Purchasing at a Reptile Expo

[sfrede3]

Hi all, been researching on this site for close to a month and am finally ready to buy my first Bluey! I've owned and bred Leopard Geckos for about 8 years now, and have retired my breeding pair and now want to own a Blue Tongue as a hobby, and possibly to breed in the future. I plan on going to the New York Metro Reptile Expo to purchase a Blue Tongue, and will be looking for either an Irian Jaya or a Northern. I just wanted to know if anyone had any tips about purchasing at one of these events, such as what to look for, what questions to ask, and what kind of price ranges I can reasonably expect.

Thanks!

[Richard.C]

Your best bet is getting genuine captive bred,alot of ij,s are wildcaught imports or imported babies from wild caughts,northerns on the otherhand are all captive bred,over many generations,but i guess talk to the vendors,some ij,s are captive bred ,and go for what feels right for you

Prices vary alot,there only worth what your willing to pay

[Jeff]

The only times I have purchased a skink from a reptile show have been when there was a specific breeder there that I wanted to buy from. It is hard to imagine a scenario where I would buy a skink that I just happened to stumble across at a show. If I did, it would be a spectacular WC animal. If you are looking for a CBB bts, I would find a reputable breeder online to buy one from. Some of them go to the reptile shows, but the vast majority of skinks you find there will be either WC animals, or skinks purchased from breeders that are being resold. Personally, I would much rather buy directly from the breeder.

At a show, You may find a WC indonesian skink for as low as $80. Northerns are generally $100+. Because of the fact that no shipping is involved, this is probably the cheapest way to acquire a bts. Just remember, the "cheapest" is not the same as the BEST way.

[scaredofbees]

There are several very reputable breeders on this forum whom I would highly recommend. The gentleman above this post, Jeff, produces some top notch Northerns... as does James Wilson who also posts on this forum. IJ's are nice and often very colorful, but in my opinion, nothing beats a classic Northern from a breeder. Knowing the animal's entire history is worth the extra $$$ in my opinion. Not to mention having a good source of info for any questions or problems that may come up.

As the years go by, I've become less impressed with what's available at the various expos (at less in my area). What's on those tables seem to be the leftovers of what can't be sold privately or online. That's not to say you can't find te occasional gem here and there, but it's becoming an increasingly "buyer beware" situation (again, mostly in my area, your resultsay vary).

[sfrede3]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I think I'm going to reconsider my initial preference to purchase at a reptile expo and instead go through a reputable online breeder. It seems like it would be way more worth it to know the animals history, see images of its parents, and have detailed information at my disposal in case I ever decide to breed as well. Thanks again guys.

[kl]

Often times you will find a blue tongue breeder who is a vendor at the larger shows. For example, Ray Gurgi was a vendor at Daytona as well as other local shows in Florida. While I always recommend buying captive born and bred animals, I would never automatically dismiss an animal just because it's WC. One of the nicest Kei Islands I've had was a WC that I found at a local show here in the Northeast. Several yrs ago, I had a WC Irian Jaya that was the best looking Irian Jaya I'd seen (and I've seen hundreds). This animal had bright orange red banding that was redder and brighter than most others, probably because it was small for an adult and the color stayed concentrated.

KL

[ManahShepard]

kl, its more along the lines with WC that its cruel. It's an animal that was born and bred in the wild and was no used to being kept in a cage - not only that, a lot of the times they are illegally taken and are shipped in the worst conditions because there aren't too many laws stopping them from doing what they want. Especially no repercussions.

To the OC's post about Reptile Expos, I'm extremely curious to know from other people here but are Reptile Expo's really that bad? I had no idea, I had planned to go to one a while back just for the experience and to see what actually goes on there. I see plenty of YouTube videos but it always just makes me sad to see so many animals in small containers for how many hours.

But, that's just my gut instinct.

I would of thought the Expo's were at least a little better than Pet Stores - but from some of the comments here.. doesn't sound like it.

[Richard.C]

Manah,all blueys in captivity have resulted from wild caughts at some stage,it is harsh how some are treated in the process,but some come through fine,the best thing with captive bred is they havnt gone through the process,so akot less stress ,alot less illness to deal with

[LarissaLurid]

If you get lucky there are sometimes captive bred skinks, but many are usual wild caught as everyone as mentioned. I have seen someone selling northern hatchlings he bred at the last one I went to though. I've also seen ones who have been in previous (bad) homes with lost tails, toes, etc. :[ Poor things

And yes Richard is right. (also many times CB are going to be more tame than a WC, esp when you first get them)

[Richard.C]

some wildcaughts can be very tame,just as some captive breds can be fiesty

[Jeff]

Just to be clear, it is definitely possible to find CBB bts at reptile expos. It's just that they are about one out of every 20 bts you see. It is the exception to find an actual breeder at a show. most bts will be offered by either importers or brokers.

My main point is that if you have not heard of the seller ahead of time, and they can't show you the parents of the skinks they are selling, it is likely that they are not offering CBB animals. I never tell anyone what they should buy, I just want everyone to know the truth about what is being offered so that they can make an informed decision.

[ManahShepard]

I realize at some point there were wild caught animals to make the tame ones.

But, I think it is utterly cruel to take a wild animal and then expect it to be happy and healthy living in a cage all its life when it was once a free roaming animal. Its not like the captive bred ones where all they /know/ is the confines of a cage - its natural to them unlike something that is taken from outside and then expected to live inside all its life.

That's my two cents.

[Coomassie]

I realize at some point there were wild caught animals to make the tame ones.

But, I think it is utterly cruel to take a wild animal and then expect it to be happy and healthy living in a cage all its life when it was once a free roaming animal. Its not like the captive bred ones where all they /know/ is the confines of a cage - its natural to them unlike something that is taken from outside and then expected to live inside all its life.

That's my two cents.

I think it is great you don't support the WC pet trade. I realize there is a time and a place for it (ie breeders diversifying the genes in CBB populations) but as someone who does not breed, I buy exclusively CBB animals. Also, not to say you aren't an excellent keeper but WC animals are often not for beginners as they can have a lot of problems associated with them due to living in the wild. I would say if you really feel strongly about not getting a WC animal you go with an animal from a breeder, be it online or at a show. You can see the parents, know the hatch date, etc, etc, etc.