Why Reptile Expos & Shows ARE NOT TERRIBLE |  

I love reptile Expos! Hoping to see some pop up in 2021. What do you think, do you like Reptile Expos?

Why are mum and dad arguing?

I feel that this is really just a case by case basis. Goherping talked about the expos he's gone too, WWR talked about his expo experiences, and you can only determine how good an expo is if you've gone to one. Some are good, some are bad, I dont think it's fair to say expos as a whole are good or bad.

Another factor to consider about GoHerping: It really appears to me like a lot of his work with reptiles involves *rescue* scenarios, specifically. As such, I imagine that he must certainly be oft exposed to the bad side of reptile keeping, when he encounters animals in unhealthy state because of negligent or uninformed care. I get the impression that such experiences have a significant impact on his opinion, regarding topics such as spider balls and reptile expos. Combine that with a fact that he clearly has such a big heart for reptiles, and I can only imagine how that might engender a negative outlook. In contrast, you might imagine someone like Emily of Snake Discovery. She does participate in rescuing reptiles, as well, but she also very frequently experiences the many *positive* aspects of the reptile community and hobby. As such, she can remain grounded in reality and aware of the bad things that go on -- while still maintaining a positive outlook AND projecting that to others through her own content.

I do want to say that GoHerping is from the south US where Repticon is the biggest con in the region. I’ve been to several Repticons and there are honestly super gross people who vend there. Just in my area, there’s a guy who sells sugar gliders who has had his license revoked multiple times due to unhygienic enclosures, did “self-neuters” without anesthesia, and stuffs at least 30 of them in a tiny cage all weekend and those gliders are all yellow as hell. He’s still allowed to vend. When I first got into reptiles and before I knew any better, I had taken home a snake with scale rot and another one with mites. There was another vendor there who had previously had all of his animals taken away because he was an animal hoarder, and a few years later he was vending BP’s. I’m in no way saying that all cons are bad and I’ve met some great people, but I definitely understand GoHerping’s issues with Repticon. I think there needs to be restrictions and higher standards set in place so they just become the new norm. Tbh they probably won’t though because Repticon is a huge cash cow.

Problem with expos is there is a lot of impulse buying...which is great at a game/card/comic book/etc expo, but less good when you're dealing with living breathing animals. People buying things when they have done little/no research on their care nor have any sort of setup for said animal. Also, often there's a lot of imports.

It’s silly to generalize and say all expos are bad. There are good ones AND bad ones. I’ve been to several expos in the states and can say most of them have been really good expos and I also have never experienced loose animals or people misbehaving. I’m sure there are some expos that are shady but that doesn’t mean we should demonize all reptile expos. IMO expos are one of the best places to purchase reptiles/supplies and connect with other people and learn more.

I actually subscribe to both you & go herping and watched both videos. I live in the states, in WV. I will have to say here in my area it’s more of go herping’s version of expo. The Expo venders just go from one show to the next , and will tell you when and where the next event is. They hit several states around WV. With that said, you can usually weed out the bad venders by their looks & personal hygiene. If they don’t care for themselves , they don’t care about the animals/reptiles either. I have never seen loose animals, but I have seen some that wish they were loose.

Diamond has let us down with his lack of ear nibbles

Is this because he only gave your room a 4 star review lol JK jk. I absolutely love reptile expos and can't wait to go when they re open

At my local expo one person sold a death stalker scorpion to a 13 year old who had never kept arachnids before. Another table spotted it, sold the kid a bark scorpion at a significant discount, and the other vendor was kicked out of the show for being irresponsible and was forced to give the kid a refund on the death stalker. The ones that sold the kid the much less dangerous bark scorpion (which they demonstrated were safe by handling bare handed before selling) educated the kid thoroughly on scorpion care and warned him to be more careful if he expands his collection in the future. I’ve heard of a snake escaping only once and was caught again quickly.

My experiences at reptile expos, while limited, have been quite positive! We never had anyone try to force us into sales or push animals upon us. We did receive excellent information from vendors who knew we weren't going to buy now but want to get the proper knowledge to make a future well informed decision. I know there are dishonest, shady people out there but I found that the vast majority of the interactions we had were awesome! Canadian Reptile Expos Rock!

