Unique pet shop Animal and Reptile Supplies Australia opens

To some this unique new Townsville store may appear more like a little shop of horrors.

The specialised pet shop is centred around your more unusual pets including spiders, scorpions and snakes.

Owner James Bindoff said exotic pets were "an absolute booming trade" in Townsville.

"We're a reptile specialist store. I also specialise in tarantulas and scorpions," he said.

Mr Bindoff has a large following online with his Reptiles and Invertebrates page attracting more than 12,000 followers. He said his fascination with unusual pets started when he was a child.

"Way back in the day I had some snakes as a pet. I lived on a farm and could catch snakes for a pet and let them go," he said.

As his interest grew, he realised he could make money out of it by selling the leftover food he bought wholesale.

"I had 20 snakes at one tome, I was spending $300 a fortnight on food," he said.

Realising the expense of keeping exotic pets, Mr Bindoff sought to make it a more affordable hobby by opening his shop.

Mr Bindoff said the Ingham Rd shop opened a fortnight ago and was getting more stock in each week.

"It's just food and supplies at the time being," he said.

"We will be getting reptiles and fish there - it's just as the shop grows. It's getting bigger every week."

Mr Bindoff said the shop also sold more traditional pet products for cats and dogs, but its point of difference was selling reptile supplies at more affordable prices.