Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know that the National Breeders Expo in Daytona is the biggest and the NARBC shows are also large, but I was wondering what other shows are pretty big (over 100 vendors) and worth a long drive.

The Hamburg, PA show has over 150 tables (depending on which show it could be over 200) this is also a vemonous show but it is kept to one side of the building and the N.R.B.A shows in Valley Forge, PA and Chicago are very large.

I wasn't terribly impressed with the Phile show last year. The Maryland show at Timonium is much better.

I've only been to a handful of shows in PA, MD, and VA, but I do like MARS the best. It's a weekend event, starting with a dinner fundraiser on Friday night, usually with a slide show or guest speaker. There are educational presentations during the day on Saturday and Sunday, including such topics as building quality box turtle enclosures, how to install a drain in a tank for a poison dart frog enclosure, ect., by keepers from area zoos and the National Aquarium in Baltimore. Saturday night is the big lecture series, by such personalities as Dr. Frye, Dr. Stahl, Bob Clark, Bill Love, and Burt Langerwerf (Agama International). They also have door raffles, educational displays, and bring out Burnadette, the 18' Burmese python, for "Critter Contact".

MARS feels like an event, while Hamburg and Havre de Grace feel simply like shopping.

All procedes from admission to MARS goes to buy rainforest, and a certain amount also goes to IBD research for boas. MARS is captive bred only, and follows all federal and state regulations, so while quality is usually high, you might want to check with a certain vendor or with the MARS organizers if you are looking for a specific species or size of animal.

Katrina

FYI, you can learn more at www.reptileinfo.com

Katrina