The annual Reptile Expo slithers through SLO with exotic creatures, education, and enthusiasm 

Weaving through the Madonna Expo Center demanded a level of caution over the weekend of Oct. 14, especially with a roughly 4-foot-long black-throated monitor lizard relaxing on the floor.

I had to watch my step—that's the effect of the annual San Luis Obispo Reptile Expo. Hatched in 2017 under the watchful eye and thorough networking of reptile aficionado Neil Blatner, the traveling expo gathers reptile businesses from across the country. Blatner and his family run the expo, and they're gearing up for its next iteration in Victorville on Nov. 11 and 12.

In SLO, 55 reptile vendors, captive breeders, and educators milled around the hall and showed off their critters and crawlers. They formed a labyrinth lined with geckos, ball pythons, boas, tortoises, river toads, and bearded dragons, and of course, the black-throated monitor lizard.

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• Photo By Jayson Mellom
• FRIEND NOT FOE After brief educational sessions and instructions, many vendors at the SLO Reptile Expo eagerly allowed visitors to safely interact with their reptiles such as geckos, snakes, and this monitor lizard.

Statue-like, it rested at the center of the maze beside its owners, almost oblivious to the people clicking pictures with it for $5 a flash. Unaware of the lizard's silent presence, one woman accidentally stepped on its tail with a yelp. It remained unperturbed—a testament to its upbringing because if it isn't handled regularly by humans, black-throated monitors may emerge aggressive in captivity.

Elsewhere, throngs of reptile enthusiasts—from little kids and their parents to college students and older adults—scanned the rows of reptiles stocked in candy cases and plastic food storage containers.

"I would die for these creatures," said one visitor as they walked away from a white-throated monitor lizard tank.

Near that tank, Lindsey Chitty of Altitude Exotics oversaw a station of 40 boxes bearing tiny geckos. The West Coast representative of the Denver-based reptile company, Chitty told me on Oct. 15 that it's her dream job, especially since she grew up in Texas catching lizards and frogs with her dad. Now, she owns 42 geckos of her own and most of them are named after food. They include Cookie, Baklava, Chicken, and Banana who also goes by Nana.

"My favorite thing about geckos is just being around them," she said with a laugh. "I love watching them, and I do have some that hang out on my shoulder and be my best friend."

Chitty gently took out a "crestie," or a crested gecko, to demonstrate. Its stunning blond and spiky eyelashes earned it a second name: the eyelash gecko. The miniature lizard slowly climbed into my cupped palm and was velvety soft to the touch. Its sticky paws gripped onto my fingers while it eagerly explored the length of my hands, ultimately finding its way into the fleece lining of my jacket. Soon after, Chitty placed the friendly New Caledonia native back into its box.

"People have this idea that reptiles aren't good companions. They think dogs and cats are better," she said. "I think it's all about the personal experience. If everyone opened their minds a little bit, they could have an incredible experience with [reptiles]."

Michelle Holm of Dean's Reptiles and Rodents has also heard some misconceptions about having a reptile for a pet. Flanked by glass cases containing thick ropes of snake, she told me that the texture of ball pythons and boa constrictors are often misunderstood. In fact, snakes are dry and leathery to the touch.

"Everybody thinks they're too slimy," Holm said. "They're easy to take care of. You feed them once a week."

Holm owns and runs the Santa Maria-based business with her husband, Dean Holm. She's originally from Nipomo where she grew up riding horses. Meeting the reptile-loving Dean sparked a newfound appreciation within her. Now, the couple specializes in breeding ball pythons and boas and operate as a rodent supplier. At home, the Holms look after a reticulated python, an albino Asian water monitor, a tortoise, and a cat and a dog.

Much like dogs and horses, Holm said snakes' moods must be recognized and respected too. Examining how their bodies are coiled in the enclosure is a big indicator.

"You wouldn't just stick your hand in, like you wouldn't stick your hand out to a strange dog," she said with a laugh. "Their eyes gray over when they shed. At that point, they need more space. My horses were the same way."

Other vendors like ROG Reptiles leaned into the creep factor. Owner John West blared Thrice's rock music by his station piled with snakes, bearded dragons, and a collector's edition DVD of An American Werewolf in London among other horror movies. The Apple Valley company opened a reptile shop two years ago, and West said he decided to match "creepy stuff with creepy stuff" by also stocking horror movie paraphernalia.

And the music?

"It's just to break up the noise," West said. "The lizards can hear but the snakes only feel the vibrations."

He's also heard the misinformation that snakes are slimy to the touch and added that some people also falsely assume all brightly colored snakes are venomous.

"But all animal lovers usually like and respect most animals," he said. "In recent years, I've noticed a lot of women are more drawn to reptiles and the men kind of shy away."

That may be true when it comes to a visiting mom-and-son duo.

Accompanied by his mother, 20-year-old Elias Lopez clutched a container bearing a chahoua gecko worth $150 from Santa Maria's Nami Geckos stall. He's a perennial reptile expo attendee, making it to all four iterations since it began in 2017 (barring the two-year pandemic-induced hiatus).

"I like all reptiles," he said. "I just don't want to get the same one all the time."

Lopez already owns a snake named Smitty, two leopard geckos named Salma and Hayek, and a uromastyx or a spiny-tailed lizard named Madness.

"I don't mind them, but his dad hates them!" Lopez's mother said.

His biggest advice for first-time reptile owners: Do your research. Lopez prefers to stay updated through Zoo Med Laboratories. The 45-year-old SLO company comprises reptile hobbyists who provide reptile supplies, accessories, habitats, and education. Zoo Med sponsors promotions and product support to the expo's vendors, and even passed out hundreds of free tickets to the event, which usually sell for $15 each.

Education is one of the pillars of the expo. Every vendor stressed its importance, taking special care to dispel fearful notions. Paul Schuldt and his wife, Lanor Messenger, of SLO's Tropics make education a part of their daily mission.

"We pride ourselves on being well researched, and if we don't know, we try to find out," Schuldt said. "We teach people how to research and cross check on their own."

Messenger, in turn, answered my burning question: Why are live reptiles stored in plastic bins with coconut chips? She sent me on my way with new knowledge as a parting gift:

"Food storage containers work really well!" she said with a laugh. "Coconut holds moisture really well, is renewable, doesn't splinter, and keeps them safe." Δ

Reach Staff Writer Bulbul Rajagopal at [email protected].