We have 600+ species of live reptiles for sale online, including lizards, snakes, frogs, turtles, tortoises, and more. Live arrival is guaranteed! A+ BBB rating.
Is Backwater Reptiles legit?
Backwater Reptiles (www.backwaterreptiles.com) has a 3.8 out of 5 rating on OK.one, based on 100 user reviews collected here. It is listed under Animals & Pets and its reputation is mixed. Opinions are polarized: 69% rate it 4 stars or higher while 30% give 1 star; The business has not yet replied to negative reviews; Reviews mostly discuss Product, Quality, Customer service. Last updated 2026-08-29.
What reviewers say
AI generated
Reviewers had a great experience with this company. Customers frequently mention that their wonderful new reptiles and amphibians arrive quickly, in great condition, and are very active and ready to eat right away. People also deeply appreciate the exceptionally secure, well-insulated packaging that carefully keeps fragile animals safe and comfortable throughout transit.
Some reviewers were not happy with customer support, mentioning dismissive replies and unhelpful advice when raising serious health concerns about their new pets. A few customers also noted receiving sick, severely dehydrated, or extremely underweight creatures that unfortunately struggled to recover.
Auto-generated from all reviews of this business. For reference only.
I just had a terrible experience with the retailer. I purchased a Trinidad Chevron and Togo Starburst tarantula from them, and they reached out to me the next day to tell me that the Togo Starburst tarantula that I had just bought from them was already sold out. I then attempt seller-prompted negotiation with them to see about having unavailable the tarantula replaced. The people that work for Backwater Reptiles know so little about tarantulas, in general, and are %100 inflexible when they make a mistake. Beware of the company! They will tell you that they sold out of the species that you bought, to try to push you one of their cheap, bulk volume tarantulas. They are seriously lacking in their ethics and customer service!
Our tortoise arrived in a bag packed in a small box. He also ended up having worms and when we reached out to Backwater Reptiles to suggest the treat their animals, we were told that they could not guarantee their animals would be parasite free. Excuse me? Bad business practices and terrible customer service. Avoid!
The frog arrived deceased. The packaging was bad. Their web site suggested to hold the packs at FedEx. However, the email they provided didn’t include the tracking. I asked them for the tracking and also called but no one picked up the phone when I called and no way to leave message. When they replied with the tracking number, FedEx was already out for delivery. Never buy from this vendor.
I ordered 4 baby morphs of the whites tree frogs, they gave me a fifth due to having to ship them a week later! They all look so cute and healthy and got here quickly with the over night shipping. Communication was also great! Thanks backwater reptiles, I love my frogs!
My daughter had to release a frog she rehabbed and was pretty upset to see him go. My husband, who doesn’t like to see his baby (she’s 16 lol) upset purchased a red eyed tree frog. The order and delivery process was quick and easy. And now we have an amazing addition to our family. Side note: I’ve had questions and they are super quick to reply with helpful info.
Absolutely amazing! Their customer service second to none and respond super fast. They expedited my order without any issue or cost. I can’t wait to purchase from them again.
Ordered 2 mountain horned dragons. Shipped quick. Arrived packaged well. Both came out of box and entered enclosure and started eating. So far doing good.
Customer service very dismissive. Their website says they have captive bred animals but when asked about it to obtain a permit for international travel, they just "No paperwork is provided with the animals."
The "hatchling" turtle I received from them was about twice the size of a hatchling. In shipment, she spent 2 days (the extra day due to FedEx, customer service was dismissive of my concerns she wouldn't have anything to eat or drink for an extra day) in a box so small she could not move.
Terrible company regarding reptiles. I ordered an Amazon tree boa. Order was set for Tuesday morning and didn’t arrive till almost 5 pm. The snake was severely dehydrated and not moving. In its enclosure it slowly moved and died later that morning. I emailed photos to the company and explained what happened. They keep up charging and cannot deliver their promises.
