Reptile Expo Advice ??

So ill soon be going to my very first Reptile expo, and i wanted to ask for some advice for when im over there and to what expect

Thank You !

Are you going as a customer or a vendor? If you are going as a vendor I have no info LoL

As a customer, they are a lot of fun. The worst thing about them for me is I want to buy just about everything I see. If you are planning on buying an animal, just make sure you have a set up before hand so you arent scrambling trying to get everything you need for too much money. Do a little research on pricing before you buy too... great deals arent always as good as they seem. Have fun!

Im going to Repticon in west palm beach next weekend and it will be all i can do not to buy a snake LoL Last Repticon I went to in Atlanta i left with a bumblebee ball python that I had NO intention of buying LoL

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Originally Posted by BumbleBeePhythons

So ill soon be going to my very first Reptile expo, and i wanted to ask for some advice for when im over there and to what expect

Thank You !

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It really depends on why you're going. Are you going planning on bringing home a new animal? New equipment? Frozen/Thawed Prey?

Find the vendor list and research the sellers before you go, as expo managers don't vet vendors to ensure they have good reputations.

Bring a friend who can stop you from impulse buying.

Go with an idea of what you want and how much you are willing to spend.

Do not ask to hold an animal unless you fully intend to buy it.

Don't touch or lean on the tables, this is a good way to transfer mites.

Bring cash.

cash is king. having cash can give you a little bit of wiggle room to negotiate a price.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

Find the vendor list and research the sellers before you go, as expo managers don't vet vendors to ensure they have good reputations.

Bring a friend who can stop you from impulse buying.

Go with an idea of what you want and how much you are willing to spend.

Do not ask to hold an animal unless you fully intend to buy it.

Don't touch or lean on the tables, this is a good way to transfer mites.

Bring cash.

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And if you come home with a new addition make sure to quarantine the animal properly and treat preventively for mites if you bring home a new reptile.

If you have an established collection at home and are not coming home with anything strip down once home and take a shower and wash your hair before interacting with your animals.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

If you have an established collection at home and are not coming home with anything strip down once home and take a shower and wash your hair before interacting with your animals.

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wow i I didn't even know this. Always great info, thanks.

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Originally Posted by Sunnieskys

wow i I didn't even know this. Always great info, thanks.

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I tend to be a little paranoid about mites and some might thing I go overboard but I never had any in my collection either and when you have a larger collection it's not the kind of thing you want to deal with.

Well mites are a PITA! I dealt with them at work one time and that was a headache! So I totally get it lol.

Don't get distracted by the cool expensive stuff, check the vendor list before you go, and have an idea of what you want.

Cash only so you know how much you can spend. Have an idea of the size snake you want. And please please ask the breeder questions on the snake you are buying. For the love of nature get the correct info for your snake. Weight, feeding, birthdate. I even got the parents info for booplesnoop. The more info you have the better if anything happens. Also get an email and phone for the breeder if you have any other questions. My breeder recognized me and asked about boople and I even shared pictures at the last show.

take alotta pix and post them here on the forum! :)

also i windowshop first. make a circle to all vendor booths/tables and then circle back to the vendors who have animals i wanna buy or have questions about. it makes me be more careful about a purchase and allows me to see everything available. also when i buy, i ask the vendor to put the animal aside or mark it as sold, so i'm not carrying the animal for the show show. this is a personal preference. i will pickup the animal from the vendor right before i leave the show.

have fun. post pix.

All advise given so far is on point.

My personal advice to you is don't settle! Have a good idea what you want to buy and don't settle on quality or morph, even though you might not find what you're looking for right away.

It's best to buy your ideal morph than buy multiple snakes that you might not feel so strongly about. I feel that a lot of newer keepers make this mistake.

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Just gonna copy paste my response to another user asking for advice on whether to buy online or go to an expo.

Shows are a bit like a big flea market. You can offer 10 bucks less for a snake or something like that and often your offer will be accepted if it's not insulting (don't offer 10 dollars for a 20 dollar snake, but offering 280 for a 300 dollar snake is reasonable).

