Calgary TARAS show

[JeffT]

Well today was day 1 of the show, I thought it was GREAT. I got to meet tons of people and see lots of great stuff. I also bought a huuuge female leopard and two African Emperor Scorpions.

Unfortunately I was only there 3 hours as I had hockey tryouts right smack-dab in the middle of the show. But I will deffinately be back tomorow for longer. What did everyone else get there????

Jeff Terborg

[Laurier]

I thought it was great, but I had to go in the morning to set up than leave for work right away and i didn't get back untill 2:30. I will be there all tomorow with my poison frogs hopefully the rest will sell but there was alot of interest

laurier

[gonesnakee]

Yeah the new venues not so bad. I didn't like the parking scene so much, but all the University Girls & Herp "Eyecandy" made up for the short walk heh heh ; ). I PU my new yearling Hi-yellow female JCP from SCALES ZOO, but I have been holding back on purchasing & trying to focus on sales. Hard to do because there was some cool stuff today. The Mandarin Rat snakes Angus had were hard to pass up & his buddy had some way cool turtles from Vietnam also. I have my eye on a sweet adult pair of Hi Yellow adult JCP's, but the asking price of $1000 isn't doable at present & he ain't looking to trade, DOH! Well tomorrows another day of bartering etc. so I may bring em home yet we'll see. Anyhow I have snakes to deal with, Ciao for now, Mark I.

[Trell]

I didn't like the parking scene so much, but all the University Girls

Heh heh - I wanted to stop in and say hi to you Mark, but everytime I went by your booth you were too busy chatting up those sweet young things!
Mac Hall is definitely a nice place for the show though. I bought another Leo for my oldest daughter, and a lot of supplies. I still really like those Black Beauties you have Mark. Maybe next year.

Reid

[JeffT]

Ah men to that one Mark, Im takin pictures of more then just reptiles tomorrow ;)

[Ron]

Mark too funny, I bought the pair of Red Mandarin Rat Snakes and a Black Breasted Leaf Turtle from Jon. I wasn't planning on buying anything but how often do you see Red Mandarin Rats in Canada. I hope not to buy anything tomorrow but that probably won't happen.

Ron

[Greg West]

I just bought Lauriers bronze and turquize auratus frin Laurier. I was eyeing it all day. I hate small crickets, but really wanted the dart frog

Greg

[gonesnakee]

Trell/Reid - you must mean the Eastern Indigos (Black) or the Vietnamese Blue Beauties (doh, too many ssnakess lol)

Ron - Sounds like you bought all the stuff I wanted DOH! or I mean thx for helping save me coin, (.....must sell snakes.... not buy snakes...) Call me up if ya want to trade for a bunch of Cal-Kings or better yet non-established Greybands LOL.

See everyone tomorrow for another Funfilled Day brought to you by the good people of TARAS. THX Mark I.

[Greg West]

I am going to get Lauriers turquoize auratus from him tomorrow. I was eyeing it all day. I hate small crickets, but really wanted the dart frog

Greg

[Katt]

OOh I'm soo jealous!!! We had to miss the show b/c Vanan couldn't get time off work. Arrrrr.... Mark, isn't that li'l JCP girl just awesome!! When Sheila pulled her out we went WOW!

I have to ask how much did the mandarins go for? CB or WC?!

What else was seen?!

[gonesnakee]

Katt - Adult WC Mandarins $125 each. Captive hatched female "yearling" $300 & a yearling or so male LTWC $200. Mark I.

[Katt]

OOoooooOOooo, I would like to have seen those. Not that I'm too into mandarins, beauties being my prefered asians, but wow.

Not that I'd waste money on WC adults, but the younger ones, those are workable.

[JeffT]

Yeah Im gonna try not to buy anything today (sunday) too, but we all know it wont happen lol.

[JeffT]

Well back from the show, again, and I picked up 1.1 Forest Scorpions and a male velvet gecko.