Canadian experiencing Canadians: everyone was really honest! ... It's like a breeding ground for positivity.

I love watching both you and GoHerping to get different perspectives, so I really appreciate the response video. Gonna go to my first expo in April and take both your advice with me ❤️

Goherping and Wickens Wicked Reptiles rap battle time.🤣 Edit: thx for the likes

When worlds collide

as someone from the U.S., I can say that I’ve never had an experience similar to what GoHerping described in his video. although i do live in a bigger city, even the lower-budget expos have been pleasant. all of the vendors were extremely informative, and most of them quizzed people before selling any animals.

I definitely felt kind of weird after watching Alex's video. I think he drew attention to some problems that can show up an uncomfortable amount in the reptile community in general including at some expos, but I would have preferred if his video were something more along the lines of "what to avoid in a reptile expo" or "good vs bad reptile expos" or "my experiences at reptile expos" because I think expos can be both bad or good. They're really quite special because they allow you to meet the vendors, see animals in person to check yourself for signs of illness, etc. Some animals might come from haphazard breeding operations, but you can do research on who you buy from before you do. Plus, you can meet more people in the hobby! The biggest downside is probably the potential for mites, for sure, since they're so contagious, but thankfully that's a very treatable problem if you happen to run into it, frustrating as it is.

Thanks for making this video, Adam. I watched Alex’s video the first day it came out. I love both of your channels and respect you both. Looking at both sides of the story really helps, because there are truths on both sides

Goherping reviewed you reptile room, he gave it 4 stars

I see go herping video as a "you see this shit at an expo run" more than shitting on them in general but its good to be both sides of the coin from my 2 fav herping channels

The shadeeeeee

I personally have gotten some of my favorite animals from reptile expos. I love them because you get to see them in person and get to actually know the breeder than instead of just buying online.

you should make that wild caught video. or maybe wild caught vs captive bred pros and cons. i think clints reptiles made one similar but it’d be cool to hear your take

Well said! Can't wait for expos here to get up and running again. The social experience is another plus!

Respect for mentioning the other channel’s video. It was the first thing I thought of when I saw your video recommended right after that video. Makes me want to subscribe!

Here we have a few known vendors that misrepresent wild caught as captive bred. And at least one that has known animal trafficking and poaching convictions. We also have some outstanding vendors even in our little local show. Overall I do think they do more good for the hobby then bad.

I respect both of you guys and it’s cool to see both sides of the argument. While I wish all expos in the US where similar to those in Canada, i’ve also experienced some of the things that Alex talked about in his videos. Dont get me wrong- I absolutely agree that the positive outweighs the negative- but there are very much so things that we need to fix at expos here in the US. I also don’t agree with your shipping point, because animals are given either hot or cold packs during shipping to help regulate temp and at expos they have nothing. This was a great video and it’s awesome to have someone outline the positives for once 😊

It does depend on where you live, I think. In places where reptile keeping is more common, I think expos tend to have higher standards. But where I live, our local expo is a nightmare. I’ve seen loose animals, dead animals, people buying from one table and then selling it for a higher price at their own. Bins on bins full of emaciated, dehydrated imports. Mill bred sugar gliders. Sooooo many shady vendors. I saw a man put a baby corn snake in his mouth and another man tried to get me to take a silkie bearded dragon that looked... terrible. I no longer go to expos because I’ve been so turned off by them and if there was a good breeder vending there, I kept their information and followed their social media so now I don’t even have to go to an expo to see what they have. I think if the expo had better leadership they could turn things around for the better, but I honestly don’t see that happening soon. So I sympathize with Goherping because his experience seems very similar to my own, and it really makes you want to back out of the hobby completely if I’m being honest. (Now I’m debating on going back just to covertly film what goes on.)

Thanks for making this. The other video popped up on my feed and I rolled my eyes so hard I saw the future. I have vended a reputable expo and can say from both sides it's mostly positive.

This is so great. My fiancée were talking about this, this past weekend. She is very new to the hobby, and we were talking and expos came up. So we had a pro and con conversation about expos.

