Tucked away amidst a strip of automotive shops and contractors in the Riel Business Park, Oasis Fish and Reptiles is unlikely to see much foot traffic.
But that doesn’t seem to have co-owner Adrian Theroux-Nielsen too worried. After all, he does have decades of expertise and name recognition to draw upon.
Theroux-Nielsen was the general manager of Paradise Pets for the past decade. He started working for the family-owned business in 1997, when he was still in high school.
Theroux-Nielsen was a staple of the business for 20 years and is well known in the community as an educator – ensuring pet owners are knowledgeable about their animals before taking them home.
He believes his reputation will help drive clientele to the new venture, which he opened with his wife and long-time reptile breeder Crystal Theroux-Nielsen last week.
The couple hopes to become a destination business known for its expertise in reptiles and fish.
“Most full-line pet stores, their biggest focus is dog and cat, so fish and reptile a lot of times get neglected,” said Crystal. “You need the education and knowledge behind it.”
Both owners have seen the damage improper education can cause. The rise in the number of rescues is one indicator.
Their business will focus on selling home-appropriate pets, such as several species of geckos and freshwater fish, as well as chameleons, anoles, amphibians and scorpions.
Customers will also be able to special order certain breeds of salt-water fish.
All reptiles are bred in-house, which as far as Crystal knows is something unique in the region.
This practice offers a number of advantages. It allows her to provide hatch dates to customers, as well as detailed feeding information. It also ensures the health and quality of the animal, because they don’t need to be shipped or transported to the store.
Fish and reptiles are becoming more and more popular pet choices, said Adrian. Not only are they hypoallergenic, but they’re also low maintenance and quite personable.
“There are certain species (of fish) if you walk up to the aquarium, they swim right up to the front of the tank and it looks like they’re wagging their tail. A lot of people talk to their fish and the fish respond to that,” he said.
Oasis plans to offer boarding and nail clipping services, as well as professional fish tank cleaning, installments and moves. The store will also be available for birthday parties, daycare groups and field trips.
The business celebrated its soft opening last Thursday, Jan. 19. While the store does have most of its reptile livestock in place, there was a delay in installing fish tanks. Fish are expected to stocked next week.
Oasis Fish and Reptiles is located at #6, 8 Riel Drive.
