The Story:
In 2007, Nick traveled to Tanzania to personally visit our supplier and hand select animals for export, and now regularly travels several countries on the African continent on collection and regulation trips. In the photo above, Nick holds a freshly caught African Rock Python with Joe Beraducci at MBT farms in Arusha, Tanzania. First Choice Reptiles was founded in 1999 by Nick Mole and former business partner Adam Riley. We started as a wholesale vivarium supply and design company and bred several species of reptile and amphibian on the side. In 2003 we hit the show circuit and, at this point, have done shows all over the eastern United States. In 2004 we began importing directly from several countries around the world, with a special focus on Chameleons.
By late 2005 we began dealing with a well known reptile farm in Arusha, Tanzania who specializes in some of the rarest animals on the African continent. In 2007, Nick traveled to Tanzania to personally visit our supplier and hand select animals for export, and now regularly travels several countries on the African continent on collection and regulation trips. In the photo above, Nick holds a freshly caught African Rock Python with Joe Beraducci at MBT farms in Arusha, Tanzania. ince then, we have become the only importers of F1 species of chameleon such as Bradypodian uthmoelleri, Kinyongia tenue, Kinyonia oxyrhinum. We have also gone on to become the first in the US to legally import the spectacular Electric blue geckos (Lygodactylus williamsi), as well as R. accuminatus (the rare Montane Pigmy chameleon), African Mole snakes, Flap-Shell turtles (Cycloderma frenatum) and the very rare Gastropholis prasina (which can be viewed on our Photo Gallery page). Most recently in 2013, we were proud to become the first to import a previously undescribed species of Harlequin Toad (Atelopus sp.) from Suriname. We continue to search across the globe to bring new, interesting, and beautiful animals into the hobby.
We always strive to bring our customers the newest animal on the market, even if they are not the most popular. We get our jollies from the oddball species and know there are those of you out there who are just like us. Our mission is to continue to find and offer these unique animals, along with the more common and popular animals of the trade, so as to provide for the entire herpetological community, both expert and novice alike.
By late 2005 we began dealing with a well known reptile farm in Arusha, Tanzania who specializes in some of the rarest animals on the African continent. In 2007, Nick traveled to Tanzania to personally visit our supplier and hand select animals for export, and now regularly travels several countries on the African continent on collection and regulation trips. In the photo above, Nick holds a freshly caught African Rock Python with Joe Beraducci at MBT farms in Arusha, Tanzania. ince then, we have become the only importers of F1 species of chameleon such as Bradypodian uthmoelleri, Kinyongia tenue, Kinyonia oxyrhinum. We have also gone on to become the first in the US to legally import the spectacular Electric blue geckos (Lygodactylus williamsi), as well as R. accuminatus (the rare Montane Pigmy chameleon), African Mole snakes, Flap-Shell turtles (Cycloderma frenatum) and the very rare Gastropholis prasina (which can be viewed on our Photo Gallery page). Most recently in 2013, we were proud to become the first to import a previously undescribed species of Harlequin Toad (Atelopus sp.) from Suriname. We continue to search across the globe to bring new, interesting, and beautiful animals into the hobby.
We always strive to bring our customers the newest animal on the market, even if they are not the most popular. We get our jollies from the oddball species and know there are those of you out there who are just like us. Our mission is to continue to find and offer these unique animals, along with the more common and popular animals of the trade, so as to provide for the entire herpetological community, both expert and novice alike.
Nick being Nick with the most massive Smooth Side Toad (Bufo gutatta) we have ever had.
