Several vendors were missing at the Fall 2017 Wasatch Reptile Expo due to the Sacramento show being on the same weekend, but I’ve gotta say, our local vendors and breeders put out an excellent show!
This season’s rankings ignore the big box vendors/stores (whom we love very much), but moving forward, I want to give more credit to our hard-working breeders. <3
All prices have been edited out of the photos, as expo prices are special deals and I don’t want to ruin the market for these breeders.
Honorable Mention: PetConnect
Smart habitat technology is on the horizon, and PetConnect is on the cutting edge. Their current prototype plugs in to up to four devices, measures temperature and humidity, and all of it can be controlled via an app on your smartphone. They’re still adding features and working out the kinks, but I’m excited to see it go live in about a year or so.
10. Inked Up Reptiles
Inked Up Reptiles offered a nice variety of quality snakes at his booth. Of special note was a lovely enchi clown morph female.
9. Don’s Garter Snakes
Don is one of just a few garter snake breeders in the US. Although he didn’t have much to sell due to a major setback last year, it was good to see his booth again. Some highlights from his display include California red-sided garters, a melanistic wandering garter, and an albino plains garter. He had a good sense of humor, too!
8. Prismatic Reptiles
Prismatic Reptiles became the talk of the expo by displaying hatchling CBB horned lizards! They were so tiny and spiky and cute, but not for sale (yet).
7. Bertopia Geckos
Bertopia Geckos is known for selling crested geckos with very high quality genes. But to be honest, this time around I found myself fixated on her dirty-patterned cresties. So unique! The first one below is my personal favorite.
6. Australian Addiction Reptiles
Australian Addiction Reptiles brought diversity to the expo with their second-generation CBB western Stimson’s pythons (LOVE those eyes), as well as a possible world’s first super pastel mojave sugar ball python!
5. Nightshift Exotics
My favorite part of seeing Nightshift Exotics this expo was their freaking ADORABLE gargs. It’s a good thing that the red one was a breeder because otherwise he would have come home with me for sure. I did, however, pick up a couple of her crested gecko stickers for my laptop. 🙂
4. JB Leopard Geckos
JB Leopard Geckos offered a diverse selection of beautiful, healthy leopard geckos and very reasonable pricing. My favorite this expo was a striking White and Yellow Radar Enigma female with ruby red eyes (middle).
3. Red Rock Retics
Richard Bilbo is the best reticulated python breeder in Utah, and quite possibly in the United States (in my humble opinion). He doesn’t just breed and maintain these snakes — he really understands them, inside and out. All of his juveniles are perfectly tame, beautifully colored, and in excellent health. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: when I finally get a superdwarf retic, it will be from him.
2. Mark’s Ark
Mark’s Ark always offers an excellent selection of beautiful animals, including rarer species like green tree monitors and black-throat monitors, as well as a variety of essential reptile supplies. But like I stated at the beginning of this article — I’m here to tout breeders, not stores. So the credit for this expo’s #2 spot actually goes to breeders Bryan Rose and Clark Timothy (whose stock happened to be part of the Mark’s Ark display). They presented some particularly beautiful snakes this season, a candino ball python and a couple moonglow boas!
1. Gargoyle Queen Reptiles
Gargoyle Queen really went all out in this fall. With awesome handmade backgrounds, striking artwork, crazy patterned cresties, and future plans for breeding slender prehensile tailed geckos (Correlophus sarasinorum), hers was a must-visit table.
Did you go to an expo this weekend? What did you get (or what was your favorite reptile to see)?
Go ahead and brag in the comments (they’re there for a reason)! 😉
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Ha ha! The gargoyle geckos were derpy. I do like the look of the cresteds, though.