Nassau Reptile Expo comes to Cradle of Aviation

Tony Saravo of Bellmore feels reptiles are grossly misunderstood. The 24 year-old owner of Uncle Tony’s Reptile Show has made it his mission to turn that perception around with the fifth annual Nassau Reptile Expo, which comes to the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Uniondale on Saturday.

“We’re a little different than the other reptile shows,” says Saravo, who founded the event. “The expo creates a hands-on educational experience for everyone who comes through the door. People can meet hundreds of species of snakes, lizards, tarantulas, you name it. There’s more here than you could ever see at a zoo.”

Saravo, or “Uncle Tony” as he's affectionately known, holds 30-minute interactive shows twice during the day. Kids sit in a big circle and get called up to participate in various demonstrations.

“There’s a giant alligator snapping turtle and we show his bite force on a cucumber where you witness him chomp it in half. We take out an 8-foot boa constrictor and line up kids to hold him at the same time,” Saravo says. “We will get an Amazon puffing snake to inflate his throat like a cobra. Even though he’s nonvenomous, he tries to make the appearance that he’s a dangerous animal.”

The friendly gecko

Another presentation to be delivered comes from The Gecko Gallery, which recently opened this spring in Bushwick, Brooklyn, and showcases more than 100 types of geckos.

“We are an educational facility similar to a museum. The focus is on conservation and preserving ecosystems,” co-founder Richie Laleh says. “We like to show off just how amazing these animals can be. It’s a bit of a different strategy for reptile appreciation.”

About four to five species get shown during the PowerPoint presentation.

“Leachianus surpresta geckos are the largest geckos in captivity. They make amazing pets and are the ambassador animal for The Gecko Gallery,” Laleh says. “We will also have a New Caledonian giant gecko and a crested gecko because they are good to be around large crowds of people.”

Geckos are some of the oldest branches of lizards and can live 10 to 50 years.

“They have microscopic hairs on their feet called seta which allows them to adhere themselves or stick to glass, walk vertically or on the ceiling,” Laleh says. “They don’t have eyelids, so they have to use their tongue to clean off debris and moisture on their eyes.”

Get a gecko

Looking for a pet lizard? Come to the BB’s Crested Geckos booth, where you can purchase one for as low as $25.

“We specialize in New Caledonian geckos because of their super-easy care and temperature requirements. They don’t need any heat or light. They are room temperature geckos. Seventy to 72 degrees is perfect for them,” owner Boris Beygelman says. “They eat a fruit-based diet, which is a fruit powder mixed with water and they lap it up like a cat. These animals come in all different kinds of beautiful colors and they have great handleability.”

Geckos have a reputation for being one of the friendliest types of reptiles.

“Geckos will sit in your hand or on your shoulder and just hang out. They are very nonchalant and not afraid of humans,” Beygelman says. “We will have some on display at the expo for people to hold and pet. They are like puppy dogs that you can put in your hand. When you touch them, it feels like velvet.”

Zoo culture

Steven Scafuri has a reputation for rescuing reptiles with his Brooklyn-based business, Scafuri Zoo, which comes to the expo this year.

“We bring in animals that people can’t take care of anymore and repurpose them to other homes,” Scafuri says. “This year we will bring ball pythons, leopard geckos, crested geckos and hognose snakes to the expo.”

Scafuri strongly believes reptiles are under appreciated as a companion animal.

“Many people think that you can only get a dog or a cat as a companion animal and because reptiles are cold-blooded, they don’t have the same emotion as mammals, but they do. In fact, they are very friendly,” he says. “Reptiles are smarter than you give them credit for and they understand who you are after a period of time.”

While many people get nervous about getting bit, Scafuri addresses the issue head on.

“Anything with a mouth can bite. However, these animals aren’t inclined to bite,” he says. “They will only bite if you threaten them. If you don’t threaten them and they know that you’re not food, then you’re fine.”

Serious about snakes

Perhaps the most mysterious and misunderstood creature is the snake, which is something Michael Mirzayev of MirZoo specializes in.

“We will be offering a wide variety of snakes, including ball pythons, boa constrictors and blood pythons, as both babies and adults,” says Mirzayev, who is based in Beech Lake, Pennsylvania. “A lot of people come to the expo to get rid of their fear of snakes. I try to teach them that snakes are not all dangerous and out to get you.”

At his booth, Mirzayev can be found with a snake around his neck as he interacts with customers. He sells snakes from $20 to  $2,000 depending on the size and color pattern.

“My snakes are born and bred in captivity therefore they are more friendly to human touch, making them much easier to handle,” Mirzayev says. “Ball pythons are the easiest and best snake to begin with. They could be tamed within an hour.”