Are there decent prices at reptile shows?

[SteveJor]

Is it worth traveling a long distance to go to a reptile show to buy a snake or are the prices there the same as you would find at a local store or from a breeder?
The closest one for me (still about 2 hours away) would be in New York. They don't have these shows in CT.
I have never been to one and it would be tough to get to one in another state (work, kids, wife, etc.).
Can I find good deals on snakes there or should I just skip it?
Thanks.
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[XzyluM]

From the people that visit reptile shows around here, they seem to get good deals around them. Would be a good idea to save and visit one, you might find lots of stuff you are looking for or want.
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[ss26969]

they have good deals and try to wheel and deal thats what i do. if they realy want to sell they will come down in price or just tell ya no it never hurts to try
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[BadKarma]

You can get some kickin deals. You just have to know what to look for. Just make sure you know what you want and are willing to spend. I can't go without impulse buying. A good idea is if its a two day show to shop the second day and later in the afternoon. If they don't want to have to pack it up and take it home they will sell it cheaper. Just my two cents [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_cool.gif[/img]
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[Countryboy]

I have got some real good deals at show, hang around till everyone is getting ready to start packing up thats when you have the best chance at getting a good deal.
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[Radkon4]

That's what I did at the last white plains show 2 weeks ago, at the end of the show I was able to pick up a 1 year old perfect Argentenian female for only $75. The deals are there but so are the rip offs. I saw a dude trying to sell a super tiger retic for $900 granted it was a year old but still not worht it.
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[morti]

My best advice about shows is take only the money that you want to spend and do NOT take a check book. These places have a horible way of parting you from your money. Also, if you have any moral problems with certain things, don't buy from somebody that doesn't meet your criteria. I personally am opposed to selling baby iguanas for under $10. Any kid that wants and Ig could just walk in and buy one and you know the vendors don't do anything to help them make that decision. I saw one of those vendors with his 10g tank full of about 10 iggs... he also had a sweaterbox with $25 leopard geckos in it... one of the leos was the most beautiful albino I have ever seen. I would not buy the Leo because I did not agree with his practice of selling the iggs.

Keep that in mind too.

-Morti.
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[NYCSpeedcore]

I am so with you on that one morti. I always see 11 year old kids and parents for that matter getting talked into a nice albino burmese's or redtails at shows. They have no concept of what they are getting into, especially when they are asking questions on simple things like what the cage is going to need or how to feed it. I think all reptile shows should be forced to hand out caresheets with their animals, with a bold part on the top giving the adult snakes length and weight on it. If not a caresheet at least a piece of paper displaying the animals potential size on it, just to snap them back into reality. When I begin breeding I am going to handout a caresheet with every animal I sell, no matter what. If the person does not want to read it fine... but sometimes people dont want to admit they do not know what they are doing and will hopefully read it later on by themselves.
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[Shadrach]

Price's in general at Reptile Show's are decent. Just make sure you don't buy from the first person you come across there probably is someone there willing to drop a price a little or who has better price's!! At the last show my brother-in-law bought a Male and Female Sand Boa the guy offered him both of them for $75.00 both were het for Anery, after the guy started looking he didn't have a Female het but he did have a female Anery that was marked $100.00 anyway he offered him the male and female for $100.00 together. So some people are willing to make a deal with ya just to get you as a customer!!!
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	Heterozygous Heterozygous - the animal carries the gene for a genetic trait but does not outwardly demonstrate the trait. Example: A boa that is het for albino looks normal but carries the albino gene. When it is bred to another het for albino boa or an albino boa, a percentage of the offspring will be albino.

	Anerythristic A recessive genetic mutation in which the animal is void of red pigment.

[rsmhome]

Do you guy's know of a web page to find the list of (where and when) available shows??

thanks for any help,


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[cascabel]

There's a list of shows under the "events" list at www.kingsnake.com. If you get reptiles magazine they usually also have printed listings for the next few months.

Personally I often save up and buy my critters at shows... you can get good deals if you comparison shop and the savings on shipping for animals you can't usually get locally are worth the trip alone...

Our first show of the season here in Northern CA is tomorrow.. I"m broke but can't wait [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

cristina
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[ratsickle]

Hi,
I would be careful if you go to a repitle show in the fall or winter months, some animals are exposed to real extremes in temps during the setting up and moving of the shows ..
DOug [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_confused.gif[/img]
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[Needles]

There are good deals and some rip-offs, but still cheaper than any petstore imo. Besdies the fact that you dont have to worry about shipping, you can also look the reptiles over thoroughly and look for better patterns/colors/size/weight/price and even handle most to get an idea of the temperment. Ive bought many snakes from Reptile shows in Ohio & Indiana and have never had a problem, tho I do have some knowledge as to what Im looking at/for. Most Sellers at Reptile shows sell at about every show (return venders), so you have some idea of their credentials...
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	In My Opinon IMO = In My Opinion and IMHO = In My Honest Opinion