Timmins information: Reptile fanatic appears to be like to open unique pet retailer in Timmins

Robert Boucher says his dream of opening an unique pet retailer has taken him on a wild journey.

It began with selecting up a pet reptile throughout the pandemic. After which two extra — after which diving into the enterprise aspect, as soon as he seen that demand and costs have been hovering.

“Bearded dragons was once $80, now they’re virtually $300,” mentioned Boucher, who calls himself ‘Reptile Rob.’

“Not many individuals are breeding them they usually weren’t anticipating an enormous inflow of individuals caught at house, going, ‘Gee, I want I had slightly buddy to pet.’ Somebody that doesn’t want 24/7 consideration.”

On a mission to open his personal retailer, Boucher mentioned he discovered resistance from industrial landlords. He mentioned they take into account pet shops to be high-maintenance and dangerous.

Out of different choices, Boucher bought a residential studio that was once a industrial house in hopes of rezoning it to open a retail retailer.

He stuffed it with the contents of a closed-down pet retailer that he bought final yr.

Rescuing rejected reptiles

That’s when Boucher’s journey acquired weird.

He mentioned the defunct retailer had a number of animals that have been malnourished, injured and seemingly deserted.

“The situation of the shop was very questionable, the situation of the reptiles was questionable,” Boucher mentioned.

“I simply didn’t understand how dangerous a few of them have been once we acquired them.”

Spending weeks serving to them get better, he mentioned most of the animals have been capable of regain a lot of their well being and be offered by means of his web site.

One lizard had metabolic bone illness, he mentioned, attributable to its subpar dwelling situations. Its legs are deformed and should by no means totally get better, he mentioned.

“He’s truthfully the sweetest lizard you could possibly ever think about,” Boucher mentioned.

“It was simply shocking that somebody left him to get that dangerous.”

Robert Boucher says his dream of opening an unique pet retailer has taken him on a wild journey. It began with selecting up a pet reptile throughout the pandemic. After which two extra — after which diving into the enterprise aspect, as soon as he seen that demand and costs have been hovering. (Sergio Arangio/CTV Information)

Animal welfare considerations

These eventualities are a part of what prompts backlash from animal activists.

World Animal Safety Canada’s place is that individuals should not personal any unique pets, together with reptiles.

Even the place it is authorized to personal them, which is determined by the municipality, the group instructed CTV that individuals usually do not put within the cash and analysis essential to correctly look after them.

“We’ve seen, regardless of how onerous folks attempt, that they don’t seem to be capable of meet the wants of those animals,” mentioned the group’s wildlife marketing campaign supervisor, Michele Hamers.

“Reptiles have not developed to reside in captivity … we frequently do not perceive precisely what their wants are.”

Hamers mentioned this usually results in untimely dying, ailments the animals would not in any other case get within the wild — and even abandonment. That would imply surrendering unique animals to shelters or rescue centres that aren’t geared up to deal with them or releasing them into the native setting, which they’re not constructed for.

As effectively, Hamers mentioned pet shops usually do not take correct care of them, both. Many don’t have the gear and provides to simulate a pure setting for them, she mentioned.

Robert Boucher says his dream of opening an unique pet retailer has taken him on a wild journey. It began with selecting up a pet reptile throughout the pandemic. After which two extra — after which diving into the enterprise aspect, as soon as he seen that demand and costs have been hovering. (Sergio Arangio/CTV Information)

Promising a wholesome setting

Boucher mentioned he is additionally been troubled by how different pet shops deal with reptiles, amphibians and fish.

His objective is to present the animals he sells every thing they should reside effectively and ensure their future house owners are ready for the duty.

“They want UVC (mild), they want warmth lamps, they want mounted temperatures … it is not one thing you possibly can simply move up on,” Boucher mentioned.

That’s why he makes positive his animals have ample house — and even lets the bigger ones roam round.

He has been posting movies as Reptile Rob on YouTube, displaying off his animals’ antics and his journey to open his personal retailer.

It will be the following step in a lifelong interest, he mentioned, stemming from his childhood.

“I’ve all the time been into reptiles, spiders, snakes. I by no means had a worry of just about something and it drove my mom insane,” Boucher mentioned with a chuckle.

“She would are available the home and there was a large spider in my aquarium and she or he’s like, ‘I’ve by no means seen something like that!’

“After which two days later, she’s like, ‘the place is it?’ I’m like, ‘oh, I suppose it’s gone.’ Yeah, that’s the life she needed to reside.”