ALL ANIMAL SALES ARE FINAL. East Bay Vivarium cannot exchange or refund live animals once they have left the store. All animals are sold "as-is". 

By completing your purchase, you acknowledge and agree to these terms.

Proper care is everything. Please contact us if you have any questions about your new pet's health or setup.

Just come on in with your animal, no reservation needed.  We’ll take good care of your precious cargo until you are ready to welcome them back.  See above FAQ “Do you ship animals?” for shipping details.  For large, aquatic and special-requirement animals, please contact us as far in advance as you can so we can prep space.

Yes! We ship through FedEx and only ship to FedEx Hubs as they are climate controlled so that your animal does not arrive on your porch where it is vulnerable to elements and theft. Shipping costs and fees are calculated based on size of animal and distance of delivery.  We ship using overnight delivery so we only ship on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to avoid any animal getting stuck in transit. We also adjust shipping dates based on weather conditions.

Absolutely! We are reptile-inclusive and welcome all beloved pets no matter where they come from. At drop-off, we will do a health check and let you know if we see any issues.

If your animal is refusing to eat, we provide a Board-to-Feed service in which you board your animal with us for a minimum of 3-7 days (depending on the animal) in order for our experienced staff to do their best to get your animal eating and determine the root cause of their hunger strike. Multiple days are required as animals will often not eat on the day of travel and need time to settle into a new environment before we attempt to feed. Once the animal does eat, they should have 1 day of rest before traveling home to ensure minimal stress while actively digesting.

Yes!  If your animals are housed together in the same enclosure, the first animal will be the full daily price for the required enclosure, with additional animals being half-priced daily. Each animal housed separately will cost the full daily price for their required enclosure.

Your animal of course! That’s it. Please do not bring anything else. We provide all food and whatever your animal needs. We’ll do a health check and talk to you at drop-off about any special quirks or questions you have. Payment is due at the time of drop-off.

Generally, no reservation or deposit needed, walk-in boarding is completely acceptable. However, for large, aquatic and special-requirement animals, please contact us as far in advance as you can so we can prep space.

Boarding costs depend on the size of the enclosure the animal will require during their stay. The daily boarding charge begins on the day the animal is dropped off and also occurs on the day of pick up. Add-ons such as beak and/or nail trimming can be requested on drop-off for an additional service charge.  See Pricing here.

We can board any of the kinds of animals sold at the East Bay Vivarium.  However, for large, aquatic and special-requirement animals, please contact us as far in advance as you can so we can prep space.  We do not board birds, front-fanged venomous animals, anything illegal to keep or animals with active medical issues.

Life happens. Contact us as soon as you know, and we'll do our best to work with you on rescheduling. If you do not wish to reschedule, there is a $50 cancellation fee if cancelled within 72 hours of the show start time.

We can do either.  However, outdoor shows require that the animals and kids are in the shade. The handler + animals require minimal space.

Yes. The show is designed for ages four and up.  Everyone in the audience has the opportunity to pet some of the animals. In the case of birthday shows, the birthday kid can act as co-host and can handle even more animals. 

We are fully insured and in 40+ years of experience we have not had a single incident.

The earlier the better, especially during the spring and summer, when organizations like libraries and camps book quite a few slots. Don’t hesitate to contact us with any requests. We will try our best to accommodate you.

Just fill out some details HERE and we’ll get back to you with availability.

We can and do perform at school assemblies. However, as many of the animals are the size of the palm of a hand, we recommend classroom shows as the best venue. We can do as many as three classroom shows a day.

Absolutely. Many of them require written permission, and want proof of insurance, which we are happy to provide. Outdoor shows are difficult in that they require us to throw our voice for an hour; because of that we recommend them for smaller groups. We also insist upon shade (trees work best) for us and the animals. 

We have performed as far north as Yuba City, as far south as Salinas, and as far East as Brentwood. If you are outside the Bay Area, please contact us and we can probably work something out. Travel fees may apply.

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We have performed at schools, libraries, religious celebrations, scouting events, summer camps, weddings, graduations, bar and bat mitzvahs, holiday parties, and on and on. We have yet to perform at a funeral, but other than that, our reptile ambassadors have been a part of almost every human event you might imagine.

Our standard reptile show is about an hour long, and features 15-18 animals, including snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs, and bugs. A few of them are quite large.

Feeder insects arrive on various days throughout the week.  Crickets (all sizes), superworms, fruit flies, goldfish, tubifex worms, nightcrawlers, red worms, and mealworms arrive on Tuesdays (sometimes midday or later). Hornworms and wax worms arrive on Wednesdays.  Roaches and isopods arrive on Thursdays.  Of course, this requires all the shipping and delivery stars to be aligned.

We sometimes have silkworms and bean beetles, but don’t have set delivery dates for these.

For rodents, we always have plenty in stock (since we raise most of these ourselves).

Animal care is not one-size-fits-all and there are many different options even when setting up the same animal’s ideal environment. The upfront cost also greatly differs between animals (think jumping spider versus bearded dragon versus boa constrictor). Smaller animals will often have lower upfront costs but may require eventual upgrades (e.g. if you get a baby animal versus an adult). Larger animals will require higher upfront costs (bigger enclosure, larger heat lamps/lights, more substrate/decoration). Expect to spend between $500 - $1,000 on average for an ideal small reptile setup.

Check here.

Adoption fees for previously-surrendered animals vary depending on the species. We want these animals to go to their forever home with a great setup. We will work with you to make this happen.

Yes! We accept surrenders when space allows. Most animals will incur a $25 to $50 rehoming fee to help with our rescue and rehoming efforts.  Animals we will not accept are birds, front-fanged venomous snakes, and anything illegal to keep. Animals with significant medical conditions may not be accepted.