White Plains Expo Nov. 2017

[Fossil]

Hello! I'm not sure if this is the proper place to put this but I've seen other expo topics in this forum so I'll give it a shot. I'm going to be attending the New York Metro reptile expo this November 26th and I was wondering if there were breeders that you would recommend. I'm quite new to the bluey scene so I don't know about many reputable breeders and I know that just because they are at an expo doesn't mean they have a clean history. I know that most blue tongues at expos are imports so If I end up not finding one that I can reasonably assume is cbb, I won't buy one. I've been all but discouraged going through the links provided on the expo page. I've only seen one or two vendors that sell blueys and they were all but sold out. I guess that's what I get for looking when it's not bluey season huh. Are any of you guys going to be there? Do you know of a vendor that you trust that may be in attendance? Have any pics of the blues that you bought at this expo?

I am specifically looking for northerns, but I will almost anything.
Also, any tips for shopping at Expos?

[EricaLikeBurrito]

Ask a lot of questions. Ask if they were wild caught or captive bred or captive born and bred. When they were born. When there parents were born. Pictures of the parents. I also recommend to be able to tell the difference between a northern and an indonesian/Irain Jaya/ect.

[starscream3232]

The only person I know that attends that show didn’t breed this year. This time of year it’s very hard to find northerns. Baby season is May-August. I’ve been to that show a few times and never seen any northerns. On the bts FB groups they have updated reputable breeder lists.

[Fossil]

Ask a lot of questions. Ask if they were wild caught or captive bred or captive born and bred. When they were born. When there parents were born. Pictures of the parents. I also recommend to be able to tell the difference between a northern and an indonesian/Irain Jaya/ect.

I've been thinking of questions I could ask and those were some of them. But if they can't provide pictures, should I assume that they're sketchy right away? I've also been thinking of asking where the parents were bought, where the lizards are bred / the seller's location, and what the seller tells other people about his reptiles. If the stories change around I would know they're lying.
Moving on to distinguishing species. I have been watching videos (like this) on the different types of skinks and looking at identification posts to get a general idea, and while I can say I'm extremely confident I can tell an australian skink from an indonesian, I have trouble distinguishing different indonesians from one another. For an example, while I can tell a northern from an eastern from an indo, I can't really tell the difference between a merauke and an indo. Do you have any tips for that?

[EricaLikeBurrito]

If the breeder can't provide pictures of the parents, it doesn't make them sketchy, more like unprepared. Just ask more questions about the parents before buying. Merauke has a orangish redish belly while indos have a black belly

[Fossil]

The only person I know that attends that show didn’t breed this year. This time of year it’s very hard to find northerns. Baby season is May-August. I’ve been to that show a few times and never seen any northerns. On the bts FB groups they have updated reputable breeder lists.

Man, that stinks. I was hoping to find something there but if it doesn't go well, I guess I can look in the classifieds for something. I was looking at earlier in the season videos from the metro expo and saw a few northern caramels but they were over $500. Other than that just indonesians, meraukes and a single tanimbar island. I'll check out the FB group well before I go to the expo. Thanks for pointing it out.