[ciliatus902]

Well, I sold my large arboreal cage and male crested gecko, which was a relief. I also picked up an adult female hypo golden and a baby female stripe from Julie Banighen, who was extremely nice and knowledgable, and an amazing juvenile male hypo pastel from Dan. To Dan, thanks for the gecko and please let me know about its age, and to Julie, it was very nice meeting you and the geckos are doing great. Thanks guys,

Mike

[JeffT]

Awsome, I got my 1.1 Forest Scorps from Tim B, very good to deal with.

[HetForHuman]

yeah it was a good show, i was there both days and got 0.2 ball pythons, 1 from david kwok and one from tyrone, Thanx guys.
And also got a really nice lookin 4 1/2 foot male columbian BCI to go with my female :) Thanx to kyle kunimoto for him.

I didnt plan to bring home more than a boa but ahhh you know how it goes.

And it was really good to meet all of you too.

[geckoguy157]

well i went there just for one day it was nice to meet you all and well i went there saying nope not gonna buy anymore leopard geckos i left with 2 female blizzard lizards and 1 female super hypo tangerine from the gecko corall lol they were such nice looking geckos i had to get them and i got 2 fire skinks and a halmarah gecko from lowel shaw and i got my pictus gecko from julie thanks you guys

[Tim and Julie B]

Originally posted by JeffT
Well back from the show, again, and I picked up 1.1 Forest Scorpions and a male velvet gecko.

You better take care of those scorpions Jeff. Now I know what you look like. Glad you like them. TB

And Laurier you had the table right beside us!

Ron I was standing right beside you when you got the mandarines. Nice pick!

It was great meeting everyone. We had a great time.

[Ron]

Hey Tim,

I can't seem to find any info on the Zaocys dhumnades we got, do you have any links to good care sheets?

Ron

[Katt]

Ok, who exactly was selling all these neat "rat snakes"?!

[Greg West]

Angus Lee was selling them from Desert Designers.

Greg West

[Ron]

Hey Greg,

Not to be nit picky but Angus is Probreeder and Jon is Desert Designers. They are different businesses but are closely connected.

Katt,

Probreeder is based in Hong Kong so Angus has many Asian species available to him. I'm waiting for him to send me different Mandarin Rat morphs and locales but I think the Reds I bought are a good start. The male I bought has been eating for Angus for several months so I don't think he'll be a problem. I think the female has only eaten once but he has only had her for a month. If your interested in any Asian Rats I can ask him if he'll ship some over or you can send him an email directly.

Ron

[Greg West]

I thought of posting that, but Jon had said they were working together.

I probably should have just put that so it would have been more clear

Greg

[Ron]

Yeah, alot of their bigger projects are joint ventures but they still have projects of their own. Speaking of joint projects did you check out their amel Fat-tails......too cool.

Ron

[Greg West]

Yup they were preety nice. They had really nice display nimals as well. I really liked the idea of having the hockey card type descriptions on every cage. It was a nice touch in my opinion. I might just have to borrow that idea of I ever get babies

Greg

[Wuntu Menny]

Well, I had good time aside from the sleep deprivation. I think a big thanks is in order to all that contribited to making it happen.

We found new homes for many of our offspring and thinned the herd to a manageable number. The trades were great and we picked up a jumbo gargoyle gecko from DNA, thanks again David. Also, in a trade brokered by the always shrewd Angus Lee, we obtained a beautiful specimen of N. milli (Underwood's) from Jon at Desert Designers. Thanks guys, enjoy your Hamaheras, and its good to see you and your amazing animals back, Angus!

It was nice to put some faces to names at last. We met a lot of new ppl and got to share a few laughs with those we only see at these events. I can't wait to see those pix posted! Ssnakess certainly has the potential to field a truly world class karaoke team! LOL

A great time all around, thanks Tim, Tammy, Greg, Pat, Annette, Philip, Karel, and everyone else that had a hand in putting it all together. I'm looking forward to the spring show already!

WM

P.S. I seem to be missing a banded krait, if it turns up in anyone's stuff, let me know.

