BCI at Daytona?

[dboeren]

I'm thinking of attending the Daytona show coming up next month which its supposed to be pretty big so I'm assuming there will be a lot of selection there but I've never been there before.

So, it would be great if anyone who's been in recent years can comment specifically on the BCI selection at the show. Using Morphmarket as a comparison point, how much is there and how is the pricing? I guess what I'm wondering is whether I'm better off buying at the show or just ordering something online. This is for "nice but not super fancy" stuff, around $400-600 range but I can stretch some for an exceptional animal. This is for a pet, not for breeding and I'm specifically looking for males due to the typically slightly smaller size.

I definitely do appreciate that at the show I can see and handle the animals in person to gauge their personality which is great and certainly worth something. And I suspect there will likely be more subadult animals there too whereas Morphmarket seems to cater more to babies and yearlings. Since I'm not working with hot genes I don't mind skipping ahead a bit, I get a snake that doesn't look like a pencil as well as a better idea of their adult colors. Mainly I just want to have the right expectations. The two things I don't want to happen are driving ~8 hours to the show and being disappointed *or* skipping the show and it turns out that it was full of awesome snakes for great prices.

Thanks!

[ckuhn003]

I'm thinking of attending the Daytona show coming up next month which its supposed to be pretty big so I'm assuming there will be a lot of selection there but I've never been there before.

So, it would be great if anyone who's been in recent years can comment specifically on the BCI selection at the show. Using Morphmarket as a comparison point, how much is there and how is the pricing? I guess what I'm wondering is whether I'm better off buying at the show or just ordering something online. This is for "nice but not super fancy" stuff, around $400-600 range but I can stretch some for an exceptional animal. This is for a pet, not for breeding and I'm specifically looking for males due to the typically slightly smaller size.

I definitely do appreciate that at the show I can see and handle the animals in person to gauge their personality which is great and certainly worth something. And I suspect there will likely be more subadult animals there too whereas Morphmarket seems to cater more to babies and yearlings. Since I'm not working with hot genes I don't mind skipping ahead a bit, I get a snake that doesn't look like a pencil as well as a better idea of their adult colors. Mainly I just want to have the right expectations. The two things I don't want to happen are driving ~8 hours to the show and being disappointed *or* skipping the show and it turns out that it was full of awesome snakes for great prices.

Thanks!

I can't speak for the Daytona show but have you been to the Atlanta Repticon? I've gone the last 3-4 times and while it's not the best, it still fulfills my needs where I can see some cool reptiles and discuss any questions I may have. Personally, I would be hesitant to buy at one of these places because I like to do my research and the thought of bringing home a snake w/ mites isn't high on my list. I do use these places to pique my interest level in stuff that I've only seen online. Have you found any good place in/near Marietta w/ Reptiles? I'd love to see some adult BOAs before I make my purchase.

[dboeren]

I went to the Atlanta Repticon last year, not sure if I'll be going to the one coming up or not. If I go to Daytona then it seems a bit unnecessary. Last year I wasn't looking for boas and I didn't get to spend much time there anyway, I was trying to bring my 6 year old son and he wasn't interested in staying too long. Mainly I remember there were tons of Ball Pythons and Leopard Geckos.

You bring up a good point about mites, buying something at a show you'll need to quarantine and keep an eye on them. Of course, the same caveat applies to mail order as well but lower risk. Looking at a show is fun too, but I don't know if I'd want to drive that far just to look. You can only tour so much of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory before the urge to actually take a bite of something gets overpowering

I don't know of any reptile stores here in town, wish there were. Long time ago when I lived in Orlando there was one there, I think Florida and California probably have the most in the US.

As far as research, I expect to know about the specific species I'm interested in before the show as well as have a rough idea what the going rates are. I'll have a link to my Morphmarket wishlist on my phone/tablet for comparison so I can look at those pics next to the in-person animals and look up any interesting morphs I'm not familiar with already. I've spent a good while going through pics and constructing (and then weeding down) a wishlist. I also like to download photos and put them into tables so I can see them all side-by-side and rearrange their order for comparisons.

[John1982]

I went last year. There were a good number of BCI morphs. I want to say I saw a decent selection spanning at least 4 different vendors. I can't comment on price because I wasn't in the market for one and didn't commit anything to memory. I do remember there being some real nice blood/dragon stuff in the mix.

[Damage, Inc.]

I'm thinking of attending the Daytona show coming up next month which its supposed to be pretty big so I'm assuming there will be a lot of selection there but I've never been there before.

So, it would be great if anyone who's been in recent years can comment specifically on the BCI selection at the show. Using Morphmarket as a comparison point, how much is there and how is the pricing? I guess what I'm wondering is whether I'm better off buying at the show or just ordering something online. This is for "nice but not super fancy" stuff, around $400-600 range but I can stretch some for an exceptional animal. This is for a pet, not for breeding and I'm specifically looking for males due to the typically slightly smaller size.

I definitely do appreciate that at the show I can see and handle the animals in person to gauge their personality which is great and certainly worth something. And I suspect there will likely be more subadult animals there too whereas Morphmarket seems to cater more to babies and yearlings. Since I'm not working with hot genes I don't mind skipping ahead a bit, I get a snake that doesn't look like a pencil as well as a better idea of their adult colors. Mainly I just want to have the right expectations. The two things I don't want to happen are driving ~8 hours to the show and being disappointed *or* skipping the show and it turns out that it was full of awesome snakes for great prices.

Thanks!

Daytona always has a decent selection and it's wroth at least 1 trip if for nothing else than like you said you will be able to handle the animals. Plus in some cases you get to speak directly with the breeder which can be an invaluable resource.
Some thing that I usually do is check the National Breeder website for when they post the vendors list. That way before you head down there you can see who some of the vendors are and even check their website/facebook pages. Even the BOI. That list might give you an indication of if you think it's worth while or not.

[dboeren]

Something that I usually do is check the National Breeder website for when they post the vendors list. That way before you head down there you can see who some of the vendors are and even check their website/facebook pages. Even the BOI. That list might give you an indication of if you think it's worth while or not.

Yes, I've been waiting for them to post the vendor list but it's not up yet. I'm guessing it will probably go up around the 30 day mark so that's about a week and a half from now. What is the BOI though?

However, the odds of attending just took a hit last night when my parents called and told us they're coming into town that Sunday. I *might* be able to go to the show Saturday and hustle back to Atlanta (maybe leaving the show a bit early) but it's looking a bit iffy at this point

If it turns out that I won't be able to go to Daytona after all, what's the next best show in the Southeast to try instead and how much smaller is it likely to be?

[ckuhn003]

Yes, I've been waiting for them to post the vendor list but it's not up yet. I'm guessing it will probably go up around the 30 day mark so that's about a week and a half from now. What is the BOI though?

However, the odds of attending just took a hit last night when my parents called and told us they're coming into town that Sunday. I *might* be able to go to the show Saturday and hustle back to Atlanta (maybe leaving the show a bit early) but it's looking a bit iffy at this point

If it turns out that I won't be able to go to Daytona after all, what's the next best show in the Southeast to try instead and how much smaller is it likely to be?

I know there is one in BHM the 1st weekend in August but I'm not sure how that ranks in comparison. I might road trip it if I can't make the Atlanta one.