“Hiss-terical” Fun The Reptile Expo Is Back

“Hiss-terical” Fun

The Reptile Expo Is Back

Charles Romans

The Ashland Beacon

The Reptile Expo returns to the Lexington Convention Center in 2026, bringing a lot of amphibious joy to the region. Ashland businessman Jarrod Greer, owner of The Inner Geek comic and toy stores in Ashland, Kentucky, and Huntington, West Virginia, has once again taken the reins of the event. He said that whether you have a deep and abiding love—or just a passing interest—in reptiles, this convention is the one for you. Greer has extensive experience putting together shows that are a hit with fans, having run the popular Lexington Comic and Toy Convention (at the same venue as the Reptile Expo) for well over a decade.

“I caught my first snake in fourth grade,” Greer said. “I put it in a one-gallon jar, took it to school, and showed it off.” That’s how it began for him, and he believes many people have a similar origin story when it comes to their love of reptiles. Greer said he doesn’t remember exactly what happened to his first catch, but he suspects his mother quietly released it back into the wild, away from her very curious son. But that first green snake was not the last—the list has continued to grow.

Greer said his mother didn’t exactly encourage this reptilian manifestation of his curiosity, but she never discouraged him from “being outside looking for cool stuff.”

“I was always catching frogs, salamanders, snakes, or something,” he said. “And then, as a teenager, I found out that I could catch things and sell them.”

When curiosity met an entrepreneurial spirit, the sky became the limit. Greer said it was a natural progression from selling what he had caught to breeding reptiles and making those available for sale.

“A ton of people buy reptiles now,” he said of the evolution of the business. “I read a statistic the other day that, for the first time in history, reptile and amphibian ownership had surpassed dog and cat ownership.” Greer said he couldn’t directly verify that statistic, but it made sense to him.

“It’s a trend. A lot of people live in smaller apartments or houses and don’t want the responsibility of having a dog or cat.” Limited space might not be enough for a canine or feline to get sufficient exercise, but for most reptiles, space is less of an issue, he said. “Plus, a little lizard in a cage is pretty cool.”

Another reason he said he understands the trend is that many reptiles and amphibians are hypoallergenic. “Lots of people can’t have a traditional pet or don’t want something running around the house, so they choose a lizard, snake, or frog.” Between those considerations—and the fact that a snake can live comfortably in a 20-gallon aquarium—Greer said reptiles make a great alternative pet.

“It’s becoming extremely mainstream,” Greer said of reptile and amphibian ownership. “Twenty years ago, when I went to reptile shows, you’d see the same 100 people at every event. Now it’s families and younger people starting out and looking for a first pet.”

Another factor, Greer said, is that reptile keeping can be surprisingly addictive. “Most people don’t own just one,” he said.

The argument for reptiles and amphibians as pets may be similar to that for dogs and cats, Greer said, despite the obvious behavioral differences.

“People anthropomorphize reptiles the same way they do cats and dogs,” he said. “They give reptiles and amphibians human characteristics they probably don’t actually have. For me, keeping a reptile is about watching something go about its life and do its own thing. It’s about appreciation.”

“I have had reptiles my entire life,” he added. “But they’re more of a ‘hands-off’ pet than dogs or cats. Now I really enjoy watching the eggs hatch. It’s suspenseful. Watching a clutch of eggs is like playing the lottery because you never know exactly what you’re going to get.”

“It’s like painting with a genetic palette,” Greer said of breeding. Knowledge and technology have advanced significantly over the past 20 years, but pairing reptiles doesn’t always yield exact—or even expected—results. Still, the process is fascinating and often comes down to producing a desired color or trait within the available population.

Whether attendees share Greer’s fascination with the breeding process or simply enjoy the results, he said the Reptile Expo will be a great event for anyone interested in reptiles and amphibians. Greer started the Kentucky Reptile Expo in 2005, with the first show held at Greenbo Lake State Resort Park in Greenup, Kentucky. He later moved the convention to Morehead for a time and eventually sold it around 2016. But his passion for reptiles and amphibians never faded, and in 2025 he purchased the convention back from its then-current owner.

“I’ve been trying to take what we’ve learned in the comic and toy convention business and infuse it into the reptile show,” Greer said. As part of that effort, he plans to involve vendors who work with plants and fish as well. “It fits very well,” he said. “It makes for a well-rounded, family-friendly event.”

In smaller venues, turnout typically ranged between 300 and 400 people, Greer said. With the larger venue, he expects attendance to more than double, reaching at least 1,000 attendees. And now that the expo has shifted to a quarterly schedule instead of a bi-monthly one, attendance could easily reach 2,000. The event promises everything reptile and amphibian enthusiasts have come to expect.

“It’s pretty much exactly what you’d expect,” Greer said. “It looks like a comic book convention, but every vendor is either selling snakes, rodents, cages, or supplies—anything related to keeping pet lizards or snakes. And bugs. And spiders. Tarantulas are huge right now.”

The Kentucky Reptile Expo will be held Saturday, March 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Exhibit Hall B at the Lexington Convention Center. A $15 VIP ticket allows entry at 9 a.m., and regular admission is $10 at the door. For all things amphibian or reptile—or to learn more about these increasingly popular pets—a trip to Lexington is well worth the time.