On Feb. 14-15, the Reptilian Nation Expo made its way back to West Palm Beach, where thousands of exotic animal lovers learned plenty of tips to keep their new pets happy.
Vendors like Rollie Pollie & Friends Rescue, a non-profit organization in Deerfield Beach, spoke about the importance of researching your pet before adopting.
“Make sure when you get a pet, that it’s a lifelong commitment,” said Crystal Ruth Rushton, the president of Rollie Pollie & Friends. “It’s not just something you can just throw away or let outside in the wild.”
Decorations for enclosures were available at the event, including wood branches sold by Pet World, a family owned pet store in Lawrence, Kansas.
“Natural products are what I always recommend if you want your animal’s cortisol and stress levels to be as low as possible,” said Spencer Emerson, senior retail wood salesman.
At one booth, recently passed reptiles were being preserved in resin and transformed into wearable jewelry or framed pieces.
Deep Purpose Jewelry, founded by Dorthee Kumpe, was born out of a childhood love of insects and resin setting.
“I like using everything, and the more different, the more exciting it is to me, because every piece is one of a kind” mentioned Kumpe.
Kumpe emphasized that none of her pieces are made of animals that were killed or bred for that purpose.
“I prefer using what we have naturally available to us,” Kumpe said.
The expo will be in Tucson, Arizona sun on March 21-22. For more information about the expo, click here.
