401 Reptiles on Main Street brings over 400 species to West Warwick - Ricentral.com

WEST WARWICK — You'd be hard pressed to walk into Ray Melise and George Stowell's new pet shop on Main Street and ask for a reptile or insect they don't have in stock. It'd be even harder to find one they can't import for you.

Recently opened at 1189 Main Street, 401 Reptiles is a local one-stop-shop for everything reptile related. With more than 400 different insects, amphibians, reptiles and other creatures, the shop is quickly becoming a popular go-to spot for reptile owners and connoisseurs.

Headed up by Melise and Stowell and their team of employees, the shop carries everything from your basic ball pythons to Madagascar hissing cockroaches, geckos, tortoises, frogs, giant centipedes and hundreds of others. The shop caters to both the reptile novice and expert breeder, carrying everything a reptile owner could ever need, like mealworms, crickets, feeder mice, habitats and other equipment.

Melise, a Warwick resident and Stowell, who resides in Coventry, say they offer some of the highest quality reptiles, amphibians, inverts and feeders around.

"We take pride in what we do," Melise said in an interview Wednesday morning. "All of our animals are very clean, very healthy."

The storefront is chockfull of different species for customers to browse, and they change up their inventory based on what's popular and which species are selling the most at any given time. Some of their most popular purchases include ball pythons, bearded dragons and geckos, which Melise says all make great family pets for beginners, but there are truly hundreds of different creatures to consider when you visit 401 Reptiles.

"If I had to put a number on it off hand I would say we have about 150 to 200 snakes," he said. "We probably have around 400 animals total. Every day it changes and every day things are coming in."

Their reptiles typically come from either wholesalers or local breeders.

"We try to stick with the local breeders so you're not taking in these wild animals with parasites on them," he said. "Sometimes someone will come in looking for something specific and we might have to have it imported. We tend to look for the things that are trending."

A leopard gecko makes a great pet, he said, because they don't need light or heat, just a basic room temperature space.

"The crested geckos are probably the next most popular pet," said Melise. "They're super popular right now. These particular geckos are of a nice quality."

Moon crabs also make a great pet, he said. They live on land and often near freshwater and eat nearly anything.

"We have so much to choose from," said Melise. "It's like anything else in life and society where people get into certain things and there are fads and species that are booming right now, and there's certain ones that die out really fast."

The ball pythons tend to be an everlasting trend, he added.

"They tuck their head and curl up into a ball," he said. "That's why they call them ball pythons. These guys are the number one selling snake for women, children and beginners."

Melise and Stowell also have an incubator for eggs. Right now they are watching over two eggs from a crested gecko, and have another gecko who is likely pregnant.

"Every day is a show over here," said Melise. "It's a hobby turned into a passion turned into a business for us."

The tenant in the unit next to them recently relocated, so at the beginning of the month they decided to take over the additional space and make it part of the shop. They encourage visitors to come check out and learn more about their inventory, to ask questions and see if owning a reptile might be a good fit for them.

"We encourage people to bring their kids in," said Melise. "Hold a live snake and get to know them."

Wednesdays are typically "cleaning days" in the shop, while Thursdays are usually reserved for feeding. Each creature has its own specific needs and requirements for a healthy and quality life. Melise, Stowell and their staff are constantly researching the different species.

401 Reptiles also offers frozen and live mice and rats, crickets, mealworms,, Phoenix worms, hornworms, super worms, dubia roaches and wax worms for feeding. They have a Goliath bird eating spider, tailless whip scorpions, alligator snapping turtles, tree frogs, toads and a variety of lizard species.

For more informaton, call 401 Reptiles at (401) 262-3368 or visit them on Facebook at facebook.com/401Reptiles.

Follow Kendra Port on Twitter @kendrarport