Reptile Expos are one of my favorite passtimes They are also where I like to bring friends if they are skeptical about having reptiles as pets. They realize just how cool and varied all the species are, and usually end up becoming very fascinated with one species or another

Thank you for this video. I'm having my first reptile expo here in Russia in a few months, and I was a little nervous about buying an animal there, but now I'll probably bring home one new friend after it.

I see both sides, but I think there needs to be a bit more self regulation from the companies that host the expos. This would protect the reptiles and consumers. Scams are common, sick animals are common. We just need to work as a community to improve the over all environment of expos. :)

I really cant exactly comment on the expos because of how late I started in the hobby, and was never able to go to one, but I don't think everything there is bad or good. There are always perks, good or bad that we just have to work through. Also Adam thanks so much for the variety in your videos! I always enjoy all the fun ideas everyone on this channel has, it really keeps every body interested and stimulated!

I appreciate this video. Also , I’m sure it’s in another video, but what lights are those behind you in the enclosures behind you ? Thank you

The only loose animal I ever saw at a reptile expo, was a giant tortoise walking around, with an entourage of his keepers and people amazed at seeing a tortoise so big

This makes me feel so much better about getting my first reptile at an expo! I'm waiting for a western canada expo to buy a hognose, as I've heard there are some for much cheaper. Most non-expo hognoses I've seen have been around 1000, and I just can't afford that without risking future care costs.

I love our local expo but unfortunately I have heard some sketchy stuff from others from the states. I think Alex has high expectations and I respect that. I'm glad he shed light on some things but you are right there are definitely GOOD expos!

Remember the Steve Irwin Show. I use to saw it last year at 6:00 A.M. when everyone was sleep,and it was just such amazing show

Yes, I would like to see a video on wild caught and the websites that sell wild caught.

Eeeeyo I commented something similar on his channel. Honestly though it just depends on where you are here in the states, because every state is different...every county in the states are different. It even depends on what city you are in. Like, micro level regulations and quality control in America, so I wouldn't doubt that his experience was vastly different from mine, for example. Just have to have a good head on your shoulders and Expos are fine and like you said, a really great and positive way to support people who love animals as much as you do!

A lot of it probably comes down to personal experience. Sounds like he unfortunately experienced a bunch of bad ones.

I’m new to reptile keeping and can’t wait to go to a reptile expo! I just think it’s important for people to hear both sides. I think this is an excellent point. And can’t wait to see your channel blow up!

I'm looking forward to my first one when the world opens up. The UKs big expo from what I've seen is run well, everyone is extremely friendly, and they do care about the animals. I have chatted to a few of the staff/volunteers, and they're just lovely, and have pointed me towards information, and the best places to stay, booths to visit, and a good pub the night before! They do also ban certain morphs such as Spider royals, enigma leopard geckos etc, which seems to have been well received too. Another brilliant video :)

I appreciate your awesome advice, your so the go to reptile info guy, off subject could you do a video on enclosure info, like the stack behind you I'd like to do a wall in my living room but can't find anything stackable or even a shopping link?

In my humble opinion, this is by far the superior channel. I don't think we need to tear anyone down to build someone up. But the big pluses on this channel- transparency on knowledge limits, down to earth, never tried to fake it. Every single animal has top tier care. And even through your move the animals looked well cared for.

In America it’s very different we have a higher ahole to normal people ratio 😂 don’t tell me other wise

Great video could you make a video about uromastyx care lighting and heating

Agree with your thoughts 100% on the expos. I live somewhat close to you in Cambridge and went to the Toronto expo alot with my son and bought some reptiles there and cant wait to go back when things go back to normal. Alex's channel was something I went to alot but unfortunately for a while his interest seems to have dropped off imo. I like your positive honest no conflict content and I think you do a better job. Keep it up my friend!

Thank you for your out look on all your topics it's refreshing

We love our expo here in Utah. We were lucky enough to have it in October, with social distancing rules, reservations for entrance to control the crowds, and it was awesome. It was refreshing to be able to look at what the vendors had to offer without fighting crowds!

