In Breeding Crested Geckos Profitable?

[Mackenzie_Paige]

I'm hoping to get into breeding crested geckos, and hope to buy a 2-3 yr old trio at my local Repticon two weeks from now (I will wait three months before introducing them). I have done a ton of research, and spent time considering my situation, and budget.

Anyway, It's not like I will be making a living off of breeding crested geckos, and I really only plan on having that one breeding trio- then selling most of the off-spring. I'm more into it for the experience than the money.

BUT, do you think that selling the off-spring of two females gecko would average enough money to pay for the monthly food, and electricity (not for the geckos though) of ONE ball python, and then three adult geckos, with lets say ten at MAXXX babies being kept at a time?

Is it hard to sell geckos even if you place MULTIPLE ads on MULTIPLE sites, social networks, and so forth, to sell healthy, reasonably priced geckos? Any ideas on wheee to advertise them, and how to get your small breeding business known?

Thanks in advance!

 

[cassicat4]

The number one recommendation I have heard from almost every breeder in both Canada and the US is this: if you're serious about breeding, invest your money in a high-end morph pair or trio.

The crested gecko market is flooded, so yes, in general, it can be difficult to sell the offspring if you're working with common/average morphs. Having a high end pair will increase the chances of high-end offspring, which are much easier to sell than lower end or common morphs.

As well, high end morphs can sell for much more than low end morphs. It's incredibly difficult to say if you'll make enough to afford a ball python because it depends on so many factors - availability of geckos in your area, whether you're willing to ship, how well you market yourself, the morph/bloodlines of your geckos, the price of your geckos, how long you hold onto the offspring, whether you're working with proven breeders, etc.

So yes, it can be hard to sell your geckos even if you advertise on multiple forums and sites, because it's a competitive market. Do it anyway. Advertise everywhere - forums, reptile classifieds, sales sites (e.g. Craigslist, Kijiji), Twitter, Facebook. Get a website going, so you can expand your reach. Get a Facebook page for your business. Get friends to pass along your services via word of mouth.

Also consider shipping. I've seen some reputable breeders lose money and sales because they refused to ship animals, and the local market didn't have a demand for the geckos they were selling. There are some excellent shipping companies tailored specifically toward reptiles which makes the process much safer and easier.

Just don't let your reason for breeding be based on expecting to make money or a profit, especially in the first year of breeding. First year females are unpredictable, and having a lot of duds isn't uncommon. This is another common sentiment shared by the experienced breeders. Breaking even is often their goal, and more often than not, this is the result. But even experienced breeders can have bad years where they fall behind. Sometimes, they do make a profit, and sure, if you are working with higher end animals, you may come out ahead, eventually. But if you're banking your entire business on this expectation, you will be disappointed. Go into it for the experience, like you mentioned. If you come out ahead, great! But don't let this be your sole reason for continuing.

Good luck!

 

[Mackenzie_Paige]

The number one recommendation I have heard from almost every breeder in both Canada and the US is this: if you're serious about breeding, invest your money in a high-end morph pair or trio.

The crested gecko market is flooded, so yes, in general, it can be difficult to sell the offspring if you're working with common/average morphs. Having a high end pair will increase the chances of high-end offspring, which are much easier to sell than lower end or common morphs.

As well, high end morphs can sell for much more than low end morphs. It's incredibly difficult to say if you'll make enough to afford a ball python because it depends on so many factors - availability of geckos in your area, whether you're willing to ship, how well you market yourself, the morph/bloodlines of your geckos, the price of your geckos, how long you hold onto the offspring, whether you're working with proven breeders, etc.

So yes, it can be hard to sell your geckos even if you advertise on multiple forums and sites, because it's a competitive market. Do it anyway. Advertise everywhere - forums, reptile classifieds, sales sites (e.g. Craigslist, Kijiji), Twitter, Facebook. Get a website going, so you can expand your reach. Get a Facebook page for your business. Get friends to pass along your services via word of mouth.

Also consider shipping. I've seen some reputable breeders lose money and sales because they refused to ship animals, and the local market didn't have a demand for the geckos they were selling. There are some excellent shipping companies tailored specifically toward reptiles which makes the process much safer and easier.

Just don't let your reason for breeding be based on expecting to make money or a profit, especially in the first year of breeding. First year females are unpredictable, and having a lot of duds isn't uncommon. This is another common sentiment shared by the experienced breeders. Breaking even is often their goal, and more often than not, this is the result. But even experienced breeders can have bad years where they fall behind. Sometimes, they do make a profit, and sure, if you are working with higher end animals, you may come out ahead, eventually. But if you're banking your entire business on this expectation, you will be disappointed. Go into it for the experience, like you mentioned. If you come out ahead, great! But don't let this be your sole reason for continuing.

Good luck!

Thanks, that helped a lot!