Snakes, lizards, stick insects or ants. The Les Reptiliades show in Nîmes welcomes thousands of terrarium enthusiasts.
Shortly after the opening of the Reptiliades at the Nîmes exhibition center this Saturday, the queue already stretched over a hundred meters, confirming the success of the terrariophilia show, which has become a French benchmark. More than 120 exhibitors are gathered until Sunday, presenting both live animals and equipment. Last year, the show attracted 6,500 people. Attendance is expected to be up this year.
In addition to snakes, the show gives pride of place to current trends. “There is a lot of interest in insects and in the creation of tropical terrariums, reconstituting biotopes allowing animals to hide,” explain Charlotte Pelloux and Steeve Gilly, the organizers.
Insect fashion
Among insect enthusiasts, ants attract an ever-increasing audience. Stick insects are also attractive. “It’s easy to maintain, they live at room temperature, you just need brambles to feed them and they blend into the environment to avoid predators,” explains the manager of the Le Python Rescue stand. Animals reproduce easily. Through parthenogenesis, eggs hatch after nine months without needing to be fertilized.
At Reptilis, Stéphane Rostelle presents some rarities, a tiliqua, a lizard with pigmentary mutations, an Indonesian candoia or spectacular green pythons. After 25 years, he continues to “be amazed by the shapes, colors, lifestyles” of reptiles. According to him, democratization can be explained by social networks and by the equipment which makes it easier and easier to get started. “Heating lamps or programmable terrariums have contributed to animal welfare.”
Stéphane Rostelle, from Reptilis, presents a tiliqua lizard.
Karim Daoues, from Ferme Tropicale, is one of the historic figures of terrariophilia in France. 30 years ago, at the age of 19, he opened the first specialized store in Paris. Since then, the success has not wavered. “The motivation of terrariophiles is to observe the natural behavior of a different animal,” he explains, next to a black bull snake. Alongside natural forms, enthusiasts are very interested in mutations, for example “scaleless”, animals without scales. Those who master breeding can thus hope for rarities, because “there are 10 colors for each species”.
But the show is also an opportunity to go food shopping, buying food for the animals or stopping at the stand of Ferme du Tiret, which raises mealworms in Ain. To be enjoyed smoked, with Mexican pepper, porcini mushrooms or cumin!
Until Sunday September 24, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Exhibition center, 230 avenue du Languedoc, Nîmes. €8, children €4. 04 66 84 93 39.
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