Pittsburgh Reptile Show Trivia

Amanda

Hey reptile lovers, welcome back to the official podcast of the Pittsburgh Reptile Show & Sale! If you’ve never made it out, we’re at the Pittsburgh Mills Mall, first Sunday of every month. Today’s episode is customer Trivia: Guess the Species! And we’re 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!—Welcome, Jessica!

Jessica

Hey Amanda, hey everyone! I brought my lucky tarantula with me... kidding, But I’m ready for the challenge!

Rick

Jessica now that you brought it up... I have to ask—are you still recovering from your infamous tarantula escape, or has your house finally gone back to “spider-free” status?

Jessica

Let’s 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 I’ve ever heard for an axolotl! Alright, folks, let’s get down to business. Charlie? Jessica? Thousands of Reptiles for us to choose from —think you can guess ‘em from a couple clues? Because here we go!

Amanda

Okay, Round One—EASY MODE. I give you three clues, you shout it out—first 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! That’s a point. Next one: Super sticky feet, big eyes, known for dropping their tail under stress. Name that lizard.

Charlie

Ooh, wait, um...Gecko…uhhh—is it leopard? Or—Max, stop whispering!—oh! Crested gecko?

Jessica

Crested gecko!

Amanda

Both got it, but Jess, I heard your son coaching in the background. Crested gecko is spot on—famous failsafe pet for jumping off hands, right?

Rick

Alright, getting trickier, medium round. Here we go! I’m 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! I’ve lost strawberries to those guys before. Next up—short and sweet: I’m a frog, barely move, and devour anything that fits in my mouth. Who am I?

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, “Just be careful what you keep with it.” Next morning he’s calling frantic—the frog ate his whole guppy setup overnight! Lesson: Pac-Mans don’t mess around at dinner.

Charlie

Thats why I say —always, always do your research on species diets. Sometimes they eat more than you bargained for, yeah?

Amanda

And that’s part of why every show is like a scavenger hunt. One table's got beginner kingsnakes, the next has rare exotics you won’t see after lunchtime. Plus, kids get their own reptile scavenger hunts—family fun and animal chaos all morning.

Jessica

Let’s crank it up—HARD MODE! These’ll really test your reptile IQ. First clue: A snake with no true venom, famous for faking out predators and hissing like a drama queen. It’ll flatten its neck, mimic a rattler—what’s the name?

Charlie

Hognose snake!

Jessica

Definitely hognose. They’re hilarious—best actors in the game.

Jessica

I—no joke—used to mix up hognose and garter snakes all the time. I even taught a classroom lesson about “hog-nosed garters,” which… isn’t 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 “Jesus Lizard.” Tough one?

Charlie

Green basilisk!

Amanda

The fact that they really do look like they’re walking on water—justifies 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, don’t tempt me—a snake called the “rubber boa” sounds fake but it’s real, and don’t get me started on where pancake tortoises got their name. Actually, where was I… Oh! Before I go down another naming rabbit hole, Amanda—give us the expo news!

Amanda

Right! Mark your calendars—Pittsburgh 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, or—okay, my favorite vendor find last month—a custom enclosure shaped like a dragon’s cave. It was epic. That kind of creativity is why I love this community.

Jessica

So true! And if you’re listening, shoot us your wildest expo story or your best animal guess for next time. We love hearing from you.

Rick

From “Guess the Species” to real-life meetups—there’s 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 , Jessica—thanks for being great sports. And thanks to everyone listening for making the Pittsburgh reptile community so awesome. We’ll 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 curious—and, uh, keep your Pac-Man frogs separated!