decorations and hiding places. The aquatics section also looks great and the fish look healthy. The ball python selection is fantastic and while I haven't been on the tour yet, I was still impressed with the huge variety of snakes and willingness of the staff to show me whatever I wanted to see upstairs even on a busy day when the place was packed. They also offer a great variety of pet supplies for all pets. Zoo Creatures is worth stopping by, even if you don't need anything- it is like visiting a zoo, there are so many things to see there. I'm not a fan of most pet stores, especially due to the way most pet stores keep their animals, but Zoo Creatures is fantastic. The ONLY thing that would make this place even better would be an upgrade on the small animal housing. Still, while I do love rats, rabbits, etc, the socialization they provide for these animals, making them much more suitable pets for adopters, far outweighs the slightly undersized cages that some of them are kept in. It's still superior to other pet stores, in my opinion. Not to mention, I believe they're all bred there vs shipped over from some commercial breeding facility, which means healthier, happier animals. read more

I have read a lot of negative reviews on the sanitary conditions of Zoo Creatures. Now I know why. I recently bought bird food from this store that was already expired. When I tried to return the product I was turned away. Although I opened the bag, the product was unused as I noticed the expiration date. Most bird food has an expiration date close to a year from when it is sold. Not here, they must be buying old food at a discount and sell this to unsuspecting customers. Do yourslef a favor and go down the road to Woof Meow in Derry, NH. read more

Good place for fish, Joe and Frank both know what they are talking about but if you can't get either of them then you better know exactly what you want. There is a good selection of fish here quite a few diferent african cichlids, sometimes they have good CA/SA options but not always, fish seem healthy and the prices are about what you would expect. read more

Some of the other reviews have commented on dead fish, the smell, and bad service at this pet store. Most pet stores have a dead fish or two. Sometimes you can see that at this pet store, but for the most part the aquatic life is alive and looks healthy. It is true that there is a strong animal smell when you go in, but that is because there are so many animals there. Most pet stores don't have as many animals this pet store has. This pet store has a large selection of aquatic animals, reptiles, and they also have a few small rodents. If you get some fish, they give you a health guarantee. I have never had to go back, but with the guarantee, they can replace it for you. They also have some areas in the small rodents section saying that they are hand raised, which means it has been treated properly and is more likely to be tame and sociable. I have also never had a bad experience with the employees and the customer service. The employees I've talked to have seemed nice and knowledgeable. They also sell pet products. Some of the things they have are cheaper than other pet stores and some things they have are a little more expensive; you just have to do your research on which products there are a good deal. read more

They have a great store and a big selection for exotics and fish as well as high end dog food. We purchase our dog food and our cichlid tank needs here. I'm really glad to see that they got rid of their puppy pin and started a doggie daycare instead. It looks great. I heard they may be doing some grooming as well, which would be great. The biggest problem with this store is its lack of customer service. There always seems to be a bunch of teen/young twenty employees there interacting with each other but very few actually help customers. Most of the times I have gone if you ask an employee for some help, (especially at the register) they act like you are annoying them and an inconvenience. There are a few that have been great, but the majority has not. If they corrected the customer service issue this place would definitely get 5 stars. They should also do some advertising as no one seems to know about them. read more

.On Saturday December 17th my girlfriend purchased two 8 week old kittens from Zoo Creatures in Plaistow NH. Today December 22 we noticed fleas on both kittens. We called Zoo Creatures to ask for a comprehensive sheet letting us know what the vet did to the kittens. They never returned my call. So I called the vet at Brushwood Vet in Atkinson NH who treated the kittens. They stated that the yellow receipt that they gave Zoo Creatures on was what done. They told me that they were completely checked and were perfectly ok and had no fleas. We took them to our vet and they did find an infestation on the female and theones on the male were dead. So my vet called Brushwood and they admitted to our vet that they did not exam them, did not give them shots except for a distemper, never checked for fleas and did not give them a fecal float. The receipt states they got their shots and the fecal float was negative. So I called Tammy who is the manager at Zoo Creatures and she basically called me a liar and that my vet lied. We just had to shell out $396.00 to fix what Zoo Creatures and Brushwood Vet clinic said was done. I feel that this was a misrepresentation of the sale of the kittens and it appears that the animal welfare of these kittens or any other animal is not their priority read more