The Reptile Zoo

About The Reptile Zoo

The Reptile Zoo is an indoor zoo in Fountain Valley, California, at 18818 Brookhurst Street. It focuses on reptiles and also displays amphibians, arachnids and fish. The zoo is run by Prehistoric Inc. and sits alongside the Prehistoric Pets store, which sells animals and supplies for reptile keepers. Its website describes the collection as more than 100 exotic species of reptiles, amphibians and arachnids from around the world, and Wikipedia gives the same figure for both species and individual animals.

The website says the animals come from several sources, including rescues, zoo-born animals and acquisitions from private collections, and that each animal has its own story. Wikipedia describes the collection as snakes, lizards, turtles, crocodilians, fish and arachnids obtained through births, rescues and private collections. The zoo is not accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

The facility covers 13,000 square feet. The website says founder Jay Brewer designed it to create a zoo-like atmosphere, and that guests learn proper handling techniques and basic facts about each animal through the guidance of handlers. It also says visitors have come from countries including Australia, England, Germany, Japan and Saudi Arabia.

History

The zoo grew out of a pet store. The website says Prehistoric Pets originally opened as Pet Country in 1988, selling traditional and exotic pets. A California travel blog says the store was founded by Jay Brewer and his wife Becky, and Wikipedia describes Jay Brewer as an ex-fisherman. The business shifted its focus toward exotic reptiles and was renamed Prehistoric Pets in 1992. The blog describes the rebranded store as a 5,000-square-foot space designed as a zoo-like experience.

Wikipedia says Jurassic Parties, the company's educational events service, began in 1995. The zoo's website says the business has offered more than 20,000 educational events across Orange and Los Angeles Counties.

The website says expansions in 2000 and 2018 brought the facility to its current size of 13,000 square feet, and that new customers began visiting the store solely to observe the exotic reptiles. According to both the zoo's website and Wikipedia, The Reptile Zoo itself was founded on July 10, 2009.

Wikipedia reports a staff of about 50 people, including Brewer and his three daughters, and the website says the team of more than 50 includes several members of the founding Brewer family. Wikipedia also notes that the zoo was featured in the reality series Reptile Royalty on The Roku Channel, which premiered in 2023 and was renewed for a second season in 2024. It also names two former residents: Twinkie, an albino reticulated python recognized by Guinness World Records as the largest albino snake in captivity, who died in 2014, and Frank, a monitor lizard that worked as an animal actor and lived at the zoo until 2021.

Exhibits and habitats

The zoo is laid out as an indoor walk-through. A California travel blog describes a 2,000-gallon central pond with tropical fish, and Wikipedia also describes a 2,000-gallon indoor pond alongside the zoo's enclosures.

The zoo's homepage names Sunshine, a Burmese python, as the animal in its Picture with a Constrictor experience. The Meet Our Animals page profiles residents including Coconut, an albino American alligator; a Gila monster; a Grand Cayman blue iguana; a yellow anaconda; Dumeril's boa, Kenyan sand boa, Mexican rosy boa and red-tailed boa constrictor; veiled, Jackson's and Parson's chameleons; crested, leopard, gargoyle, day, chahoua and Leachie's giant geckos; a White's tree frog; several tarantulas, including the Chilean rose and Mexican red knee; a giant forest scorpion; and Madagascar hissing cockroaches. Wikipedia lists the collection by group as snakes, lizards, turtles, crocodilians, fish and arachnids.

The store portion operates separately from the zoo area, according to the travel blog, and sells reptile supplies and animals.

Conservation and programs

The zoo runs educational and hands-on programs listed on its website. These include a Jr. Zookeeper Summer Camp, Jr. Zookeeper for the Day experiences, and private experiences and group rentals, including a Rent the Zoo option. Hands-on offerings listed on the site include Picture with a Constrictor, a hands-on python experience; In-Depth Hands-On Learning, described as a 20-minute private animal viewing; and Food for Thought, a tortoise feeding experience. The travel blog notes that the site hosts children's birthday parties with supervised animal handling.

The website also invites donations to support animal care, staff and educational programs.

Planning your visit

As listed on the zoo's website, The Reptile Zoo is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., seven days a week. Daily tickets and annual passes are sold, and pricing is on the website. The website describes the facility as wheelchair accessible and all guests as welcome. The phone number listed is 714-500-0591, and the email address is info@thereptilezoo.com.