But the popularity for such creatures has grown incredibly so that Warrnambool's Isaac Bermingham's sole income is based on breeding and selling a range of critters.

After a significant rugby injury tore his ACL, two other ligaments and dislocated his knee cap, Mr Bermingham was forced into finding a new income after he was unable to work at Midfield Meat for nine months. Soon enough, his business boomed.

"I was breeding before the injury but not to the same extent," he said.

"It was a part-time job for three years but I've been doing this full-time for one year now.

"I actually had to cut back the amount of breeding I was doing to control it. I would have had several thousand animals at one point."

A passion since he was a kid, Mr Bermingham's inquisitive nature as a child carried into adulthood and now the 24-year-old houses a huge array of creepy crawlies in his Albert Street facility and sends stocks to over 50 pet stores around mainland Australia.

"I think I first had a stick insect," he recalled.

"I started off just catching reptiles and insects in the backyard as a kid. I'd bring them home and mum would tell me off and dad would laugh so eventually mum came around. They're both really encouraging now.

"I used to have my spare bedroom and garage full of different species - much to everyone's delight."

One of the first to admit his hobby is an unusual one, Mr Bermingham is the definition of job happy. Surrounded by the creatures who allow him to continue researching, learning and challenging him, he is rapt in his radical career change from beef boner to the manager and owner of The Insectory.

"It's been a hobby forever basically and now it's an unreal job," he said.

"I get to work off my own clock which has allowed us to have a lot of holidays.

"I'm on the phone 24/7 reading new information.

"I basically learnt all the information through YouTube videos and just picked it up as I went along."

With containers stacked high of all the weird, wonderful and scary creatures you can imagine, Mr Bermingham's stock includes spiders, centipedes, millipedes, snails, slugs and stick and leaf insects which have all taken off in demand.

"Popularity changes with time," he said.

"At the moment the leaf insects are going crazy and tarantulas always sell consistently.

"My personal favourites are the giant burrowing roaches and the stick insects."

Sending creatures across Australia, except to Tasmania where they don't allow imports, Mr Bermingham not only sells the creepy crawlies, he supplies care information and can easily list the multitudes of positives these uncommon pets can provide.

"There are so many benefits," he laughed.

"You've got an animal in a small tub environment and they're all low maintenance.

"I've only been bitten once and that was by a tarantula. There was nothing except a bit of swelling for 30 minutes.

"Any herbivores are all easy to handle."

Mr Bermingham's unconventional career may be a nightmare for some, for him, he's managed to turn a life-long love and infatuation of the tiny and terrifying critters into much more than a hobby - it's really become his life.

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