Geckos, scorpions, snakes and spiders were among the species for sale during the Vancouver Reptile Expo's most recent visit to Nanaimo.
Bruce Carr, expo organizer and owner of the business Arachnophiliacs, created the show to connect with people in the community and showcase his animals.
"A lot of people think reptiles are disgusting, or slimy, which is not true – they don't have any slime," he said.
Carr said when he moved to B.C. in about 2012, there only seemed to be one show of its kind, held in the Fraser Valley.
"For a number of years I advocated for them to expand and bring it to other communities and they didn't seem to be interested," he said. "So we started at Delta and there was a lot of demand for it so we expanded to Nanaimo and Vernon as well."
At the show, attendees can learn about the animals, get care information, meet the breeders and even hold some of the species. Free feeders were also given.
"[Care information] is something extremely lacking and finding it online can be very, very challenging," Carr said. "I usually recommend people go to the breeders themselves, after all they're keeping and maintaining the same animals successfully enough to breed them."
Multiple events are held a year in Nanaimo, with the most recent one on July 5-6 attracting 12 businesses. The previous expo ran March 1-2, and a future one is planned in October. More information can be found online at www.facebook.com/vancouverreptileexpo.
