COLDWATER — Downtown’s latest retailer shouldn’t be for everybody. Cory Langridge opened Jungle Pets at 34 W. Chicago as a result of, “I’ve a bearded dragon and I obtained uninterested in driving as much as Battle Creek to get bugs and stuff for it.”

The brownish-grey, cold-blooded animal shouldn’t be one thing from a Harry Potter film, however a pet lizard from Australia.

Langridge spent most of his life in Coldwater, which the exception of his army service in California. For the previous couple of years, he determined if he had bother discovering meals for his unique pet others did additionally.

Are different native unique pet house owners?

“Truly, there are. We have been fairly busy with individuals shopping for stuff” similar to dwell and frozen mice for snakes and bugs for lizards.

Langridge additionally sells pets, simply not cats and canines.

“Rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, just about all the pieces. Hamsters are very fashionable. We’ve gone via a number of.”

Individuals have pet rats?

“Fairly a number of individuals really like rats as pets. They’re simply very easy to handle and so they’re actually pleasant,” the shop proprietor mentioned.

Langridge owned his bearded dragon for about three years. To open his retailer the proprietor needed to overcome a serious drawback.

“I used to be like deathly afraid of snakes,” he admitted. “I’ve by no means owned snakes. I was petrified of snakes till I open the shop. I needed to recover from my concern of snakes. Now I can contact snakes.”

Thus far, Langridge offered about 20 snakes within the month he is been open.

Alongside along with his bearded dragon, there’s a small African ball python. Each are in glass tanks within the retailer for individuals to see and contact.

“These are usually not on the market,” he mentioned.

The docile lizard seems like knobby leather-based you’ll be able to solely pet in a single course. The python is easy.

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Langridge expects to increase his unique pet choices.

“I am engaged on my USDA license to have the ability to carry hedgehogs, chinchillas, shorter gliders, and the extra unique stuff.”

It’s been no less than a decade since there was a pet retailer in Coldwater. It’s an hour drive to the closest ones.

As for canines and cats, “there’s sufficient of these within the shelter. I am working with the shelters to begin getting these animals adopted out. I will be having probably a cat in right here from the shelter for adoption,” he mentioned.

The purchasers are a youthful crowd.

“Individuals like round their 30s and youthful. The older crowd, they do not actually are available right here besides to go searching. They do not actually buy something.”

Individuals can maintain the shop pets or any of the animals.

“We let individuals maintain no matter they need in order that approach they’ll get comfy with it and see if it is really what they need to purchase” in contrast to most pet shops.

Langridge will maintain academic classes. A Lady Scout troop will go to this week.

The Coldwater graduate and army veteran labored as a dispatcher for Homeland Safety on the Battle Creek Federal Heart earlier than he opened Jungle Pets.

— Contact Don Reid: [email protected]. Comply with him on Twitter: @DReidTDR.