North American Reptile Breeders Conference in Tinley Park
October 10, 2012 2:05PM
The North American Reptile Breeders Conference & Trade Show will take place Oct. 13-14 in Tinley Park.
NORTH AMERICAN REPTILE BREEDERS CONFERENCE & TRADE SHOW
◆ 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 13 and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 14
◆ Tinley Park Convention Center, 18451 Convention
Center Drive
◆ Tickets, $15 for a weekend pass for adults, $8 for a weekend pass for ages younger than 13 and free for ages
5 and younger
— Tickets are $5 for Boy and Girl Scouts
— VIP tickets will be available for $50 and include entry at 2 p.m. Oct. 12 during vendor setup and entry 21⁄2 hours early on Oct. 13 and one hour early on Oct. 14
— Pet stores get one free VIP ticket for each show and can purchase additional VIP tickets for $25 when accompanied by the pet store staff. These tickets can be purchased by bringing a copy of one’s business license to the vendor check-in area at the front doors
◆ narbc.com
Article Extras
Maps
Updated: November 13, 2012 6:18AM
Cold-blooded creatures will return to Tinley Park on Oct. 13-14 for the ninth annual North American Reptile Breeders Conference & Trade Show.
“Open to the public, this high-quality, captive-bred-only reptile show brings together top dealers from across the country, offering thousands of exotic and pet-friendly ‘herps,’ ” officials said.
“With prices ranging from $5 to $50,000, everything from the common gecko to extraordinarily rare breeds of snakes will be represented.
“Don’t miss this opportunity to get up close and personal with snakes, frogs, turtles, geckos, iguanas and tortoises and purchase all of the supplies needed to start or support a herp hobby.”
Attendees will have a chance to meet and greet with celebrity guests and fellow herpetology enthusiasts Robbie Keszey and Stephen Keszey from the Discovery Channel hit TV show “Swamp Brothers” and Ton Jones from the Spike TV show “Auction Hunters.”
The Keszeys run Glades Herp Farms, which is billed as Florida’s largest reptile sanctuary and exotic reptile dealership, and the Florida International Teaching Zoo.
The brothers make their living breeding and caring for hundreds of slithering, poisonous and sharp-toothed creatures, but they said their passion is being on call 24 hours a day to respond to animal emergencies across the vast state of Florida.
From pythons to rogue bobcats, the brothers said they make it their business to track these beasts down and return them to a safe environment — without losing life or limb in the process.
Jones is a self-described hobbyist who has spent years hunting and fishing, as well as collecting knives, swords, guns, old currency and jewelry.
An accomplished animal handler and wrangler, Jones supplements auction hunting with his Reptile Rescue and Wildlife Services business that manages bobcats, mountain lions and venomous snakes.
The show is sponsored by Constrictors Unlimited, Gourmet Rodent, Marc Bailey Reptiles, Petsmart, Reptiles by Mack, Reptile Magazine, Timberline and Zoo Med.