I ordered a Savannah Monitor ordered and was almost dead on arrival. The box it arrived in was sealed up completely with tape and had no oxygen not to mention it was in WAY too small of a container for it. Luckily it was alive...barely. The poor animal went through so much trauma to get to me that it refused to eat and eventually died. When I contacted Blackwater to get advice I received basic information and no answers. I have multiple reptiles and know what I'm doing, this was completely on the them and the care for their animals. When ask how we are going to resolve the situation they had no response and ghosted me. I hope no one ever supports this terrible company and how they treat their animals!
I’ve recently just just ordered from them also made purchases in the past.Very satisfied overall with service and communication from their friendly staff.I would highly recommend them because they’re a great company with excellent pets.
Thank you Backwater 👍
Didn’t receive what we ordered and absolutely horrible customer service. Lacking empathy and integrity.
Definitely need to reevaluate their policies and procedures. These are living creatures, that deserve proper care and consideration. A purchaser can’t do that if they are under the impression their order was fulfilled correctly, when in turn it was not.
Inquired about a toad over a year ago but they were not in stock at the time. Found others on different sites and shows but they are like two and three times the price. Received an email from backwater a couple weeks ago that they were back in stock. Immediately ordered one and it was shipped overnight to my doorstep. Toad was very well packaged even had a little cooley packet inside. Toad was very lively, great color, did not seem stressed at all. She immediately took to exploring her enclosure and is happy and healthy weeks later. I immediately turned around and ordered another one.
I can definitely 100% recommend Backwater reptiles!
A huge thank you to Backwater Reptiles for going above and beyond with their incredible packaging and care!
Due to an error on my end, my order ended up spending an extra day and a half in transit. I prayed they would make it, but honestly, I wasn’t very hopeful.
When I opened the box and found both toads alive, healthy, and in great condition, I was genuinely amazed. The care and attention that went into packing them truly made all the difference.
The specimens are absolutely beautiful, and the customer service has been outstanding. It’s clear they care about the animals they ship and the people who receive them.
If you’re looking for a company that takes pride in what they do, I can’t recommend Backwater Reptiles enough. Huge shoutout to the entire team—you’ve earned a lifelong customer. Thank you again!
Half of my animals were DOA. They offered a refund of $70, then issued one for only $23. Instead of simply giving the full refund that was promised, they chose to personally insult me multiple times and told me that they did nothing wrong and my insistence on the matter made them think I must be a child who placed the order and thats illegal.
With High hopes without reading reviews (lesson learned) will never buy from them again and recommend everyone stay away from this place. I bought a frog, arrived fine till a few hours later. Woke up from a nap and found him dead. I took a pic of him in his tank, and tank itself. I was trying to get info on the possibilities issues, and got a response later after i had to dispose the dead. The email gave specific instructions to take a pic of the frog upside down and on the box it came in. Could only send a pic of the frog dead in its enclosure and the box itself. The next email response indicated that they couldn't verify the date the pic was taken. Wasn't looking for a return, just knowledge in general and the way i was treated as if being a customer didn't matter. Their lack of responsibility, and overall way of taking care of things the right way is at its best below everything i've ever seen. I will never go through them again, and have found better places with far better results because of this. Thank you Backwater for letting me experience this so i can achieve better results from others more reliable and dedicated!
I have been researching Tarantulas and Blackwater had the best prices and selection. I ordered a GBB female. It arrived in perfect condition. The packaging was far better than I expected. Beautiful tarantula. The shipping was very easy and their guarantee of live arrival was exactually why i chose Blackwater . I will do business with them again . Quality and price were best .
Backwater Reptiles attempted a bait and switch scheme. You cannot trust their website. I attempted to purchase a $130 sand boa through their website along with a $70 tarantula. They failed to ship either of those items but went ahead and shipped $55 worth of smaller goods for a $55 overnight charge. I didnt want to spend $110 on a few axolotl eggs and some feeders but they didnt contact me till AFTER they shipped. Then told me they were sold out of the Boas and offered me completely different snakes as though i were a pet shop that took substitutes. After this i went to the website and lo and behold, you could still add 5 different morphs of Sand Boas and proceed to checkout. Something that seems odd if they were “Sold Out” of Sand Boas. Bait and Switch.
This is not a real store with a dedicated location. I can only assume its some ignorant drop ship setup. The staff is lazy and unprofessional. This was my first order and i will never do business with them again.
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