[Wildkingdom]

HI Guy's,
Thank You WM!!!
well it's good to hear everyone had great time at the show. Alot of work but it turned out wonderful. It was great to see everyone there and meet alot of new people!! I thank all the exhibitors for being so patient with the loading dock!!! The next show is at the ogden legion April 24 and 25 and I look forward to seeing you all again.

Tammy

[Wildkingdom]

It's was a sucessful show. All I brought home this year was a male Jacksons chameleon. I would like to thank everyone who came. The organizing takes alot of work but it's the people that come who make the show a success. Thanks all.


Tim

[Tim and Julie B]

Wasn't sleep deprivation the theme this show? :D

First off. I would like to thank all the T.A.R.A.S. members for putting on such a good show. When we rolled into town and saw the huge billboard with the advertisement on it I was stoked. It was our best show by far. It was our friends first show. He brought ten chams and sold out in the first hour. Wow.

JeffT I had no idea you were you! haha

Ron Those Mandaran rats are actually two different morphs. The light one is the red phase and the darker red is the "cherry" phase. To cool. I will post what little I know about Zaocys dhumnates in the general snake forum just incase someone has something to add.

Pro Breeders/Desert Designers card sets were an excellent touch. That was a really good idea. I wish you got one when you purchused the reptile! Although I guess that would get expensive. haha Reptile trading cards! I trade you a Red eyed tree frog card for a Cal king and a Bearded card. I can see it now.

As far as what I got. I think I just funded Mark Isbee's (Gonesnakee) next project. I got a nice gift (totally surprised) of a pair of Grey banded kings (thanks Julie), an albino striped (flawless) and a friend and I split on a lavendar albino project. I got a beautiful male Goini Florida King from Annette to pair up with my bitchy female. Two Zaocysdhumnates (Wu Shao She) from Angus as well as a E. carinata yonaguniensis ( I know not the yellow one but I am still happy) and I traded for a great big Mexican blonde Tarantula! So nice!!! And I finally sold my first aracnids in Calgary! I was beginning to think you were all crazy!

What can I say about the Karioakee (wow how the hell do you spell that?) Is I will never....ever be able to hear Summer Nights again without thinking of Tim singing both parts (male and female) and Invictus raising the roof and doing the corus. I was laughing so hard I pulled a muscle in my side.

All in all it was a great weekend! TB

[Ron]

Hey Tim,

I was under the impression that the amount of red varied but all were still the same morph. Can you recommend some reading material on them too? I can find very basic care sheets but I can't find a detailed one or much info on morphs. I wonder what an Albino will be worth....................mmmmmmmmmm Albino.

Ron

[Tim and Julie B]

I was really close to buying them but I have had bad experiances with WC Man. in the past. But when Angus was trying to sell them to me he told me that they were two differnt morphs. Althougth they are so similar I personally would have no problem breeding the two together. Try www.ratsnake.com or if you can somehow speak Chinese I found a site that has good pics of the different morphs as well as a lot of other cool snakes.
http://unireptile.com/reptile/Snake/China_Snake_web.htm

[Brock]

Well, you know I just HAVE to ask this questions. What kinds of chameleons were at the show????????

-Brock

[Greg West]

Not as many as usual as Connie from Arboreal Exotics was not in attendance, but there were some. There was someone who brought so CB baby jacksons, and a bunch of veilds. Im not sure if there were others or not, but that is what I remembered seeing.

Connie should be at next years shows. She always has tons of different types of chameleons

Greg West

[TheRedDragon]

Invictus and I had a BLAST. We were helping Scales Zoo out at their table, and man is that tiring work! *L* But working with Sheila and Ryan was an awesome experience, you guys rule! :) Karaoke on Saturday was a blast...I loved it when Tammy was serenaded! *LMAO*!

Anyways, of course, Invictus and I couldn't leave empty handed. :D

Invictus accquired a WICKED Terrarium from Greg West, and a BEAUTIFUL 6ft male BCI with high black & two female Columbian Rainbow Boas (which are total sweethearts) from Scales Zoo.

