LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) — Whether they crawl, slither, jump or spray, you could find them this weekend at Repticon at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.

The family-friendly event hosted hundreds of reptiles and exotic animals for anyone wanting to get in touch with their wild side. In fact, Landon Slain celebrated his birthday with a special purchase.

“It was a lot of fun being here, I bought a crested gecko, and I absolutely love him or her. It’s a baby so we don’t know what gender it is,” he said.

For questions like that, Mike Dean with Repticon says that’s why they focus heavily on educating their visitors.

“A lot of education, a lot of people just want to come out and just learn about these animals. Especially the snakes and things like that, people might be fearful for but learning how easy they are to take care of, they’re actually really sweet animals, they’re good pets for a lot of people,” Dean said.

The popular event travels all over the country. This weekend’s expo drew in large crowds and local vendors in Lakeland.

“When you come here to Repticon you’re going to experience many different vendors with hundreds, if not thousands, of reptiles. We have a store here in Lakeland, and we’re a big sponsor here at Repticon. We travel to eight different states doing shows and we do a lot of promotions here in Central Florida,” said Scott Wisneski with Family Reptiles.

Even first timers finding their love for reptiles say Repticon is the perfect match for beginners and experts alike.

“It’s just a lot of fun and like all the animals here are super nice, they’re all well-trained and tame,” Landon said.

Repticon will return to the Tampa area at the Florida State Fairgrounds June 7 and June 8.

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