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starting a new job is rough....

The Nothing

The Nothing

Immoral Support
Yesterday was my last day with my job
had been with the company for 5 years
but i was going nowhere in the position i was at
i owned the job, and the box of awards/plaques showed the same
but, after a merger the other year
the company sucked to work for


Today I'm starting a new job with House of Reptiles in Tigard, OR, just outside of Portland.

I'm taking a 40% pay cut to do this.

But, it has much better long term possibilities. I'm the only full time employee besides the owner, Tim Criswell. So as things grow, I'll be the natural choice to grow with it. The shop, as it is now, has been open for almost a year now. It had a previous life for a couple years as "Healthy Pet Exotics" and was located within a second pet store (mammalian in nature). That original store was sold and the new owner gave Tim the chance to buy the shop and move it - so he did.

House of Reptiles is probably the BEST reptile shop in the PacNW. Its clean to say the least. It doesn't stink at all. All animals are setup in great caging/displays using cages, substrates, dishes, hides, climbs and more which are available in the store. Its one of the ONLY places I've see that will show you how to care for an animal by just looking at how it is setup in the store. No cornsnakes in delicups!! Rather, a nice sized tank, aspen, heatpad on one end, couple hides, waterdish, etc.

There are several display animals in the store as well, and I'll be getting A LOT of time with a camera and the animals! Currently in the store we have an American alligator in a pool with a few sliders. The gator is only about 3' long for now, so the sliders are not in danger. Neither the gator or the sliders are legal to keep in Oregon, but Tim does have a license that allows him to keep them as rescued animals. Also in the store is Raja - a 7 year old, 12 foot king cobra. Tim insists that Raja is calm as a cornsnake, yet whenever I take a peek in the enclosure (8'x3'x2') he's out of his hide and fully flaired up and ready to go. This month we also have a Reticulated Gila in the store. Last month, instead of the Gila, there was a West African Gaboon Viper. The venomous animals are never for sale, and always for display and educational purposes only.

And how can I forget about Daisy! Daisy is a 13' albino burm on permanent display. She's got an AWESOME cage right out front that stands about 10x4x4.

Anyways
I'm excited about this possibility to say the least...
I know i'm not going to be making the money that I did
in fact, I haven't made this little in over 10 years.

anyways
if anyone gets into the Portland area, definately check out the shop! 11507 S.W. Pacific Highway
 
Yeah, it definitely sucks to be you and have to work with reptiles all day...

I took a 30% cut to move from Minnesota to Florida and it took me five years to get back to my previous salary, and I don't even want to know what they are paying up there now compared to what they pay here, but losing the money was worth losing the snow. Hopefully for you losing the money will be worth having a dream job!

Nanci
 
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Well congrats on the new job - doing something you love it always better then being in a job you hate no matter what the pay!
 
Congrats!! Your lucky to have such a great place near you. I checked the website out, are there Hogs for sale there now? I have been trying to get a good price range so when/if I see one that is a deal I can get it but I have only come across one. She was $250.
 
Congratulations, I saw the House of Reptiles table at the Wilsonville show and it looked like a cool place to work, they were taking employment applications at the show- lol, if I lived any closer I would have applied. It sucks to make less money but I think being able to work doing something you love is much better than having to work someplace you don't like. I'll be sure to come by if I'm in the area.
 
yep, there are a couple Hoggies in there now

I had a FANTASTIC first day
couple hours cleaning cages and waterdishes - as expected
the brought Daisy out for a stroll.
then brought out a Snouted Cobra for a stretch
way too much fun was had today
 
Your job sounds like a total dream job... :eek1:

I, too, love my current job since it's at an animal hospital, thus I also work with animals. However, I hope to eventually take vet tech classes to move along in my interests.

It's awesome you've found a job that allows for growth and is enjoyable for you!
 
And here I thought you already worked there based on the advertising link in your sig ;)

It is a nice store. My wife and I checked it out a few months ago and I was reasonably impressed with the layout and displays. The only part I didn't like was the location. If you are unfamiliar with the area (like we were), then it's easy to pass by and having to circle around a few times trying to find it. But nobody ever said my wife made a good co-pilot :grin01: :sidestep:

I need to cruise back out there and see the cobra. Unfortunately Tim did not have it on display when we were there. He did have the copperhead out on display though and that was cool to see. Is that female tortoise still inside cruising around the aisles? That was the funniest thing, she just kept going around and around one aisle not even curious about the rest of the store. If I didn't hate driving so much, I'd go there more often. At least it's not that far from The Couv :rolleyes:

I don't remember if this got brought up earlier but who all is going to the Hillsboro Unique Animal Expo on the 29th and 30th? I'll probably go on the 29th and pick up some supplies and hoping I don't come home with another mouth to feed :eats02: I think at 26 snakes, 3 water turtles, 1 gecko, 1 sulcata tortoise, 2 fish tanks and a dog, I'm kinda at my limit. Oh btw, did I mention we might be getting our hands on an axanthic hog next week? :crazy02: oh please help me STOP THE INSANITY! :roflmao:
 
Would you be able to sex my snake for me i live in portland. if not thats ok i will still come by and look at the store it sounds cool.
 
you're really lucky. I wish I worked for a place like that. The shop I work for is all about selling so they try to cut corners with everything. I'm not high enough in authority to make them stop, so the best I can do is damage control. It sucks.
 
Man I've been busy!

Cassie - come on out. we sex snakes for free for now - it'll probably go up to $5 after the hillsboro show. too many people come in after shows for free sexing (hmm, don't think that quite came out right...)

DeadMouse - the King is a new arrival. And the copperhead was part of the rotating display hots. Right now we have a Reticulated Gila in the store, she's awesome. Dziko (the leopard tort) does get to come out to cruise the store quite often. One of the first times i was in the store I was looking at some stuff on the shelf not even noticing she was at my feet!

NFS07 - yes, we have a couple hoggies there now. One male is on the floor for 110. I know there are others, but thats all i know of for sure.
 
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