Guest Author - Peyton Creadick

Snakes, snakes, and more snakes at the North Atlanta Trade Center!

The first reptile and amphibian show I attended was about twelve years ago. It was small, and there were plenty of things to see. It took place in a VFW hall and was nothing compared to this show. Things have certainly changed! It’s been years since I’ve had the opportunity to check out a local show. I was not disappointed! There was a lot to see despite the show taking up only a third of the Trade Center’s available space. They could have spread the tables out to be kinder to the paying guests, but the quality and variety of the animals far outweighed the cramped quarters.


The Animals
I was surprised by the number of ball pythons. The different morphs were impressive to see in person, and the prices ranged anywhere from sixty dollars into the tens of thousands. The pinstripes are beautiful as are the pieds.I’ve been longing for a pied ball python since they were upwards of $14,000. These days, they’re in the thousands instead of the tens of thousands. Perhaps, some day, a pied will be mine!

In addition to the ball pythons, there were red-tail and common boas, leopard geckos (in a variety of morphs), crested geckos, emerald tree boas (gorgeous), gargoyle geckos, a variety of other geckos in small quantities, true chameleons, hairless rats, various colubrids, pacman frogs (more than expected), red-eye tree frogs (captive bred), dart frogs, hairless mice, hairless guinea pigs (a new experience for me), and rabbits.


Feeder Trend
The majority of the rodents available, with the exception of one particular stand, were hairless. I was very intrigued to see all the hairless rodents. Is it a feeder trend, I asked myself, or an exotics trend? From a feeder standpoint, it would certainly make sense.

Besides the rodents, there were the usual containers of meal worms, superworms, and boxes upon boxes of crickets.


Accessories
At the back of the show there was a large selection of herp related t-shirts and custom-made cages and stands. I was impressed, but the creator needs some time to improve before I’ll buy. He’s off to an excellent start, but the glass doors were awkward.

Besides the custom cages in the back, several breeders had some small custom cages perfect for small snakes and terrestrial geckos. There were hide boxes, cage decorations, cricket feed, cricket water options, misting options, etc. Ultimately, despite the smallish size of the show, there was something for everyone.


For the Kids
At the front of the building, there was a small area set aside with chairs filled with children. Some adults were standing around, but the shows seemed more geared towards occupying the children and educating them while the adults wandered the isles looking and buying. The kids were exposed to a variety of reptiles while simultaneously staying out of trouble.


Summary
All in all, it was an interesting experience. The price of ten dollars per person was a little high for the size of the show. I didn’t buy anything, because the variety of Crested Geckos was not what I had hoped, and the handful of fat-tails available were normal phase fat-tails (mostly with tails telling wild caught tales), but I was very tempted by some of the less expensive ball pythons.

Despite the slightly high prices, I would recommend shows given by Next Generation. As of this writing, there is no schedule of shows on their site, so I can’t confirm whether they intend to remain local or will be organizing shows in other areas. Keep your eyes glued to the newsletter for updates.