# 06/19/2010 Seattle area Emerald City Reptile Expo PHOTOS



## tortoisenerd (Jun 20, 2010)

It was a great show. I was expecting more vendors, but we had a fun couple hours there. Listened to Jerry Novak from PNW Turtleworks, "Common Sense Keeping of Turtles and Tortoises in the Pacific Northwest". He sure has a laid back approach to keeping torts. Didn't stick around for any of the other speakers. All the good torts got snatched up quickly. It was a two day show, but I doubt there was much of anything left today. 

Highlight of the show for us was "Donatello", a 70 lb Sulcata! They had a photo booth set up where someone took your photo with him, expecting donations. So, no photo of him as I didn't feel like that was a good idea. They were feeding him strawberries with tongs so I hope new Sulcata owners didn't get the wrong idea that strawberries were a good choice. It was cool they had a conservation section where you could handle animals not for sale (I think they were all from the Pacific Northwest Herpetological Society). Many were rescues and their stories were told. Very cool. Strong use of hand sanitizer with individuals requiring you to use it upon entering and exiting the area--that makes me happy. Most of the vendors had it too. I hate when they don't have it at the shows.

It saddened us some very very torts were being sold. Especially one Russian I think that if I picked him up I would have seen his egg sack (they had them in deli containers too small for the hatchlings to turn around, with netting over it so you couldn't pick up the containers).

Didn't find the vendor with the organic flowers like I had seen in Puyallup--I still regret not asking for the contact info from that person as I don't have the means to grow that type of stuff. No T-Rex bulbs either--I ordered mine online when I got home. Didn't spend any money expect the $20 for the two of us to get in. Nicely run for a first-time show. The only things I think they could have done better were to get a larger venue (over-crowded as typical for these things), and to hand out a speaker schedule, as if I hadn't looked up the schedule online and took note of it, we wouldn't have known.

http://www.emeraldcityreptileexpo.com/


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## Maggie Cummings (Jun 20, 2010)

It's interesting to me to see the different care each vendor has to set up their tortoises. From the Yellow/Redfoots in a container that is so small the 2 big tortoises were on top of each other, then many using rabbit pellets for their substrate, to the one person using aspen. I would buy from that vendor simply because of the care they used to show their tortoises. But if I was going to buy any of those animals it would have been that Sulcata with MBD and such bad pyramiding. Did they have anything about that tort Kate? No matter how many times I see that it still breaks my heart and I want to take that tort home and put him in my yard. I just think it's horrific to ruin a tortoise's life like that. I am glad you had a good time, I stopped going to shows because they are always so crowded one can't look at the animals without squishing up against someone else. I just hate to be that crowded. And no Zoomed vendor? You can normally buy your Trex bulbs at shows...

you re always welcome to come down here and take your picture with Bob for free...


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## Missy (Jun 20, 2010)

Thanks for the pics I am going to my first show in Aug or sept Now I know a little more of what to expect.


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## Itort (Jun 20, 2010)

Its interesting that boxies are going for more than Homes and what's with the Testudo cagemate.


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## tortoisenerd (Jun 20, 2010)

I don't think the pyramided Sulcata was for sale--it was one of the ones that PNWHS brought, but maybe he was up for adoption? That was a separate section. I didn't differentiate, so I apologize. I didn't look too closely if they were up for adoption or for education purposes (they had a Russian that had been rescued after being chewed by a dog and shell rot and such, but he actually looked really good--in the last photo with the lady holding two Russians, one she was pet sitting, and the rescue). 

Yes, I was very saddened by a lot of the conditions. Frankly, I would not have bought from any of the breeders based on what I saw. The pet store I got Trevor from was even better than that--I got first hand reports online on them, only captive bred animals, and photos of the enclosures (I forget what they used, but not pellets). Sure he was raised on romaine, but I've heard of worse. I do wish I had gone a different route such as waiting to get a local tort, but everything turned out well. It horrifies me when they mix species and don't let a tort move all day. Strawberries seemed to be the food of the day--I saw three different vendors feeding them to torts that shouldn't have fruit. If a vendor packages a tort on pellets, then I assume the tort was raised on them or else why would they have them on hand? Even the vendor that used mulch was selling wild caught animals because he had run out of captive bred--sorry, but I don't agree with that. Yeah, the vendor with the aspen was about the best there. We talked to them a bit about the animals, and they were really genuine. They however did have species mixed, so that is a big problem in my eyes.

