About Us

HS Exotics and Supplies, formerly known as HS Crested Geckos (or HSCG for short), was created in 2017 as a hobby project to breed crested geckos.
Slowly it turned into just a breeding hobby, to a breeding business, to a supply business. I still breed, but my focus has shifted more towards the supply-aspect of reptile keeping to be able to help “keep the heat pads on” for the animals I am breeding during the slow periods of time with no sales.

So how did I get into breeding you ask?

It all started with one crested gecko! His name was Buddy, and he was one of the sweetest geckos I had ever owned. He had great temperament, and was not super jumpy. I loved having him so much, it quickly turned into me having four geckos over the course of 6 months, two males and two females. I had paired them together to create pet-only offspring as a means of “testing the waters” before really diving in.
Being who I am and knowing what I know now, I would have done things very differently than I did but “hindsight is 20/20” as they say. This was all happening around the same time that I was moving up in my job and started making a little bit more money, so I was able to put a little bit more financially into my hobbies at the time. So money was tight but my heart was absolutely set on being invested in these animals.
After absolutely LOVING the experience of raising my first season of hatchlings and selling them through Facebook (it was actually do-able back then, before the animal-selling bans and crackdowns), I decided that I would continue expanding the breeding projects.
From there, I started doing more research and purchasing higher-end animals from other breeders on Facebook with intent to breed and create offspring that other breeders could use in their own projects. When you are so small and new to the community, having good looking animals really helps propel you forward. However, I never had the means to invest heavily in it like many others did, so I decided to play the long game and start with slightly lower-end animals and work my way up through my own breeding projects to create nicer looking animals. It was cheaper on my wallet initially, but took a lot more time to get to where I am today.

I am now 4 generations in from my original high-end pairing and can trace lineage back relatively far. Lineage isn’t as important nowadays as it was when I started getting into breeding, but it’s not useless either. The projects I’ve worked on in-house are mine and mine alone, and I have some pride to that.
I breed for beautiful animals but also to also try my best to ensure they have good temperament so they would make good pets for those not looking to get into breeding. (Every animal is an individual though, so it can’t be promised, but it is something I try for!) My goal is to have pet-quality animals available for those who just want a gecko to spoil, but also nicer animals for those hobbyists or serious breeders to add something worthy to their projects.

What about all the supply stuff you sell now?

So, the supply aspect of my business is relatively new and I only started selling physical items in 2022!
It all started with some Stickers that (even today) all are drawn and designed by me other than my two newest logos. Another hobby of mine is/was drawing (can’t find too much time for it nowadays) and wanted to bring some of my art into the reptile space. This is a photo of my original sticker board from forever ago with the first batch of stickers. There are so many more designs, styles, finishes, sizes, etc. now (you can peep them in the shop) and all I want to do is add more! I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from these stickers and I’m so glad they give joy to people like I got joy when I made them.

From there, it moved into other types of products. I wanted to make something that was unique that no one had ever done before, that was something people could use (and admittingly, come back to purchase more than once) and I had a brain blast one day of adding flavors to Bee Pollen to add variety to gecko diet without changing the diet entirely. It would add the flavor and nutrient benefits of not just the bee pollen, but whatever fruit I decided to add. After doing research into what fruits would be best for reptiles and other small animals, I decided on my initial four flavors. I ran a test trial for a couple months to get feedback on fruit to bee pollen ratios, and landed on a mix that wasn’t too overpowering. I mix the bee pollen with the 100% freeze-dried fruit powders in-house, and take many safety precautions when doing so to ensure the packages and surrounding areas are sanitized and the product will last a long time once packaged. A little over a year after the initial flavors were announced and started to sell, I introduced four new flavors (the “seasonal pack”) and initially released them one-by-one lined up with the current seasons on that year. They are all currently available for purchase, and although I have a small collection of pre-made packages for use to bring to reptile expos, the majority of my bee pollen is made-to-order now to ensure it’s freshness, longevity, and quality.

And of course, things kind-of exploded from there. I built the website from scratch (which, if I’m being honest, I need to re-do it at some point) and listed my first few products. I started investing in other types of products after adding the bee pollen and my original items like food cups and squirt bottles and other feeding supplies. Then I moved to artificial plants and vines. I had a small collection in the beginning, but the wide variety of colors and designs that artificial plants come in was so fun and exciting to me that I decided to expand it a lot more. My favorite part of my plant assortment is that there is so much room for more fun, creativity and customization in the habitat! Why not have pink and purple flowers? Most pet store and well-known brands only offer basic-looking green plants, which is ok for most people, but I wanted more fun and color (at an affordable price too).

Where are my products made?

Currently all bee pollen and bee pollen flavors are made in the US, and are mixed here in-house. I personally make each batch to ensure quality control and to keep costs low for both me and you, the end consumer! 3D Printed items are also made in-house using PLA+ filament which is relatively heat tolerable and animal safe.
All art (minus my two most recent logos) are designed, drawn, and finished by me. This includes stickers, packaging, etc. All packaging (like the hanging tags for all of my plants) are printed locally on high-quality glossy paper.
The majority of my other products (artificial plants, mixing bottles, scales, etc.) and the plastic bags they are packaged in, are produced in China. I work directly with the manufacturers and am very picky with what companies I work with to ensure a top quality product that will still keep prices low for my customers.
In the future I plan to carry more products made/produced in the US, but for now while the business is so small and so are margins, that investment will have to wait for a little while. But it is in the plans!

What’s my end goal with the business?

Eventually the end goal is to open my own shop and have a physical location!
I would love to expand and have my own branded items physically in stores for customers to see, feel, and purchase on the spot rather than wait for the items to come in the mail.
My best sales are those at reptile expos where people can experience the products in-person and see the quality that they are getting for the price they are paying.
I would also love to expand to the point where other companies would carry some of my products, including other vendors at reptile expos. I have a dream to be the fun but price-sensitive option for all levels of reptile keepers, from brand new keepers up to experienced ones.
One day I also wish to have a wholesale option for larger scale breeders who wish to purchase many products at a time for their own use, as well as a rewards system to be built into that.
I have a lot of dreams and goals for this business. Every sale made on this website brings me one step closer to making them possible, so thank you so much!