About
Custom Creatures Pet Shop in Saginaw, Michigan is primarily an exotic animal and reptile store rather than a dedicated fish shop, but it occupies a unique niche in the mid-Michigan pet scene. Walking through the doors, visitors encounter a menagerie that harkens back to the independent pet stores of decades past — ball pythons, leopard geckos, tortoises, rabbits, prairie dogs, and even a sloth have all called this shop home at various points. The store also carries freshwater turtles, including red-eared sliders and baby snapping turtles, alongside feeder animals and quail eggs for hobbyists and breeders.
The staff at Custom Creatures consistently earns praise for being friendly, attentive, and willing to spend time with families and kids, personally introducing them to the animals one by one. Multiple reviewers describe the experience as nostalgic — a real pet store rather than a corporate feed warehouse. The shop stocks a solid selection of pet supplies alongside its live animal inventory, and they maintain an online presence with a website for browsing.
However, prospective buyers should approach with eyes open. A significant number of reviews raise serious concerns about reptile health, particularly recurring mite infestations on snakes, dehydrated geckos, and inconsistent husbandry practices like missing hygrometers and empty water bowls. Some customers report purchasing ball pythons or geckos that arrived home with mites or respiratory infections, while others counter that they saw no evidence of these issues during their visits.
The store appears to have gone through periods of improvement and decline, with some reviewers noting a positive turnaround in animal care. For Saginaw-area pet enthusiasts looking for uncommon animals and a personal, small-shop atmosphere, Custom Creatures offers something genuinely different. Just exercise due diligence — inspect any animal carefully before purchase, ask questions about quarantine practices, and be prepared to provide veterinary follow-up if you're bringing home a reptile.
What they offer
Livestock, services, water
- Services
- Online Store
- Specializes in
Highlights
What makes them special
- Exotic animal variety including prairie dogs, sloths, tortoises, and reptiles
- Friendly, attentive staff who personally introduce animals to visitors
- Independent pet store atmosphere with nostalgic, non-corporate feel
- Freshwater turtles and wide selection of snakes including ball pythons
- Pet supplies and feeder animals available alongside live inventory
From keepers
Customer reviews
“Love visiting here lots to see! You can pet the animals with care. Be aware there is sometimes a dog or turtle walking around. Staff is friendly and attentive if people get worried and will put them away while you browse. They keep everything neat and clean. There is a big variety of things to see. They have a website for you to check out.”
— Tracy Seidel5.04 days ago“Clean and well cared for animals. Great prices too.”
— Cheryl Roy5.05 days ago“Cool little shop with friendly staff”
— Chandal Hammond5.0a week ago“Brought home a new ball python for our growing collection. Couldn't be happier only downside with this store is the distance it is from our house makes for a long drive but more than worth it”
— Tina Douglass5.02 weeks ago“Took the family this last weekend and had a great experience. Brings back the memories of what pet stores used to be. will definitely return when were ready for another pet”
— JR Carpentry5.02 weeks ago“Love this shop! Great experience, staff and prices”
— Todd C5.0Edited 2 weeks ago“Went here this week, planned to adopt a new snake, all were lethargic, dehydrated and dying with tons of signs of MITES. Millipedes not moving, geckos without water. I'm extremely dissapointed, very depressing situation. We ended up leaving without anything. I saw another review left earlier this month with very similar remarks so I'm really upset thinking this is an ongoing issue. As both an insect and reptile owner I'd say DO NOT go here. Very sad, these animals should be saved. Shame on you guys. Fix the situation . Be adult about it.”
— Maizy Bugg1.02 weeks ago“Rated Custom Creatures pet store in Saginaw a 1 star because zero stars isn’t an option. The lack of care for these animals is deplorable. For anyone who doesn’t know about mites on reptiles is in for a rude awakening after purchasing anything from this store. They are infested. They have been for years and I have personally explained this as well as many others who have visited their location and the owner refuses to do anything about it. I have been in this store multiple times and had a lot of hope when they first opened but after all the neglect from mite infestations to sick animals. We had adopted a gecko from their store to have it to be deceased by the morning, we had also bought a few ball pythons from there in the past all infested with mites so bad it was unbelievable. Then just spoke to someone else yesterday that bought ball pythons from there and had the same issue. Mites and a respiratory infection. This store needs to be shut down. The owner is just here to make a profit and I get that all businesses need to make profit but not at the expense of your animals health. I would encourage anyone looking to save yourself the trouble and not even step foot in this place and if you own reptiles at all NEVER go in here unless you want to infest the rest of your animals at home.”
— Marc Lalone1.02 weeks ago“Delete my old review to add a new one since I cant respond to your ignorant response, once again i saw a post about the fowel despicable place. Snakes covered in mites, absolutely terrible husbandry and even dead reptiles on display to buy. After my first review the owner decides to call me a keyboard warrior, assuming I have a miserable life. THE OWNER is saying this. Making his situation far worse as this will be posted and reported. This isn't a pet store its a pet prison. Absolutely despicable place”
— Evab Holbird1.02 weeks ago“Walked in and immediately saw a bunch of cold reptiles in plastic cups on a table directly in front of the door. Looked down at a tub of baby turtles, which had no form of UVB or heat light, and they had baby snapping turtles twice the size of the baby red eared sliders, and one snapper was actively consuming a red eared slider.”
— Ashton Nietzke1.02 weeks ago
Reference
Frequently asked questions
Note — Store information and services may change. Always call (866) 797-4001 to confirm current availability, hours, and services before visiting Custom Creatures Pet Shop.