Mike bought his first leopard gecko in 2010. He quickly became intrigued and fascinated by the creature, and purchased a few more within the next year. About three years later, after countless hours of research and talking to breeders around the world, he decided to start breeding geckos himself.
He successfully hatched several eggs in his first year, and quickly expanded his collection by purchasing geckos from reputable breeders across the globe. In 2015, Mike officially launched Maritime Geckos and began building his facility. Today, he has the largest collection of leopard geckos in Atlantic Canada.
Attending reptile expos is one of Mike’s favourite things about his business. Before Covid, he attended two to four expos a year across the Maritimes and was planning to attend larger expos in Quebec and Ontario. He was fortunate enough to get back to attending expos this fall after two years and hopes to take in more in 2022.
When choosing where to open his business, Mike decided to establish his facility in Mont Carmel as that is where he was born and raised. Since most of his sales are made online, a storefront location wasn’t a big issue and makes it easier for him to care for the reptiles when the facility is only a few footsteps from his home.
Mike is very appreciative of the local clientele. The reptile community has grown so much in the last ten years, not only in larger provinces but here in PEI as well. Mike says nice to see more local people getting into the hobby and involved in the reptile community.
