SA Pet Expo

[Fuscus]

The SA Pet Expo is on next weekend (5,6,7 March 2004) at the morphitvale(?) racecourse and the SA herp group will have a stand there. I'll be maning the stand from 10 to 2 on both Saturday and Sunday. Drop in and say hi if you are in the area and meet my waters. I'm the guy who looks like a person you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley.

[stockeh]

that may be true fuscus ... but i have heard that you are really a kitten

[Fuscus]

I've been caught out again!

[Fuscus]

Just completed the first day at the expo, quite an amazing experence. We had a Brown tree snake (as placid as they come ) who spent some crawling along a rope. Of course the animal didn't want to stay there out in the open and had to be repeatedly placed back on the rope. This was the first BTS I've handled, what a beautiful animal. One of the hot keepers ("I've only been hospitalized three times") brought in a yellow fiece snake. A two year old Darwin Carpet was allowed to reside in the space between two cages. He was happy as he thought he was hiding, unfortunatly it meant that I was asked "Do you know that there is a snake there?" every couple of minutes.

But the big attraction was the petting snakes, we had about eight animals (at various times) that we held and allowed the public to touch. There was a couple of costals (5 and eight years respectivly), two adult childrens and a yearling childrens. Plus a very placid Water Python . A highlight was a girl and her magnificent three year old yellow diamond which she wore around her waist, kind of like a serpintine chasity belt.

Almost all the children were fascinated and wanted to touch the animals, some were reluctant but were easily convinced. One two or three year old was absolulty hypotized by the animals, he just constantly repeated "Snakes" while I was in ear-shot. I think he is a future member of APS.

The adult humans reactions ran the gaultlet from absolult love to shear terror. A couple of times a saw women standing 10 meters away making horrified faces at either me or my snake (it wasn't the same horrified face that woman normally make at me). Most Adults didn't mind the snakes as long as they first saw it at a distance.

All in all it was a good day and I think we furthered the cause. I'll be back tomorrow and I'll proberly take my WPs with me again, but I am a bit worried about the snakes stres level.

[stockeh]

good on ya fuscus sounds like a good day out, nothing like seeing the eyse light up on somone when they see feel or touch a snake for the first time...

I think it can only help the future conservation and presivation of a fantastic group of animals, so well done tou you and all others involved :-)

Take care
Matt

[NCHERPS]

Well done Fuscus!

Public education is very important when it comes to snakes, and Expo's like that can win over alot of people!

I used to help out at my local club in the UK, and we used to exhibit and do the touch and feel thing(Snakes and lizards only, before you comment Africafish!)
We got alot of people involved in keeping them, and because they had become members of the club, they learn't the right way to do things, and who and who not to buy from etc..
No duff petshop advice from club members!!

Neil

[africancichlidau]

As if I would Neil, I am devastated

[Fuscus]

I am amazed that the mad fish didn't comment on the chasity belt

Thanks for all the pats on the back but I am only a minor cog in this show. I carefully avoided the organization and setup bits.

[NCHERPS]

The packing up bits are worse!
Has your club managed to pick up many new members?


Neil

[Fuscus]

Day two.
Told that there might be a shortage of pythons so I took 4 with only the big wp used as a petting snake. Aside from my snakes we only had 3 carpets, 3 stimmis, the BTS and the taipan. And yesterdays magnificent diamond turned up late in the day. And heaps of beardeds (We really needed some other types of lizards) Absolute heaps of people went through the display with most people fascinated (including a few of my co-workers).

The BTS was a major pain in the posterior for the first couple of hours, requiring a full time carer. At one stage the snake spun off the rope and landed behind a lady who screamed. Everyone else laughed. After that he settled down and sat quietly on his rope. Most people failed to notice him.

But it was the petting snakes that stole the show again. The big WP had two two-hour sessions with the lighting good enough to show the rainbow sheen. In fact I was asked a couple of times if it was a rainbow snake (NOTE : if you do something like this expect heaps of questions, but most are the same - what kind? How old? How big do they grow? Strangely enough, not one question or comment about Sir Crickey ). The big WP performed perfectly and put up with literally thousands of children petting him. But she had the wanders , or at least wanted to get away from me. Hundreds of children (and a few adults) put out their arms for the snake to crawl on.
One child really stood out, a girl about six , she returned again and again and she was very happy to have the snake crawl on her and was the only person to whom I passed the snake too. I'm certain I have just met a future top zoologist.
Packing up wasn't that difficult. Before I put away the display reptiles I let the diamond girl hold my jungle and it looks like we have something in common - we are both jealous of each others reptiles.

Now to give the snakes a rest, no handling for a couple of weeks. And there is talk of a stand at the Adelaide show.

[stockeh]

how did that convo go with the diamond girl fuscus....

ill let you hold mine if you let me hold yours :-)

[africancichlidau]

I can see the headlines now....

"Diamond Girl Grabs Fuscy's Snake" LOL

[rodentrancher]

Hey Mark, The Rainbow Snake is a big part of the Aboroginal Mythology hey? Cheers Cheryl. (I'm not related to the Indigenous Side of Things. ) but may be the Rainbow Snake thing comes from Your rainbow coloured Water Pythons? From Wayback that is???. Just wondering.?????????????????

[stockeh]

or "fuscus under arrest after grabbing girls diamond"

[Fuscus]

I suppose I asked for that