INDIANAPOLIS — The Midwest Reptile Show will return to the Indiana State Fairgrounds from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 26 at the Southwest Pavilion.
The popular buy and sell trade show for lovers and collectors alike was the conception of Brian Hahn and is now in its 19th year.
“I think the best part of this, I guess, is being able to see everyone come together on one day and seeing that many people interested in reptiles,” he said. “It’s a lot of work, but that’s the most fun, when we have a busy day and you get to know that the business and hobby is still strong and not dying out.”
Hahn said he got the idea for such an event by traveling the Midwest to other shows and realizing Indianapolis could have an event that would be a strong draw.
“At the time, I was a wholesaler of reptiles to pet stores and there was a show in Chicago and one in Columbus, Ohio,” he said. “It just made sense to have one in between them because the other shows were great as far as a business model. So I decided to bring one here and it’s worked.”
The event is a buy and sell trade show, and Hahn says it’s a great place for people to come if they are interested in an exotic reptile related pet. He added that the event is priced so that the animals
cost far less than they would at a pet store.
“Plus, a lot of times, you get to talk to the actual breeder and get a lot of inside information,” Hahn said. “And if nothing else, it’s a great place to get supplies.”
Hahn says the event is a great chance to see a variety of reptiles, highlighting ball pythons, bearded dragons, and chameleons as some of the potential great pets. He also noted that the event is great for families and that reptiles make quality pets for reasons that people often do not immediately consider.
“You see, little kids see stuff for the first time that they’ve never seen before, and every year there are more color morphs of reptiles,” he said. “I’d say that’s one of the most unique things, the new stuff
being produced not necessarily species-wise but color-wise.
“Bearded dragons, corn snakes, or ball pythons are all good pets to start on. There are a lot of parents that don’t want snakes in the house, but the reality is that snakes are way easier to take care of than most other pets. You don’t always need to feed them anything live. With bearded dragons you feed them crickets, but snakes really do make the best pets because if you go on vacation or something like that, you can leave them alone for a week and they’ll be fine. A lot of people hear the word python and think of this monstrous snake, but in reality there is really only a small number of pythons that get big. Most stay small.”
The event is $5 to enter and children ages 8 and younger will be admitted free.
For more information on the Midwest Reptile Show, visit the website at midwestreptile.com.
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