Live animals have finally made their way to the Haudagain after pet shop owner Otto Varga’s licence was granted.
Pet lovers will now be able to buy birds, gerbils, guinea pigs and more at the Pets & Care store.
Checking back in for the first time after the store opened back in November 23, we were shown a whole new section which houses the cute companions.
Otto, 40, even laid out his plans for expansion of the live pets section which is sure to excite animal lovers in the city.
He has also added a number of new products which are sure to delight keepers of all different types of animals.
Speaking to the P&J, he claimed that the new department of the store, which is based in the former Blockbuster unit, has gone down a treat.
Budgies a big hit at Haudagain store
He said: “We have birds now, like budgies, finches and canaries.
“We also have small animals like gerbils and hamsters as well – we had guinea pigs but we just recently sold out so we are looking to get more in.
“Eventually we will get fish here as well, we are hoping by the summer we should have them.
“Birds are quite unique in Aberdeen, so we have had large interest in that.
“At Christmas time we had canaries that were singing away in the shop and the customers were loving it – it was crazy.
“Since we sell cages and all accessories like treats and everything, we think it has gone down well.
“It’s not just for new customers looking to take on a new pet, it’s for people who want to come back for anything they might need.”
Progress report after three months in Haudagain
After living in Aberdeen for more than nine years after moving from Hungary, Otto along with his wife Agnes has been fulfilling his ‘dream’ of owning his own pet emporium.
He added: “Christmas has been busier, January has been more quiet, so we’d love to see more customers coming through the door.
“We have a lot of new natural treats and food for all different types of animals, and new products most weeks.
“The Haudagain location is great – there’s lots of parking spaces so customers really appreciate that.
“We do spend a lot of time with the customers so I think they like that.
“We like taking pictures with the pets that people bring in and we upload them on our Facebook page.
“So far it’s positive on that front.
“We are looking to put a sign up soon so that customers can better know where we are.
“It’s a shame that the Taco Bell shut down here, I’m not sure what happened but yeah we were serving some of their customers.
“The biggest difficulty is getting customers to see us from the Great Northern Road, but we have signs and banners going up to help direct people to us.”
Otto’s three must-have items
With a number of new additions in the shop since Otto and Agnes opened in November, the owner shared with the P&J three essential buys for any pet owner.
Magnetic dog collar
An easily removable collar which fits dogs of any size, Otto recommends this item to anyone who has difficulty with fiddly clasps and clips.
Freeze-dried treats
Available in many different flavours, these bags of treats have proved popular so far with local dogs in the area.
Bubble gun toy
Guaranteed to keep dogs “occupied for hours” this toy has been a best seller for Pets & Care since opening in November.
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