cougarkeeper0
New member
Hello all, would it be a wise decision to become a private breeder? I know that there are many breeders out there already. What do you guys think???
Business of Breeding Leos
- Thread starter cougarkeeper0
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slove1106
New member
I guess it wouldn't hurt. Just what scale are you talking about here? A small scale or larger? Yes, there are lots of breeders, but they are all different... Different morphs, different goals, different specimens and different results of course. It's not a huge venture... times can get difficult if you don't sell since you'll have lots of mouths to feed. I breed on a very small scale, mostly to hold back my own but just started a site to maybe expand sales out of the local area. (Though I do prefer local sales)
It also depends on the cost you're willing to cover for a business. If you are to treat it as a regular business, lots of money will go into it prior to making any money back as well. There's the racks, supplies, the geckos, etc...
I suggest as well if you were to go into it as a full on business rather than just a hobby, you look at it from a business perspective as well. You'll have to find out what sells, and what doesn't. Those are what you want to purchase as your breeders. I personally breed what I like (not what sells), since my purpose isn't fully business motivated. I like to be able to keep my offspring for myself and my children. We have several tanks in the house that are pets only... And some that are breeding tanks. If you were to really want to breed for business, then you'd most likely need to research the best selling morphs and purchase them rather than just breeding what you've already got. Everyone has a certain preference so it doesn't mean what you like is what will sell. I breed Enigmas, Mack Snows, and Raptors because I like them, not because they sell. If they do they do, if they don't, well... more tanks in the house for me.
Also, if you're talking about a large scale breeder, then unless you want to lease a building for the business, then you'd definitely have to turn an entire room in your house as your breeding room. You'll definitely need lots of racks that would most likely take up an entire room. I'd also suggest breeding their food yourself since that many mouths to feed can get expensive. People that do it this way either have lots of $$ to start with, or takes years to expand to if you do it the cheap way... (which is start out small, then grow as you sell more)
Just what scale are you talking about?
It also depends on the cost you're willing to cover for a business. If you are to treat it as a regular business, lots of money will go into it prior to making any money back as well. There's the racks, supplies, the geckos, etc...
I suggest as well if you were to go into it as a full on business rather than just a hobby, you look at it from a business perspective as well. You'll have to find out what sells, and what doesn't. Those are what you want to purchase as your breeders. I personally breed what I like (not what sells), since my purpose isn't fully business motivated. I like to be able to keep my offspring for myself and my children. We have several tanks in the house that are pets only... And some that are breeding tanks. If you were to really want to breed for business, then you'd most likely need to research the best selling morphs and purchase them rather than just breeding what you've already got. Everyone has a certain preference so it doesn't mean what you like is what will sell. I breed Enigmas, Mack Snows, and Raptors because I like them, not because they sell. If they do they do, if they don't, well... more tanks in the house for me.
Also, if you're talking about a large scale breeder, then unless you want to lease a building for the business, then you'd definitely have to turn an entire room in your house as your breeding room. You'll definitely need lots of racks that would most likely take up an entire room. I'd also suggest breeding their food yourself since that many mouths to feed can get expensive. People that do it this way either have lots of $$ to start with, or takes years to expand to if you do it the cheap way... (which is start out small, then grow as you sell more)
Just what scale are you talking about?
slove1106
New member
I forgot to add. You'll also have to have a website if you plan on selling online. That's another cost that you'll incur. You can always build it yourself if you know how, which I don't suggest to people who plan to go into it in the long run without the know-how. (Site design affects sales) Most people who go into breeding spend lots of up front $$. Even then, most don't make enough $$ to even cover monthly cost... That's why it's great to breed if you like doing it... as a hobby. Doing it as just a business may not work out unless you boom out to be a big known breeder... which is usually only possible with quite a bit of $$ to spend to start it up... Just like any other business.
cougarkeeper0
New member
Well like you, I am not going to do a business out of it. I just want to breed some of my geckos and sell some of the offspring and hold back a few that I really like. I have enigmas, diablo hets, raptors, tangerines, blizards, normals, high yellows, tremper albinos. I have visited your site many times and it is awesome. The website is a very useful tool for the business, but like you said, you need a little know-how and some extra money. I haven't bred most of my geckos because currently I don't have a buyer.
slove1106
New member
Well it's all gravy then.
It'll be fun! lol. I just hate seeing people start a business, fail, then get disappointed. I do what I do cuz I love it, no disappointment when things don't go well. I've seen a few breeders expect a lot from it then get disappointed when they realize it's not as easy to sell geckos as it looks. If you look on kingsnake you see many sellers come and go, and even the ones that stick around usually has the same specimen for a while before they sell... especially ones that are expensive. Those that ARE expensive and sell usually sell because other breeders (or going to be breeders) are the ones that are willing to spend that kind of money on geckos... If you look at Tremper's site, his geckos over $1k are usually around for a while, then when they're sold are (I'm sure) to breeders who can afford it and make money back breeding them. If you ever need help with your website (if you make one) holler at me for sure. That's another hobby of mine.
It's definitely a good idea to start small, almost as a hobby. In all likelihood, you will make enough money to possibly cover your food and housing costs if you're lucky. If you live near a reptile show and can get a table, that's usually the easiest way to sell geckos. In my first season I did a lot of networking and talking to all sorts of people about my geckos which eventually led to sales. Now I have a website so people can see what is available, but I've been able to sell out every year without shipping, as is my preference.
Aliza
Aliza
cougarkeeper0
New member
Thanks slove1106 and acpart for all of your input and your help.