Reptile show etiquette??

[Dianne]

The crowds depend on the show, but I would expect to have to squeeze around other people at least some of the time, particularly around popular breeders. Do not touch is a pretty good mantra. Some vendors are more open to it than others, but many will have display cases that prevent touching.

I would be sure to take a cooler, simple styrofoam is fine, to keep the new addition(s) at as steady a temperature as possible. Prolonged exposure to cool winter air can chill them and risk a respiratory infection, but they can also get extremely overheated by sunlight shining on them through a car window. You can put a bottle of hot tap water in it to warm it up while you travel to the show, so it should be comfortable for them on your way home. You can also use the warm water bottle while they are in the cooler, but if you do that you want it to be wrapped in a towel or something to keep them from direct contact with anything over 80-85F. They should also have the ability to move away if they get too warm if you keep the bottle in there with them. Also, if the bottle is left in the cooler, make sure it can’t fall over or roll onto the snakes.

Some breeders are more firm about their prices than others. It doesn’t hurt to ask if they can do better on a price, but be prepared for the answer to be no. As for questions to ask, I’d aim for the following:

1. Hatch date or approximate age (if the seller is not the breeder).
2. What is it currently feeding on: live, prekilled or frozen thawed as well as what type and size of prey item (rat vs mouse).
3. When was the last feeding and how frequently is it fed. If it’s a young hatchling, how many times has it fed.
4. Most already label with the gender, if not labeled do ask. You will often see 1.0 for male, 0.1 for female, and 0.0.1 for unsexed.
5. Ask what type of setup they are currently housed in. This will give you an idea of what they are used to as compared to the setup you may have.

And most important, have fun!