By the way, I don't think T-Rex is by Zoo Med from what I looked up (Zoo Med makes the Powersun). I as told they are going towards only selling them direct. I've never seen them at a show or in a pet store, but its easy enough to buy them online. I got two for $40 each. One vendor was trying to convince me to buy a cheap bulb but didn't argue with me when I said I liked the UVB output of the T-Rex and Mega Ray best. Only the best for Trevor! He was so happy to get a new bulb. He stayed up late basking and I swear he was smiling. hehe

I really want to come meet you and Bob someday--I wish you were more on the way to Portland, as we go down that way often to visit a friend. Sometime if we have more than a weekend we'll have to invite ourselves over.  My husband loves to read Bob stories.

It was also sad to overhear the conversations of the show patrons. One lady was looking for a pair of Russians for her son, and all she cared about was the price. I think she had no idea about the reasons you don't want "a pair" of torts--such as the aggression and potential babies. I think price is bottom of my list when purchasing a tort. People would buy the tiny hatchling in the container where it couldn't move around, and then walk around the show with it for at least two hours (as long as we were there). Sorry, but I would take it straight home and have a larger container in the car for it. Getting jostled around all day at a show is horrible. The 70 lb Sulcata they brought also didn't have any heat and was on a tile floor near the entrance with a draft. Poor thing didn't move the whole time. I would have expected him to be running around. I was scared it was going to take off a kid's finger as they were letting kids hand feed it collard greens, despite having tongs for the strawberries they gave it.


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## Maggie Cummings (Jun 20, 2010)

I currently have 3 Trex bulbs that I bought direct at shows. I did get it wrong about Zoomed so I went and looked at my bulbs and they are Trex. I bought 2 of them at that show last year at Wilsonville. I remember complaining about it being so crowded and I left after getting my bulbs and a large water dish. So I know they were selling at shows last year. It would be too bad if they stopped cuz I love this water dish and guess I'll just have to buy them on-line. I'm about ready for new bulbs I think.
Corvallis is about 100 (roughly) miles south of Portland and maybe 30 miles off I5. It's not convenient to come to Corvallis if you're visiting Portland...... but you are always welcome, convenient or not...


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## ROFLCHOPTER94 (Jun 20, 2010)

And I thought that our local petco was bad


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## tortoisenerd (Jun 21, 2010)

I wasn't expecting to find the bulbs, but I was surprised I came away empty-handed, as I always find a t-shirt, a half log, or some other random item I didn't expect to buy. Really wanted those flowers...I hate that I can't feed Trevor garden stuff. I was close to getting a ramp dish, but last time I bought one I had to return it because Trevor got high-centered trying to get in and out of it. I did see that Terry sinks it into the substrate--that looks like the right way to do it--but I don't think that will help the angle at the top. Different brands have different designs though, and I've seen some that look better than the one we tried out. Pretty soon it'll be time to upgrade Trevor's dish. The current thought is to do a paint tray or plant saucer. Definitely not as easy as his Groovy Jacuzzi though!


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## reptylefreek (Jun 21, 2010)

I almost went to this for the Tarantula portion. But i knew i shouldn't because of everything else that was there. Plus the last show in Tacoma was only 6 bucks per person. I'm cheap what can i say . Thanks for the pics...


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## Treebon (Jun 22, 2010)

Wow looks like a fun time. There is a reptile show that comes through Massachusetts but it was June 10th and I just missed it. They come back around in October so I may go out and pay them a visit. That 200 dollar Leopard had the most amazing shell, and I am always amazed by how nice their shells look. If only I had time for two tortoises hahaha. I should be careful though since my Russian probably wouldn't like me disparaging his shell!


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## chadk (Jun 22, 2010)

I was there on Saturday with my 3 boys. It was too crowded. But a pretty good show for a first time event put on by a small non-profit org like PNWHS.

The outreach area was really nice. You could hold snakes, torts, lizards, etc. When my boys walked past a girl showing a russian tort, she decided to tell them the difference between a tort and a turtle... "the back feet - turtles are webbed for swimming, torts are not" or something like that... I leaned down and whispered to them, so that she could hear, "ask her "what about box turtles"... She looked a little annoyed at that 

That one vender (lll Reptile or something like that) did have tons of critters to sell. But they were so stuffed into small bowls (12 inch lizards in 6 inch cups) and the cups of annimals stacked up in piles, it wasn't very appealing. If you just wanted variety and choices, and OK prices, they had it. But not very animal friendly. Sure, they HAVE to pack them tight for the animals own safety during transport. But when the reach the show, it would be nice to give the animal at leaest enough room to stretch out. And those 2 torts that are stacked on eachother just needed another inch or 2. Clearly those guys were focused on moving product... Can't blame them really, but just not very appealing and I would have given my business elsewhere had I been in the market...


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## Floof (Jun 23, 2010)

Thanks for sharing, Kate! Your pics have me really regretting NOT going... lol!

Anyway, thought this would be a good addition to this thread... The expo made the local news! http://www.king5.com/on-tv/Seattles-cold-blooded-residents-and-those-who-love-them-96933809.html


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