Breeding Snakes as A Job????

[ghosts]

The borders are far from closed.... fewer then one in every hundred containers are checked at australian ports and there is alot then just reptiles comming in

 

[Waterrat]

Kurto, since when are the borders well and truly closed? Just recently, someone must have left the gate open .... and the zebras got in. It's good, food for all the jaguars. I wonder how the 2000 GTPs settled in, they should all be Aussie citizens by now.

 

[hugsta]

Wild type animals in the states are actually worth the same or more then some of the morphs. Pure Darwin's are either around $5000 each or $5000 a pair, it's to do with supply and demand. There aren't a lot of pures over there at the moment. It's funny most people want what the Americans have & most the anerican python keepers want our locality stuff.

Agreed, but you need to take into consideration that I am referring to Australia and not the States/overseas. Also, the animals you mention they cannot get legally anymore and will therefore command a higher price for new blood/locale type animals. If you compare all the wild type animals that they can have, such as ball pythons, corn snakes etc etc, you will see that they are worth buggar all, if anything at all. So it will be similar out here. if not already then eventually, as we have access to all the wild type animals we want, so the demand will be less as people naturally want something a bit different. Look at the price of your standard maculosa, I used to sell them for $180 ea years ago, I don't even bother pairing them up anymore as it is not worth the hassle to sell them for $40 or $50 each. However T+ albinos are still worth nice dollars and so will T- albinos when they eventually hit the market. And when the price on these comes down say $500 each or less, what do you think a normal one will be worth then as people want something that looks stunning rather than just looks nice.

 

[Kurto]

Kurto, since when are the borders well and truly closed? Just recently, someone must have left the gate open .... and the zebras got in. It's good, food for all the jaguars. I wonder how the 2000 GTPs settled in, they should all be Aussie citizens by now.

The gate maybe open, but some of us aren't out to be criminals!

 

[Waterrat]

The gate maybe open, but some of us aren't out to be criminals!

True Kurto, but we can't influence or control those who are willing to be criminals for profit. The market and our hobby was, is, and will be affected by their actions. So, nothing has changed ... unfortunately, the borders are still open.

 

[deebo]

True Kurto, but we can't influence or control those who are willing to be criminals for profit. The market and our hobby was, is, and will be affected by their actions. So, nothing has changed ... unfortunately, the borders are still open.

so all the gtps you work with are natives? I dont see why you say "unforunately".....

 

[trento]

Paying for the food alone would cost a heap with the price of rats if you have 2 clutches of say 30 snakes and you feed them all weekly for three months that's 90 pinkys not to mention the breeders being feed say fortnightly one large rat at about $6-10 a feed you need to breed rats and that's we're you will have a full time job the snakes are the ezy part rats need to be feed and watered every day and they smell if you don't clean them at least twice a week they take about 3-4 months to get to a large size for feeding to your breeders so you need some space to grow them out I could go on but I think you get the point there is a lot of work so don't bother unless you really love it and then it will be worth it hope this helps

 

[yommy]

Its best kept as a hobby that pays for itself and not a job IMO.
My wife isn't a fan of pythons, so not happy to fund my obsession through family savings.
Everything i breed, the money from that goes straight back into the collection.
I run 12 adults plus whatever you get at hatchy time. Which can be quite a few depending on if i am resting females that year.

If sell 2 albino darwin babies, that covers my yearly food cost.
If i want to update cages, get better species, power bills etc it's all is covered through hatchy sales.
I have not had to put 'Family' money into my collection for many years.
Do it right and it's self supporting.

Greatest hobby in the world.

 

[Waterrat]

so all the gtps you work with are natives? I dont see why you say "unforunately".....

David, try to be more objective in this debate, this is not about me, anyone or anything in particular. I said unfortunately because that's my view on smuggling, no matter what species, no matter if it's in or out.

 

[Mo Deville]

This is a good thread, its a good debate on making money from reptiles/animals, and a lot people that are making money will say there is no money in it because they don't want other people getting into this hobby/business and taking business away from them, and i bet their reading through this thread and getting pissed off about people talking about the money making "secrets" of this herp/animal trade on this thread.

