Shunned at the Show

[gregmonsta]

It really seems to depend what shops I go into ... I remember a local reptile shop that was bursting with garters about 15years ago ... now I can barely find any -

1) the local exotics shop just opened in town didn't even know that garters are live bearing and is totally clueless when I rattle through the subspecies in my conversation. (Saying that the owner was also bamboozled as to what colour an everglades ratsnake was). They are interested in babies but want them at wholesale rates. I'll keep at them. I think when they see the first few babies they'll change their minds! I refuse to even entertain the thought of letting any of my litters go at WC prices!!

2) Another exotics shop 25mins away recently bought in WC ribbons (~I got Panama from here) ... advertised as sauritus (even after I corrected him) ... advertised as including insects in their diet (even after I corrected him) ... and as far as I know I'm the only one that's bought one so far. He's not interested in CB because they're 'too small and nobody wants them' (although that didn't seem to apply to the hatchling hognoses he had in stock) - ie they don't make me enough money unless I buy WC at £5 each and sell them for £30.

3) Another shop further north advertises them but never has them in stock .... although they have sold CB checkereds in the past.

The good news -
Serpentus Exotics in Dunfermline is great - only buy CB (preferably Scottish), are very knowledgeable, owner used to keep garters, knows who Alan Francis is, have an excellent reputation and ... make a good cup of coffee .... I think I know where I'll be offering my snakies to!!!

I've faced garter snubbery on many a forum. When I ask on a thread for an expo if there'll be any garters there's never an answer ---- when I suggest garters to someone then someone else will pipe in with comments like 'they smell, get a corn' or ' get a royal'.

I spread the word as much as I can ... my friends are all amazed by how active and personable my garters are.

Thank Boots and all of us for giving us this refuge I say!!!

[drache]

I get very vocal when I get those looks
it generally happens at this particular vendor's table; they have something like seven tables with just about every animal on the herp market, and they do often have garters; usually I'm standing right next to some giant with a huge boid wrapped around their arm when I'm asking where the garters are (right by the frogs); the boid speaks for itself and I speak for the garters - usually to the people checking out the frogs, but I try to talk loud enough, so that the boid guy who just gave me the look can hear me

[Tommytradix]

represent Thamnophis R. Radix!!

[Snake lover 3-25]

guess i'm lucky here lol if you say you have a snake people think it's cool no matter what it is.....

[drache]

hm, I just had this conversation with Sean, who's not that much into garters himself, but knows a few people who are, and his statement was: "There's just some people who are into them (shrug) - it's always been like that"
I don't think it's true though; I think it's changing
he thinks I just see them because I'm into them, but I've always been into them - it's what I looked for at the first expo I went to
two years ago even, one would be lucky to find garters at the expo at all; someone might have a couple or a batch of wc something or other and if my vet (the one who left for PA) was there before me, he could usually tell me where to look. now I regularly see cb marcis, and often other species as well, and the quality of what I get to see is improving as well

[prattypus]

Does anyone know of any reptile expos in Colorado>

[MasSalvaje]

Does anyone know of any reptile expos in Colorado>

I know there is the Rocky Mountain Reptile Expo that is in Denver. I believe it is every 6 months. The next one is coming up real soon on May 9th. Here is a link with a little info, I could not find the official site though.

Reptile Show and Event Calendar

Hope this helps!

-Thomas

[sschind]

At the local show I set up at I got a quite a few people looking at the Melanistic Easterns I had and everyone liked my young puget sounds. One guy wondered why I was asking $50.00 for snakes he could catch in his back yard (I asked him how long he was visiting from Wasington state and he didn't get it) but for the most part there was a lot of interest. Of course no one was buying but a lot of people were looking and saying how neatthey were. I'm hoping it continues if my female E. blackneck pops. She looks huge and she is getting ready to shed as I type. I think, if I do get babies and they look as good as the adult did when they were small, I won't have a problem getting rid of them.

[adamanteus]

I think there is a fair amount of interest in Garters 'out there'. I sold all my '08 babies without a problem, and I have orders for more '09 babies than I am likely to produce.

[Stefan-A]

It's going to be interesting to see how difficult it will be to sell my vagrans kids. Frankly, I don't expect anyone around here to understand the difference between different garter species. Everything's "T. sirtalis" around here, no matter what species it actually is.