Upcoming Show - tips for buying?

[The Night King]

It’s been about 4 years since our last BP. We had a beautiful pied with a custom tank I spent a lot of time setting up.

Setup was great, BP was healthy and eating and liked being handled. Great experience. We decided to sell our home and there was a 3 week gap for when the new home would be ready so we were living in a temp location with family and could not bring him

We found him a great home and moved.

We are now settled down in South Florida and ready for another BP to add to the family! I will likely setup a similar apcage for this one.

We ordered the last through a breeder but there is a reptilian show expo coming up in a few weeks. I’d love to go and see what’s there. I think we are looking for a nice female BEL. I’ve been to several shows but haven’t bought in while - a few questions..

• Is it best to go at the beginning of show to see what’s there, perhaps even paying for early entry or waiting til later to get better deal?

Cost is somewhat important but by no means the MOST important factor - we really want a nice healthy and (hopefully) good temperament BEL for a decent price.


I though about trying to find out what vendors will be there and seeing if I could see what BP’S they plan on bringing…not sure if that’s easily done however.


Any suggestions when looking to buy from a show?


Thanks in advance


Pic of our last setup:

[Bogertophis]

It's nice to get a look around early in the show, so you know where you want to go back to, but the best deals will be later on- when vendors don't want to take everything home with them.

Also a good idea to see what vendors will be there ahead of time- so you can check their reputation & feedback- & avoid those that seem to have customer satisfaction issues.

Keep in mind that all vendors are not equal- some may have animals with issues (illness, exposure to illness, or mites) so look closely for clues about their health. (the snakes, not the vendor )

But don't expect to handle a snake until you're really serious about it- any vendor that allows too much handling puts their animals at risk from others in attendance (germs & even mites have been known to "hitch rides" on potential buyers).

Make sure you get all the information if you do buy a snake- the vendor's name & contact info, & info about the snake- hatch date, genetics, feeding (last fed, exactly what -ie. mice or rats, live or f/t, how offered- ie. drop fed versus wiggled from tongs, etc), & really TRY to avoid coming home with a snake that has mites, as it's a real set-back- usually interrupts the snakes feeding, & mites can spread diseases, they're not easily gotten rid of, & the treatment for them is not without risks depending on methods chosen. Mites like to hide around the eyes, mouth/chin, nostrils, vent, but can be under scales. Just one seen is an issue- there's always more, plus eggs for future family gatherings.

Much as you probably like that skull decor, I wouldn't use anything like that- snakes have been known to get stuck & greatly injured in those orifices- their scales are directional & a tight fit means they cannot back out. It's dangerous trying to cut into such decor with a snake that's stuck- truly better to avoid anything with holes that could ever pose an issue, no matter how much you like how they look. Some snakes get injured badly trying to get out of things they're stuck in when no one's around to notice until too late- so best avoided. (Never use those "castles" & such that are made & sold for tropical fish- they usually have sharp edges inside that don't bother fish, but which can cut up a snake that's trying to hide inside.)

Hides- BPs are very shy, & even if your previous snake did well for you in that set-up, most snakes prefer hides with smaller doorways (just bigger than their midsection with a meal on board), and only one doorway. They also like fairly low "ceilings", & hides that they feel fairly "snug" inside of. If you buy a hide big enough for them to grow into, you can always stuff some paper in it to make it feel smaller while they grow into it, if you don't want to keep re-buying different sizes.

[Homebody]

I though about trying to find out what vendors will be there and seeing if I could see what BP’S they plan on bringing…not sure if that’s easily done however.

The website for your particular show will list the vendors, but to find out what they'll be bringing, you'll have to contact the vendors individually.

[Malum Argenteum]

Figure out which vendors are breeders and which are flippers. Skip the latter.

Vet all the breeders beforehand. Then make a list of those that have no, or very isolated and explainable, negative reviews and restrict your shopping to them.

If the vendor lets you handle a snake without asking you to use hand sanitizer first, hard pass. Even one mite seen is a very hard pass on the whole table.

Selection of animals at most expos is such that there is selection for the whole show, and many prices are negotiable for the whole show. I'm not in the BP crowd, but in general expos are a buyer's market currently.

I always go as a buyer early when the vendors are fresh and have some energy left to deal with me. By the end of vending, I know I'm pretty wiped out and not at my best.

[YungRasputin]

if it says ‘Dendroaspis polylepis‘ leave it be ☝️😌