READING EAGLE (Pennsylvania) 04 December 05 Reptile invasion in Hamburg - About 1,500 attend the Northwestern Berks Reptile Show in the borough's field house to see snakes, chameleons, lizards and one alligator. (Erin Negley)
The young 6-foot alligator was far bigger than the tiny frogs, yellow-leg centipedes and crawling king snakes in the Hamburg Field House.
And it will get even bigger up to about 18 feet when fully grown.
Dr. Randon D. Feinsod, a New York City veterinarian, freed the alligator from its plastic bin and said looks can be deceiving.
Although lethargic in the cool air, the alligator can jump five feet in warmer weather, Feinsod said.
The big gator, centipedes and snakes were among dozens of reptiles and other creeping creatures for sale Saturday at the quarterly Northwestern Berks Reptile Show in the field house.
More than 100 vendors and about 1,500 spectators attended the event.
Some people who bring their animals to sell at the shows eventually give them to such groups as the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Sean Casey Animal Rescue, which Feinsod runs.
The group takes in unwanted animals, makes sure they're in good health and finds them new homes.
But while many of the snakes, lizards and insects found new homes Saturday, some other creatures weren't as lucky: Several vendors sold rabbits, mice and chicks as pet food.
And as of late afternoon, no one had paid the $100 for Feinsod's alligator.
Other prices ranged from 70 cents for a feeder mouse to $1,400 for a rare snake.
Audry P. Payne of Clairmont, N.C., drove about 500 miles to attend the show with 230 green chameleons that she sold for $40 each.
The chameleons climbed over each other in heated cages; each one moved its eyes to focus on different objects at the same time.
“Their eyes move independently,” Payne said. “They're super cool.”
While the outside temperature was in the 30s Saturday, heat packs kept the reptiles warm as their new owners took them home, said David J. Hess, president of K&D Enterprises, the Sinking Spring company that runs the show.
He said the show gives the vendors and buyers a chance to help dwindling species.
“The more natural habitats that get cleared, like in the rain forest, the less habitats the animals have to reproduce naturally,” Hess said. “This gives breeders a chance to propagate a species.”
And people can get a unique pet, to boot.
Robert W. and Dawn L. Camburn of Doylestown, Bucks County, searched for geckos and a corn snake.
Robert said that when he and his wife had children, he had to trade his 8-foot boa constrictor for smaller corn snakes.
“Corn snakes are easy to handle, and they're 4 to 5 feet, tops,” he said.
“With four kids, you're kind of limited on space,” Dawn added.
Reptile invasion in Hamburg - About 1,500 attend show