{"id":613895,"date":"2026-04-19T06:12:24","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T06:12:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/613895\/"},"modified":"2026-04-19T06:12:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T06:12:24","slug":"wide-world-of-pets-on-display-this-weekend-at-reptile-expo-and-calgary-cat-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/613895\/","title":{"rendered":"Wide world of pets on display this weekend at Reptile Expo and Calgary Cat Show"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pet enthusiasts of all kinds can find something to do in Calgary this weekend, with both the Reptile Expo and Calgary Cat Show taking place Saturday and Sunday.<\/p>\n

The Western Canadian Reptile Expo returned this year at the\u00a0Acadia Recreation Centre, running April 18-19 and offering interactive experiences with exotic animals, as well as knowledgeable breeders and vendors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Greg West, one of the event\u2019s promoters, said the expo is great for reptile enthusiasts and hobbyists, but also for curious newcomers, and is expected to draw crowds of up to 10,000 people.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are great experiences for anybody who\u2019s never seen, never interacted with reptiles,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got an interactive aspect of the show. It\u2019s very educational.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Visitors meet a boa at the Western Canadian Reptile Expo at the Acadia Recreation Centre on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Many of the booths are trusted breeders and other vendors, as well as exotic animal rescues and sanctuaries, all of whom have expertise they\u2019re happy to share with attendees.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nice to be able to educate people about proper care, how these animals are a little more misunderstood and can make amazing pets,\u201d West said. \u201cA big part of growing our hobby is dispelling all those myths.\u201d<\/p>\n

For him, some of the event\u2019s highlights are the exotic animals that attendees can interact with, including sloths, kangaroos, porcupines and a Burmese python.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got restricted species here with people who have proper permits, so you can see some of the things that you might not see, other than maybe in zoos,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Visitors get up close with a baby kangaroo from Cobb\u2019s Exotic Animal Rescue during the Western Canadian Reptile Expo at the Acadia Recreation Centre on Saturday.<\/p>\n

McKenzi Watson, co-owner of Manitoba-based sanctuary Prairie Exotics, was stationed at a booth featuring a variety of reptiles that had been surrendered, including an 18-year-old Burmese python named Popcorn.<\/p>\n

Many of the animals ended up in Prairie Exotics\u2019 care either because someone moved somewhere with different restrictions for exotic pets, or because the owners didn\u2019t fully understand what they were getting into.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d say 98 per cent of what we do is education,\u201d Watson said, adding that, when looking into an exotic pet, it\u2019s important to understand things like the animal\u2019s expected size and lifespan, behaviour and care needs before making the commitment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re not just toys,\u201d she said,\u00a0\u201cYour average person shouldn\u2019t own an alligator or even a Burmese python. Sometimes a bearded dragon is even a good fit for some people, versus maybe something like a corn snake or ball python.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Cobb\u2019s Exotic Animal Rescue\u2019s Ashley Orsted introduces the Hiscock family to a two-toed sloth during the Western Canadian Reptile Expo.<\/p>\n

Nicole Hiscock and sons Nathan and Marcus were visiting the expo for the first time Saturday, guided by Hiscock\u2019s brother, a former reptile breeder and vendor at expos in Toronto.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just looking forward to seeing what they have here, and seeing all the different types of reptiles and insects,\u201d Hiscock said.<\/p>\n

Her brother, Mitchell Whyte, said his goal was to expose the boys to the world of reptiles, and dispel some of the misconceptions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a huge stigma in the pet industry toward what snakes and what reptiles are prone to doing,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s nice to expose the kids to it, to know, \u2018Here\u2019s what they\u2019re really like.’\u201d<\/p>\n

For those who prefer furrier friends, the Calgary Cat Show is taking place Saturday and Sunday at the Southland Leisure Centre, with more than 100 participating cats and kittens and nine International Cat Association judges from around the world.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Sharon Wong holds her Bengal kitten Nico, which won best in show in the kitten classification during the Calgary Cat Show at the Southland Leisure Centre on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Vancouver resident Sharon Wong travelled to Calgary to show her seven-month-old Bengal cat, Nico, who won top prize in the kitten category on Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe competed in Vancouver Island last week,\u201d Wong said, noting this weekend was Nico\u2019s second ever show, though Wong has had other show cats in the past.<\/p>\n

Bengals aren\u2019t difficult to keep well groomed, she said, so most of the work is in their training.<\/p>\n

\u201cBengals need attention,\u201d she said. \u201cWe need to handle them every day to make sure they\u2019re good to show and very nice to handle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most breeds have very specific breed standards, said Robert Seliskar, one of the show\u2019s judges, but there\u2019s also a category for household pets, which are judged on how well groomed they are and their temperament.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Rob Seliskar judges during the Calgary Cat Show at the Southland Leisure Centre on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Seliskar is from Florida, but said he enjoys coming to judge the Calgary show, despite the colder weather.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one of the few shows that I really, really look forward to,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cThe exhibitors and the spectators are respectful\u00a0\u2026 And when people treat you nice when you come to do the show, that makes it easier.\u201d<\/p>\n

ddekuyper@postmedia.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Pet enthusiasts of all kinds can find something to do in Calgary this weekend, with both the Reptile…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":613896,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194293],"tags":[231027,170617,35288,49,2798,48,78040,231031,231028,231029,231030,170838],"class_list":{"0":"post-613895","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-calgary","8":"tag-acadia-recreation-centre","9":"tag-bearded-dragon","10":"tag-burmese-python","11":"tag-ca","12":"tag-calgary","13":"tag-canada","14":"tag-exotic-animals","15":"tag-gavin-young","16":"tag-greg-west","17":"tag-interactive-experiences","18":"tag-nicole-hiscock","19":"tag-reptile-expo"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/613895","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=613895"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/613895\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/613896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=613895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=613895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=613895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}