Reptiles + comedy = greatness. So happy to see your channel grow, and will continue to watch. Thank you for having quality content, as well as quality reptile care.❤

Hey Wickens. You should make a video about whether you should use newspaper/paper towel or substrate. "Top 5 Substrates to use for your reptile" "Should you use paper towel or substrate?"

I’ve seen lose animals in the Chicogo expo and I wish they wouldn’t just sell to anyone but it’s far better than pet shops because theses people know their stuff and if people care to ask they will help them get the right stuff and push them to do much research!

I’m just happy you ended up in his reptile room video:)

Thank you for this video! Very encouraging and respectful. 🦎🐍

I’ve never been to a reptile expo since I’ve only been a reptile owner for about a month. I couldn’t imagine though that there are a lot of laws being broken and the animals being mistreated. These are people that center their lives around the pets that they sell and care for. I could be wrong, but I don’t think that it was be as bad as it’s been made out to be. Btw, you and the “Leopard Gecko” channel (that lady from the UK), are my favorite reptile channels. I also like Elle’s channel as well. Since I’ve gotten my first reptile, I keep rotating all of your channels repeatedly. All of your channels make me happy about my new pet and also make me want to expand my reptile family

i appreciate you & this post ! thank you !

Well now I am nervous for the reptile quiz 👁👄👁💧

What morph is Pickachoo? Another wonderful video!

Hi there! I really enjoy your channel, I've been using it to help with research and figuring out what type of BCC I would like to get to fill my vivarium/tank. Do you think that a BCC would be good for my tank. its a corner type, in an L shape, with the cungunchion standing 6' tall. If a BCC's not a good choice what type of reptile do you think i should get?

I think every expo has it's pros and cons. I have seen shows with alligators, yes alligators (in Arizona must I add), sitting on the floor and being used as a prop to sell products. I've also been to a show recently where every seller was following guidelines and making it a point to educate and do things right. Expos I think reflect the hobby as a whole. We have some amazing people in it and some not-so-great people and all it takes is a group of not-so-great people to ruin the image of expos for someone. I think it's good to have discussions like this. If we assumed everything was good OR bad, nothing would change. Excellent video Adam!

Great response video! Thank you! 10/10 would recommend!

I'm glad you made this video :) I love both yours and goherpings Content but It made me sad because I would love to go to a reptile expo one day but I was concerned if it was something I should be supporting after his video. A friend of mine recently went to a local ish expo and it looked safe and clean so that made me even more confused

I do think not liking expos due to personal experiences is perfectly fine, as various expos in various locations can be good or bad and it just depends on your location I think. I’ve never been to one but I’ve been to conventions where reptile sanctuaries have some animals on display and for people to interact with, but I’m hoping later this year I can go to one!

The random Belgium shoutout was random, not really the country I instantly think about regarding reptile expos haha, but it fills my little Belgian heart nonetheless!

Here in sweden its illegal to ship living animals except for insects. Never been to an expo but its really convenient for alot of people to meet up in one place to get feeders and animals.

Wooo~~ goherping crossover when

I really appreciate this! I haven’t had the chance to go to an Expo het, we don’t have a lot around here, and I started getting worried after watching GoHerping’s video. I think both made good points and I think it’s important to highlight the bad, but also the good!

I stopped supported GoHerping a few years back because he came out with several videos in which he was against taking reptiles to vets which is a horrible and irresponsible thing to promote to his audience that is mostly children and inexperienced keepers. I also had a very negative experience with the community he cultivated on his discord server and a lot of bullying went on that neither he nor any of his mods did anything to stop.

Loved this video and all the footage you showed!!

Keep up the great vids, you deserve way more attention

my grandpa would take me to expos just for fun. I loved to look at the animals and even hold some. we never bought anything bc we knew we couldn't care for it. I fell in love with cresties and Leos bc they were so darn cute

I would love to see a hole video on just pacman frogs I’m thinking about getting one in the near future

The clips from the expos by you look so much nicer than the ones I go to in NE Ohio. There are usually a couple of sketchy booths at the shows around here, but for the most part the shows are great. I would always recommend to rescue reptiles if you can, but my second option would be an expo.

