Growing up on a pig farm gave Pete an early introduction to the animal kingdom, but it was reptiles that truly captured his imagination. At the age of 12, he welcomed his first reptile—a garter snake—which sparked a lifelong passion.
By 16, Pete was working weekends in a local reptile shop, further deepening his fascination. It wasn’t long before he began breeding reptiles himself, with snakes being his specialty in those early years.
At 20, Pete embarked on an adventure to Australia to observe reptiles in their natural habitat. While there, he spent a month working at Crocodylus Park in Darwin, gaining hands-on experience with crocodiles and hawksbill sea turtles.
Back in the UK, Pete took up a role at a reptile shop in Northampton—an ideal stepping stone toward launching his own business. In 2007, he founded Evolution Reptiles, starting as an online shop before taking over a pet store in Oxford in 2009. Over the following two years, he transitioned the business entirely to focus on reptiles, phasing out traditional cat and dog products to create a 100% reptile-specialist store.
Pete has successfully bred a wide range of snakes and lizards over the years, with personal favorites including Woma pythons and yellow rat snakes. Today, his focus is primarily on breeding bearded dragons and leopard geckos in-store.
Over the years, Pete has witnessed significant changes in reptile keeping—from the products and species we work with to the broader shifts across the industry. This depth of experience brings valuable insight to his role at REPTA.