I've been planning to go to the NRBE in Daytona this August. However, I'd like to have a sane discussion about whether I should go. I will quickly outline my concerns.

- Easily transmissible reptile diseases when I have two other reptiles in my house (I will quarantine in a separate room but all parts of my house are used in a day)
- It feels political (USARK are reptile lobbyists) and this puts me way off going
- UndergroundReptiles is sponsoring it and I hate them
- Also probably sponsored by a gross feeder company that treats their animals inhumanely

So, I wanted to go to a show because I want a Trans-Pecos ratsnake and I refuse to have any snake shipped to me. I also want to be able to see the snake before buying it.

The only breeder at the Repticon near me who had TPRSes has been so incredibly terrible at communicating with me (no response from either email address given to me by the owner at the con, or either phone number also given to me by the owner--over two different shows spanning more than six months), that I can't rely on them. The owner has also been convicted of animal trafficking. Like, how do these people even sell at shows.

But I really kind of have a moral issue with these kinds of shows. They are sponsored by crappy companies. My opinions don't really line up with USARK enough to want to support them (just so people don't post about it, I also don't support how Florida manages their invasive species; I don't think either side is "right" so I wouldn't really want to support either). It's a big event where animals are products... and so on. And, I know you can't really do anything about this, but shows like this encourage impulse purchases, and that doesn't align with how I feel about pets.

The main things I want to ask you all on the forums are:
- How likely is it that the snake I get will have a virus like crypto etc? (again... I'm going to quarantine and have my snake see my vet)
- What are your positive and negative experiences with gigantic reptile expos?
- Are there actually responsible breeders at this gigantic show?
- I am basically locked in to getting a Trans-Pecos ratsnake because of my arid desert setup. Are there alternate species that get to a similar size (I don't want any less than 4 feet), that I should consider?
- I initially had luck posting an ISO on faunaclassifieds (before I could pick up the snake, some of the person's collection became symptomatic for crypto). Are there other places I can search for a local breeder or someone wanting to rehome one? (I don't have Facebook.)