Customers from the Pittsburgh Reptile Show face off in a lively reptile guessing game, testing their species knowledge with clues ranging from easy to nearly impossible. Along the way, listeners get a taste of the amazing animals and community vibes found at the Pittsburgh Reptile Show & Sale. Expect fast-paced fun, quirky anecdotes, and plenty of chances to play along.
Chapter 1
Amanda
Hey reptile lovers, welcome back to the official podcast of the Pittsburgh Reptile Show & Sale! If youâve never made it out, weâre at the Pittsburgh Mills Mall, first Sunday of every month. Todayâs episode is customer Trivia: Guess the Species! And weâre joined by two awesome reptile show customers, who know their stuff front to back. We caught up with Charlie, We see Charile every month so We knew he would be knowagable and a fun addition to our games.
Charlie
Hey Amanda! Glad to be on. Excited and, uh, maybe just a little nervous. Trivia makes me sweat more than feeding hatchlings. Thanks for having me!
Amanda
And Jessica from Monroeville Pa, Jessica is a mom of 3 Kiddos and a special education teacher here in the Pittsburgh area lets see what all she knows about our reptile Friends!âWelcome, Jessica!
Jessica
Hey Amanda, hey everyone! I brought my lucky tarantula with me... kidding, But Iâm ready for the challenge!
Rick
Jessica now that you brought it up... I have to askâare you still recovering from your infamous tarantula escape, or has your house finally gone back to âspider-freeâ status?
Jessica
Letâs just say my Spider enclosures now have locks on them and zip ties!
Amanda
Jessica, your all-time wildest show / reptile memory?
Jessica
Besides the runaway arachnid? Probably when I was at an expo and saw this super cute little girl brought in a dandelion for every axolotl on my Nina's table. Nina left with a bouquet and a mess, but it was the sweetest chaos.
Rick
Best payment Iâve ever heard for an axolotl! Alright, folks, letâs get down to business. Charlie? Jessica? Thousands of Reptiles for us to choose from âthink you can guess âem from a couple clues? Because here we go!
Chapter 2
Amanda
Okay, Round OneâEASY MODE. I give you three clues, you shout it outâfirst with the right answer gets a point. Ready? Clue one: One of the most popular beginner snakes, comes in a bazillion morphs, loves burrowing under substrate... What am I?
Charlie
Ball Python??
Amanda
Yes, nailed it, Charlie! Thatâs a point. Next one: Super sticky feet, big eyes, known for dropping their tail under stress. Name that lizard.
Charlie
Ooh, wait, um...GeckoâŠuhhhâis it leopard? OrâMax, stop whispering!âoh! Crested gecko?
Jessica
Crested gecko!
Amanda
Both got it, but Jess, I heard your son coaching in the background. Crested gecko is spot onâfamous failsafe pet for jumping off hands, right?
Rick
Alright, getting trickier, medium round. Here we go! Iâm a tortoise, my legs have bright red scales, and I will bulldoze your fruit bowl if you let me loose. What am I?
Jessica
Red-foot tortoise!
Amanda
Fastest answer yet, Jessica! Iâve lost strawberries to those guys before. Next upâshort and sweet: Iâm a frog, barely move, and devour anything that fits in my mouth. Who am I?
Chapter 3
Jessica
Letâs crank it upâHARD MODE! Theseâll really test your reptile IQ. First clue: A snake with no true venom, famous for faking out predators and hissing like a drama queen. Itâll flatten its neck, mimic a rattlerâwhatâs the name?
Charlie
Hognose snake!
Jessica
Definitely hognose. Theyâre hilariousâbest actors in the game.
Jessica
Iâno jokeâused to mix up hognose and garter snakes all the time. I even taught a classroom lesson about âhog-nosed garters,â which⊠isnât a thing. Thank you, Monroeville Elementary for letting me redeem myself with a real reptile program later.
Rick
No shame! Those upturned noses are memorable. Alright, last one! I can run across water, and people call me the âJesus Lizard.â Tough one?
Charlie
Green basilisk!
Amanda
The fact that they really do look like theyâre walking on waterâjustifies the name! Although, we could do an entire episode just on the weirdest animal names in the reptile world. Charlie, any favorites come to mind?
Charlie
Oh, donât tempt meâa snake called the ârubber boaâ sounds fake but itâs real, and donât get me started on where pancake tortoises got their name. Actually, where was I⊠Oh! Before I go down another naming rabbit hole, Amandaâgive us the expo news!
Amanda
About the podcast
Join us to learn more about the Pittsburgh Reptile Show & Sale the largest monthly reptile expo in Western Pennsylvania
Charlie
Pac-Man frog?
Amanda
Yes! Classic. Rick, did you want to share your, uh, Pac-Man frog customer story?
Rick
Oh, man, sure. I once had a guy buy a Pac-Man and swear it never ate. I told him, âJust be careful what you keep with it.â Next morning heâs calling franticâthe frog ate his whole guppy setup overnight! Lesson: Pac-Mans donât mess around at dinner.
Charlie
Thats why I say âalways, always do your research on species diets. Sometimes they eat more than you bargained for, yeah?
Amanda
And thatâs part of why every show is like a scavenger hunt. One table's got beginner kingsnakes, the next has rare exotics you wonât see after lunchtime. Plus, kids get their own reptile scavenger huntsâfamily fun and animal chaos all morning.
Right! Mark your calendarsâPittsburgh Reptile Show & Sale is coming up, first Sunday of every month, 9 to 3, at Pittsburgh Mills Mall. If you need your gecko fix, feeders, orâokay, my favorite vendor find last monthâa custom enclosure shaped like a dragonâs cave. It was epic. That kind of creativity is why I love this community.
Jessica
So true! And if youâre listening, shoot us your wildest expo story or your best animal guess for next time. We love hearing from you.
Rick
From âGuess the Speciesâ to real-life meetupsâthereâs always something new at every show. Bring your questions, your curiosity, and maybe a dandelion for Nina's axolotls.
Rick
Alright gang, that wraps up our trivia episode. Charlie , Jessicaâthanks for being great sports. And thanks to everyone listening for making the Pittsburgh reptile community so awesome. Weâll catch you next episode. Bye Amanda, Charlie and Jessica!
Amanda
Bye Rick! Bye everyone, see you at the expo!
Jessica
Later all! And, Rick you have to help me study up for next round.
Rick
See you soon, folks. Stay curiousâand, uh, keep your Pac-Man frogs separated!