Reptile Expos are one of my favorite places to go !

1. Do most vendors expect you to pay in cash?

Bring cash! Many breeders will accept card, but to make it simple, just bring cash ..

2. Is haggling expected, tolerated, encouraged, or frowned upon? (or is this dependent on if you buy multiple animals, etc.)?

I will only "haggle" if I know the value of a morph. Now every snake is worth something different to each keeper .. Doing some research on the morphs you're particularly shopping for really helps, as you get a ballpark estimate on how much you're expecting to pay. Don't go looking for a GHI, then say something like "What?? $7000 for a male GHI?? That's outrageous.. I'll give you $1500 for it."

3. When you go to a show, do you go to all the tables or do you have a "short list" of vendors that you visit first?

I go to ALL the tables. I normally start by going to the right, and walking by each isle. Normally there will be some cool BP morphs that I'm mostly interested in learning about. I enjoy hearing what the breeder is excited about and what they have planned for the future with that morph . This is my favorite part about going to the shows. Meeting new friends, and hearing about all the cool stuff they got goin on!

4. How do you transport / handle your new acquisitions while you're still at the show and on the trip home (we will have about 2.5 hours to go between when we leave the show and arrive at home..not sure if heating is necessary for the trip)?

They'll typically give you the snake in a bag and/or in a small container for you. You can walk around with it in your hands, keep it safe and secure in a camera bag, or a backpack that you keep IN FRONT of you, or you can ask the breeder if they can hold it while you continue looking around. They'll simply keep it under the table or on display until you return. DO NOT LOSE YOUR RECEIPT !!

5. When purchasing frozen rodents, I assume it is better to wait until you are about to leave the show? (I will have an ice-packed cooler in the car waiting for them)

Having a cooler in your car is perfect! I pretty much handle this the same way I handle the snake purchases. The seller will hold the product until you're ready to go! Never had a problem with this before .