The creepy-crawlies in all their glory were in Slidell recently.

Hundreds of snakes, countless turtles, birds, lizards and many other fauna were on display at the Reptilian Expo held at Crazy Carl’s Fireworks.

The $3 cover charge to enter the building was no consolation for what awaited the crowds of people inside the facility.

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From animal knickknacks to instructional books, from bearded dragons to ball pythons, from scarlet macaws to scorpions and tarantulas and boas, they were all there.

To compensate all of the snakes and other creatures, vendors were present selling feeder animals like mice, crickets and even rabbits for the larger serpents.

Jason Selg, one of the founders of the expo, said he held his first nearly 10 years ago after he unexpectedly fell in love with a baby king snake his mother brought home from work one day after her coworkers played a prank on her using the snake.

“I was afraid of snakes,” he said. “But I fell in love with it, and from then on I started going out and catching them.”

One passion lead to another and soon Selg developed an impressive collection of replies, amphibians and arachnids.

He began the expo as an introductory device for people to become more acquainted with exotic pets.

“Snakes are an ideal pet because you don’t have to feed them every day and you can leave them while you go on vacation,” Selg said. “But they don’t show affection like dogs do.”

Snakes are easier to keep as pets than dogs or cats, Selg admitted.

The first expo was such a success he held another, then another, and now it’s an annual event that hundreds of St. Tammany exotic pet connoisseurs look forward to each year.

Selg said after Katrina he had to put the show on hold for two years until he acquired enough vendors to host the expo.

For more information, visit www.reptilianexpo.com.