Retail Vs Reptile Shows

[universalfire1113]

I have been researching leos for a couple months now and have not found much info about the best way to get them. So if you know about the retail pet industry or reptile shows id greatly appreciate your advice.

Thanks

 

[grboxa]

My first was from a petstore and hes been nothing than perfect super active and healthy from the jump. I had 1 problem so far with him but that was my fault it happened. A month later I purchased one more from a breeder at a expo and the same experience, shes been doing absolutley perfect so far, extremely shy though. You will hear back and forth answers with this question. Some people had horrible experiences with retail, and some with breeders directly but if you have a breeder in mind usually the best route to go would be from a breeder, you also recieve exact information about your gecko like d.o.b and what not. If your going to retail, scope multiple stores out, see what conditions there living in and try and pick the best one in your eyes you can:main_thumbsup:

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Depending on where you're located, there may be shows or a breeder in your area. We have a lot of shows within a few hours of where we live. There's a sticky at the top of this section listing many breeders and their locations. If you google Repticon, you can see if there's shows you may be able to attend.

 

[artes]

You might as well go for retail if that's easier. I've bought three bearded dragons from reptile shows from breeders, and all three have had health problems. Hagrid was the best off - he's only a foot short for his age, his nostrils were clogged with old skin, he had some breathing problems (as a result of the skin I'm guessing) and he has some missing toes.

I just got two this Saturday - one seemed healthy, and one was obviously a rescue. The "healthy" one had a upper respiratory infection and mites. The rescue has MBD, a bloody foot, keeps losing nails, and has mites. -_-

Edit: Or you could order from a reputable breeder from this site of course. I'm just moody over my poor dragons.

 

[LZRDGRL]

Here's the Reptile Show and Event Calendar. Make your pick...

It depends on what you want to do with your geckos once you have them. If you intend to breed, don't get them from a pet store, since you'll only buy a certain phenotype (what they look like) there and won't get informed about the genotype (what they're het for). This means, you can't breed them without having (sometimes unwanted) surprises, and nobody will buy a mystery gecko from you. Thus, if you want to breed in the long run, get your animal from a breeder who tells you the hets.

If you just want a pet, you might as well get it from a pet store, because that's cheaper. They have mostly Normals, Tangs, and Blizzards. You won't find anything special there. Don't buy from pet stores who keep their hatchlings on sand or in overcrowded cages, and don't buy any animals with skinny-looking tails. Don't buy animals with stuck shed on skin and body, because it's either bad husbandry or the animal has shedding issues. Avoid buying "rescues" unless you run a rescue facility and are prepared for that, since they will cause you high vet bills and might decline, anyway, taking your other animals with them if you get cross-contamination if you make a quarantine mistake.

If you want to make a good deal, go to one of the reptile shows in/around your area and pick one up in person. You can talk to the seller about genetics, and you won't have to pay a middle man (a pet store owner). You can get good prices at shows. Just make sure you buy from a real gecko breeder and not somebody who is specialized in snakes and acquired a handful of geckos in a trade and wants to get rid of them. In this case, you won't hear anything of the genetics, either.

Screen any animal you buy for health issues, and if in doubt, have a fecal exam done to rule out parasites. Get the name, email, and address of the seller, so you can return a sick animal and get reimbursed. Always inquire about live-arrival guaranties, and what the sellers terms and conditions are, especially with regard to refund and in case the animal was sexed wrong.

Be aware that shipping time is over for this year for many breeders, as it gets too cold to ship livestock. Some still ship, so inquire! Shipping is about $50, so make sure the gecko you buy is worth it. If you just want a Normal, it's cheaper to get it from a pet store. If you want a special morph, get it from a breeder, and if you want two animals, be wise, get them from the same source, and combine shipping. :main_yes:

Generally, the rule holds true: "you get what you pay for"! Pet stores are to buy "pets" at, as the name implies; if you want high-quality breeder animals, get them from a breeder.

Chrissy


P.S. There are some reptile shows that are not on the Event Calendar. For example the St. Louis Reptile Show. Use google to find additional shows in your area. Oh, and here are the Repticons, this is the Midwest Reptile Show in Indianapolis, IN, and this is the KRE (Kentucky Reptile Expo 2012). Most shows have their own website, where you can see a vendors' list and email vendors to see whether they'll come and what they will have.

 

[GeckoDude31]

^great post!

 

[nater]

This is all obviously opinion.

Best would be to buy from a breeder that you've been able to observe on a forum. You'll know the age of your gecko, how its been cared for before you got it, you'll be able to be more selective, you'll possibly have an ongoing relationship with the breeder on the subject of your gecko's care, etc.

Its a pretty steep drop from there. After that I'd say it depends on what you want. Barring the above option, if you're looking for a certain morph or whatever, you're going to wind up at a reptile show. If you want convenience, you're going to wind up at a pet store.

 

[Russellm0704]

You could always look into craigslist, there are some geckos there that need to be rescued, I have 2 craigslist geckos

 

[5HiddenLizards]

You could always look into craigslist, there are some geckos there that need to be rescued, I have 2 craigslist geckos

+ 1

There are so many reptiles people are trying to get rid off on craigslist. I kicked myself once I realized it. We could have gotten all our lizards off there instead of supporting the stores.

~via Tapatalk~

 

[universalfire1113]

Thanks everyone! Defiantly gonna go with reptile shows so I can have a big selection to pick from and talk to experienced breeders. Might want to breed in the future if I have the time for them. I went to craigslist and found a healthy and friendly adult male gecko with cage and most accessories he needs for only 35! Will be posting pictures soon

Ethan

 

[artes]

Awesome! I look forward to pix!