Tips Please

[GeckoMandi]

I'm going to my first reptile show this weekend, and I've already checked the breeder listings and theres a few that will have leopard geckos!

I was wondering if yall could give me a few good pointers on what to look for, I know general health questions, eating etc. But I'm sure i'll miss something and I also hope I don't come home with 5 new leos lol. My goal is to buy 2 at the most, Blizzard is #1 on that list!

Also does anyone know if you can buy like millworms in bulk at these things? I stopped crickets I couldn't take it anymore, lol.

 

[Grinning Geckos]

Wear blinders...HAHAHA

Don't buy anything the first trip around. Just browse, ask questions, but don't buy. After you've seen everyone, and have seen what they have to offer, then choose what to buy and who to buy from. Buy your blizzard FIRST, then go for anything else that catches your fancy. It helps to bring cash only....then you can only spend so much money!

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

When picking out geckos, make sure they are well nourished and alert. Shows will stress out the animals, so it may not always be feasible to handle them... but look for things like kinked tails and over/under-bites, and avoid them. Ask question of the breeders... stuff like "what they are eating, how much/often, what substrate have they been on, and especially what kind of health guarantee they offer". Avoid the '12 Geckos for $100' bins... they are usually full of hatchlings and babies that have been raised in mills.

Oh yeah... most of the shows I vend at have feeder mealworms for sale.

 

[GeckoMandi]

Ok those are great tips!

I'm going to print all these tips and add some extras.

( I get bored at work and start randomly printing stuff) lol

 

[Brian O]

Also try to find someone that actually breeds what they sell. I have been burned in the past by perfect babies that withered after I took them home. Their only response being we bought them from some guy.

 

[GeckoMandi]

Thanks for all the great tips!

I'm going to take my camera too, hopefully I can snap some cool pics! see yall saturday!

 

[Arconna]

If it acts like it hates you, it's probably healthy. I don't mean like ignores you, but literally gives you an attitude. It's worked for me anyway. The first time I handled Noodles (from GGG) at the show, he jumped right out of my hand, gave me a look, and I knew right then he was the one for me .
My beardie always gives me that cute sideways beardie stare too.

Okay, yeah that was a joke.
But it's very very important to see how active they are. They should look around, not be laying down or anything like that. When you peep in at them they should be standing up, maybe some will be skittish, just don't take anything that is 'taking a nap'. It's not a good indicator of a healthy animal, at least not in my experience.
Also, in my experience, buying from reputable breeders in the animal you're interested in has better results. The guy I got from Marcia is HUGE. I gained something like 25 ounces in the last 2 and a half weeks ever since I got him to stop being stubborn over crix. He's active, healthy, and has yet to contract any disease that I couldn't stop (what I mean is a condition that was either genetic or came with him...all the problems I've had are my fault lol). Not all breeders are good, obviously, but give breeders more consideration than say "Bill's Reptile Pets" where all the animals were wholesale or something. LLL Reptile, so I hear, has a good reputation as a pet store, but I can't speak from experience for them, and they probably would be the only pet store I would buy a reptile from.

Oops, forgot one thing. You might not see it, but if any of the animals you look at have a stool in with them in their little keeper thing, look at it. If it looks real mushy and just doesn't look quite right, avoid like the plague. If multiple leo's are kept together and there is one mushy poo in there, avoid all of them because whatever that one leo has the others likely have as well. Trust me, I'm dealing with worms right now, it spreads like wildfire...

Anywho, hopefully you find some cuties and you HAVE to share!

 

[GeckoMandi]

I'm in Raleigh, NC now turns out they have wireless internet at this hotel!

We are going tomorrow morning to the show, it's also FREAKIN COLD here like 58 burrr I brought nothing but shorts and tanks! Plus rain from Ernesto