I picked up 1.1 BPs from Scales Zoo, the male is a beautiful black back and they're both absolute sweethearts. And, on Tuesday, I'm getting a female Pink Toe Tarantula from Riverfront. :)

I'm not too sure if Invictus thanked everyone, but, thanks everyone! It was awesome meeting you all and especially partying with you guys! ;)

[DNA Reptiles]

I guess I was the last one home today, but that comes with maturity!!
I would like to thank the TARAS Executive for their hard work - without their efforts a new venue could have been a disaster.
I have never been very good at remembering names, but faces I never forget, so thanks for a great week-end goes to Walter, Lowell, Steve Chandler and his lovely lady, Tim Smith and his daughter Stacey for their help, Scott, Jason and Henry and all the smiling faces and "pierced navels" that adorned the building.
I hope to see you next year..... Dave S.

[Wildkingdom]

LOL....Tim....I can't listen to summer nights either without hearing Tim....sooo funny!!!

Tammy

[Kara]

Well this time I did not leave a show empty handed!!! I might have gone a bit overboard but how often does a great show like come around?? To start with I would thank everyone who helped me and my boyfriend out, and my crazy friend who freaked at all the spider molts:) And to everyone who we meet here.
So here it goes, I will get pics up asap: I got three red-eyed tree frogs, 2.2 leopard geckos( 1 tr.albino, 1 hypo, 1 patternless het for RW, and 1 hypo tang) and I got the cutest little Childerns python ever!!!!!!!!!! After seeing her my BF deceided to get one of his own, so he got a boy:) And he also picked up the nicest male veiled, so big too! So needless to say the ride home was a bit packed;) But that's all good............I am still so excited, Yipee

[Laurier]

ahh well it looks like all of my frogs sold, but i couldn't go home empty handed so i picked up a bearded dragon from dna reptiles, and wow he has some amazing colors in him and ate right away. next show i am hoping to pick up a borneo short tail python or a ball python, can't wait. well it was a good show and hopefully we will be back at the u of c next year.

[Invictus]

Well, RedDragon already covered the thanks from our end. I can't wait for the next one. It's always so depressing when the teardown begins at the end of the show. It was also nice to meet some of you for the first time (Kara who FINALLY said hi to us, Wuntu Menny, Tim & Julie, David Kwok, etc.)

But, as usual, I forogt my digital camera on both days, so I have no pictures to share. :D But, I did get pics of our new acquisitions which will be posted shortly.

[Tim and Julie B]

Originally posted by Kara
To start with I would thank everyone who helped me and my boyfriend out, and my crazy friend who freaked at all the spider molts:)

A lot of people freaked out about that T molt. One girl started to cry. I thought it was a good educational peice which it was because no one knew that T's did that, so I explained the process about a million times. But wow some of the reactions.........I will have to bring a bigger one next time! :D TB

[DNA Reptiles]

Kara...The children's pythons you mentioned in your previous post....were they the ones you bought from David? He's not the greatest bookkeeper and forgot to put a name on the invoice!! Also was the veiled chameleon one of ours as well?
Hope you enjoy all your new acquisitions - it's like Christmas early isn't it......Andrea.

[Tim and Julie B]

Dave was just teasing me with those Savu pythons! Awsome snakes.

[Kara]

Andrea: Yes we did buy the Childerns from David....feed them last night and wow were they ever fast at taking the food! I was so happy and proud:) The chameleon was the big boy that....the name is escaping me right now but I will find it in a bit, he had a lot of spiders and other arachnids, ear tunnels.....I will have to find the name now or I will go crazy!!!!!!
And yes, I know I FINALLY said hi to Erin and Ken;) I was very nice to finally meet you too:)
I will post some pics very soon, once I actually get some spare time.
But I did come up with a name for the little childerns, it is: Keilana, it means adored one. Pretty huh!

[DNA Reptiles]

Hi Kara - Glad you liked the children's pythons - they sound as if they are settling in very well already - the book-keeping is up to date!!
Thanks.....Andrea.