Expos in Australia

[Ohgeez]

Hi everyone, although I'm sure most of you are based in America, I was wondering if any of you have experienced any reptile Expos in Australia? If so what were they like? Were you able to buy anything? Most importantly... were there skinks

I'm in Victoria and there's an expo coming up, I didn't even know we had them here I dont know if we can actually buy anything or if it'll all be just displays but I'd love to see if there's any blueys and talk to some breeders!!

[alichamp]

I've only been to one which was last year. They may differ between states as each kind of has its own rules but you can probably expect lots of breeders wanting to sell their animals plus stands from shops/publishers/enclosure setups etc.

We have never had any in ACT - the one I went to last year was central coast NSW. It was absolutely packed! People everywhere! For the most part I saw lots of snakes and geckos for sale but there were a few great people to talk to. Yes you could buy animals and walk away with just about anything - the way it worked was they need to cite your licence and write down who they sell to. I thin you would also need to get their licence details etc for your own records if you acquire a new animal. They/you then lodge the paperwork afterwards somehow.

It is definitely worth you going even if just to talk to some people see what's around and soak up the atmosphere. I suggest you make sure you're familiar with VIC licensing before you go to be certain what you personally can and can't have, have an idea yourself of what you might want, and then enjoy!! If you go prepared you'll probably enjoy it more - it's so easy to impulse buy on a whim.

[Ohgeez]

I'm definitely expecting a truck load of snakes lol, they're cute but not really my thing.
I tried having a look online for Vic's exotic pets laws but couldn't really find anything on Expos, guess I'm not using the right search terms Ah well, I'll find out when I get there.
I do know for certain that I want a Northern, I've heard many great things about them Even if there isn't any, this definately sounds like a good way to find out who breeds em.

[alichamp]

I just meant knowing the VIC licensing laws on categories of licence, what animals you can keep etc and any particulars on where you can buy them from. For example, in ACT we have 3 different categories of licensing that specifies what animals you can keep - Cat A has only 3-4 species that you can keep licence exempt, Cat B you can keep a few types of snakes and lizards after 2 years experience keeping Cat A, and Cat C opens you up to more types of snakes, lizards and geckos after another 1 year of keeping Cat B. We can only buy from individual breeders, not pet shops, and need to keep record books and request import/export licence from other states. It's unlikely to say anything in particular about expos but may specify what you can have, who you can buy it from and what you need to do to keep track or new acquisitions/sellers licensing etc.

[Ohgeez]

Oh wow I didn't realize it was so detailed, I'll try and find out properly what our requirements are here, thank you!