That said, some shows are in smaller venues that REALLY get crowded. I'm talking shoulder to shoulder. I hate it and I go there to get mice and I leave. Earlier this year I met a member of the ssnakess forum to help him with picking out a specific type of snake (water snake, likely to be wild caught). He didn't have much experience potentially buying a WC snake and wanted to have someone there for a second opinion. I was REALLY excited because A its an uncommon species for people to want which I always encourage (sorry BP folks) and B I've never met a random from a forum before. It was a really positive experience to be honest and I'd encourage you to reach out to other users in your town who might be willing to accompany you so you don't feel nervous.

A tip, go to the reptile show before you buy online. Don't be pressured to buy ANYTHING. Just see what some of these snakes look like in person, you might not be as excited about X BP morph you thought looked so cool online or you may even fall in love with a gopher snake or milk snake or something. It happened to me at my first reptile show 15 years ago where I went with mom and dad to find a grey banded kingsnake and left with a sonoran gopher. You might think you want a banana or whatever ball python but you'll see a perfectly patterned plain Jane hi yellow and not only save money but truly find out what you want or take it home with you. Go with maybe 50 dollars max, anything worth more to you is also worth a trip to an ATM. This will help you with impulse purchases.

That said, make sure you have a terrarium set up before you leave. In the event you make a purchase only a few adjustments are required to change a ball python setup to most any snake's setup.

Just for fun and entertainment of others here are some slightly based in fact people you'll see at reptile shows:

1 - Guy carrying large snake for absolutely no reason - Doesn't matter if its -40 degrees some guy will carry a boa constrictor or something similar into the reptile show. It looks to be in terrible health and its best not to mention it.

2 - Reptile rescue people with large lizard or snake you can pet - Pet the monitor or Burmese python, drop a few dollars in the jar. Many people never get to touch a huge snake or monitor even regular keepers so its really cool, consider adopting one of their ball pythons if that's what you want, they are already quarantined and such so its not the worst idea for a first pet snake.

3 - Guy who smells REALLY bad - This is the guy the media uses to represent the reptile community explaining our poor reputation. He never showers because "his reptiles don't care" completely disregarding that snakes have one of the best senses of smell in the entire animal kingdom.

4 - Know it all explaining to a person who breeds their species that they are wrong - This one isn't as common to see but it for sure happens each show. "Mealworms will eat your lizard from the inside out" or "over head heating will literally kill your snake and collapse the universe" etc. Pretty sad to watch an experienced breeder be completely defeated by not caring at all.

5 - The over aggressive salesman - This is a guy to look out for, "Not only is this wild caught chameleon with ticks on it totally fine, but you can also keep it in a critter keeper and it'll be fine" or the "How much do you have? That'll work" guy. He's also yelling like a fruit salesman at a flea market.

6 - Guy who has an entire conversation with a breeder you want to ask a question to and then doesn't buy anything - Yeah, crap. This guy.

7 - Multiple people behind the table you ask one a question and they never come back - I was inches away from buying like 5 banded geckos and forming a colony. Asked a question about the price that wasn't listed, she said she'd ask. I waited 10 minutes. Helped me avoid an impulse purchase but still, very annoying.

8 - The guy who runs the amphibian table - It's like a zoo, this guy has some of the rarest animals at the whole show (and most don't even have morphs). Definitely take a look even though people are standing in front of the table forever and seemingly never buying anything. Maybe get a inkling for a frog in your future, if not, it's still cool to look.

Anyways good luck at your show and I hope you find what you look for.

Here to second... before you leave, shut the doors where your reptiles are at. When you get home, strip down, bag your clothes straight to the washer and wash them, shower thoroughly and wash your hair/scrub your scalp! Leave shampoo on for a few minutes. QT new animal. We did not bring any mites home from the last show in Puyallup, WA.

I'm also going to my first Reptile Expo in the next few weeks! Repticon LA

What's the best day to go? I am looking for a crystal or Mystic potion.
I'm just a hobbyist, won't be needing these for a specific project.

I heard the 2nd day is good for offers, but could be a chance that everything has been picked over?

I'm also looking to go the Reptile Super show in January, which will have more vendors than Repticon..I will probably go the 2nd day on that one.

Thanks!

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