GoHerping is starting to remind me of Stan Marsh when he gets diagnosed with Cynicism,I still like he’s channel, thanks for staying positive

Nice videos I’ve always loved reptile expos I would love if you made everything you need to know if your going to get a leopard gecko video

I have been going to expos for about 5 yrs. Now. I have only encountered one reptile that I felt was not being taken care of properly. I vowed if I see it again I will take it home with me, cost not important. I love the variety of reptile/animals. Very educational for the community, there are a lot of amazing creatures that people have never seen before. I have issues finding food for my troops sometimes and the expos are the place to go for that and supplies that your local pet supply store might not carry. I am a huge supporter of expos and would love to see more in the future !!

I watch both, but I like your channel more. Keep up the great work!

the expo’s in illinois are just 1 day, once a month. some vendors will go to nearby states the same weekend, but not all will. I love expos! they’re a good environment for learning about animals, and seeing a wide variety of species all in one space

I saw someone buy a hognose at one table and walked over, grabbed a new deli cup, wrote a higher price, and tried to sell it •-•

I'm glad u made this video. I watched the other one and sadly was disappointed because it painted all expos bad. Ive been to expos in Mn and Wi and I've never seen anything like what he described. Plus I've met the kindest people at expos. Glad you are setting it right.

Carefully optimistic that in the second half of this year we might be enjoying another expo in my country. So looking forward to meeting, greeting, smelling lol, and seeing what's new. On topic; my experience with expos is more like that of WWR. I live in the Netherlands and vendors at the expos I have been to generally really care for their animals and the hobby, are friendly and pleasant to deal with, and willing to share information. They are often people whose hobby got big, or really, really big :) That said, Adam's remark about the hobby policing itself is something we see over here, as well. We all realise that reptiles are not the most mainstream pets and want to avoid getting a bad rep with the public.

Dang man he called us in the US out😂 I’m sure that has happened or happens at US reptile expos. I’ve never been to one but now I really want to!!! If only the world wasn’t shut down.

I've been in two Reptile Expos, and both of them were extremely bad. I saw a handler duck tape a python's mouth just so that people can take pictures with it. They were also beardies being sold by almost most of the vendors that were in extremely poor health, Chameleons where they were practically all bones and that was my first expo.

i agree with you and love your attitude to this and frankly, all your videos. Keep it up!

Theres always birds in the international centre, i was setting up a booth for a woodworking show and they were everywhere

Floridian here! I’ve only been to one here, but it was pretty normal. It was very small. Mainly leos and bps. It wasn’t amazing but it wasn’t bad either.

The reptile expos down here are AWESOME! We purchased two our best feeders from our expo. They were both healthy and the breeder, SMS morphs, had METICULOUS records. Our expo is head and shoulders above the big box pet store chains. They have the best prices on supplies and food, PERIOD. Keep up the excellent work Adam. Thanks 👍🏾 buddy. Take care ,🇺🇸🇨🇦.

I miss going to the reptile expos here in Ontario

Ooo! Two of my favorite reptile channels interacting

The Repticon that comes to my city has always been a good experience. The breeders want to be there and care about their animals. I watch GoHerping because i’m interested in the content, but I do think he’s a bit too cynical about certain aspects of the hobby

Love this video thank you!

I miss reptile expos!!! I can’t wait until the next one. I’ve purchased many reptiles at expos and this not once come home with mites and it was from the purchase of a plastic hide!!! I washed it with soap and water but now I treat everything for mites before it goes into any of my enclosures!!!

OK I watched both videos. I think you both brought up good points. And I think it very much depends on your location and situation. There are a lot of different opinions and that's OK. I suggest people watch both videos and take what they can from each one.

Thank you for making this video!!!

I try really hard to bring ppl up on the comments, because it is SO easy to squash the very essence out of some nice person by throwing a bunch of shade (no bueno). This is my honest forthright assessment of character. You, Adam, are positive, and have an overall hale fellow well-met attitude that many of your viewers appreciate (maybe some Canadian character seeping out, eh?). Goherping does not share these qualities (he is a whiney downer with only mildly interesting content) , which is why I do not watch or sponsor his channel, regardless of how many Teslas he owns. 'Nuff said. Thanks Adam.

Hey, what size should I use for an adult sized jungle carpet python?

Love the vids👍🏽