There is a hell of a lot of money in the animal trade, you just need a good eye for it to see where its at, and if you want to work hard for it and do it properly, i also find it funny how people get angry at others for making money of hybrids and cross breeds and "exotics" because a lot of them sell for more then "pure animals", a lot of people want reptile keepers to be treated like "normal" pet owners yet complain when "designer morphs" are bred for the pet trade and all of a sudden it become a DERM issue. haha what funny world.

 

[CrystalMoon]

I believe that trying to make a living off breeding reptiles could be very unstable specially if your a new comer to keeping reptiles. There is so much more to it than throwing a couple of snakes together, selling off the hatchlings and banking your squillions lol I spose It can be a natural desire to want to turn a hobby you have just found and love into a money making concern? But like most hobbies, it can be a bit of a gamble once you try and turn it into a business. I am not saying for one minute that it cannot be done, nor am I trying to rain on your parade.... Just that it is not an easy or stable business to get into(imo) I also wonder at the risk of becoming less in love with your hobby if it did become a lively hood? Personally if I were contemplating this idea, I would perhaps have a chat to some reputable people in the industry and get their take on it Good luck in your future endeavors

 

[stimigex]

This is a good thread, its a good debate on making money from reptiles/animals, and a lot people that are making money will say there is no money in it because they don't want other people getting into this hobby/business and taking business away from them, and i bet their reading through this thread and getting pissed off about people talking about the money making "secrets" of this herp/animal trade on this thread.

There is a hell of a lot of money in the animal trade, you just need a good eye for it to see where its at, and if you want to work hard for it and do it properly, i also find it funny how people get angry at others for making money of hybrids and cross breeds and "exotics" because a lot of them sell for more then "pure animals", a lot of people want reptile keepers to be treated like "normal" pet owners yet complain when "designer morphs" are bred for the pet trade and all of a sudden it become a DERM issue. haha what funny world.

I think you have got it a little wrong! There are those that believe they are going to make money breeding stock standard over produced snakes and these are the ones that cant be told that oppurtunity has long gone. There has been a mass over production of plain type critters in the last 4 or so years, This has forced the downward pressure on prices achieved for such critters.

The only way to get a decent return from producing critters is to be at the coal face when a new morph/designer type is released and pay the big dollars to get in on the ground floor, BUT this is where it will weed out most keepers as they dont have the $$$ and time needed to purchase and reproduce such critters.

We have plenty of critters we will not breed because the market is no longer there, We still keep them because we enjoy doing so. Then there are a few lines we work on every year, these are project lines that will we hope after a lot of work will turn out something a little special.

The biggest down fall for anyone new to reptile s/reptile breeding they always tend to work on maximum possible production when working out what they want to do. This is flawed planning
at best. It is far better to just have a crack for the fun of it all because it is a wonderful thing to experience and see how it all goes.

There are a huge amount of variables in breeding that have an infulence over what may of may not happen
There is an old saying, Don't count your chicken before they hatch!

 

[snakefreak16]

ill tell u what you will probably make more money breeding and selling snake food then u will with breeding the snakes themselvs lol

 

[ghosts]

This is a good thread, its a good debate on making money from reptiles/animals, and a lot people that are making money will say there is no money in it because they don't want other people getting into this hobby/business and taking business away from them, and i bet their reading through this thread and getting pissed off about people talking about the money making "secrets" of this herp/animal trade on this thread.

There is a hell of a lot of money in the animal trade, you just need a good eye for it to see where its at, and if you want to work hard for it and do it properly, i also find it funny how people get angry at others for making money of hybrids and cross breeds and "exotics" because a lot of them sell for more then "pure animals", a lot of people want reptile keepers to be treated like "normal" pet owners yet complain when "designer morphs" are bred for the pet trade and all of a sudden it become a DERM issue. haha what funny world.

+1

ill tell u what you will probably make more money breeding and selling snake food then u will with breeding the snakes themselvs lol

but speak to the guys that breed rats... theres no money in it either

 

[Waterrat]

but speak to the guys that breed rats... theres no money in it either

Many of them are useless amateur backyard breeders. If I ask for 500 pink mice - how many of the "breeders" will be able to fill my order? Those who are doing it properly are making money.

 

[PMyers]

I also wonder at the risk of becoming less in love with your hobby if it did become a lively hood?

I used to love SCUBA diving... then I started making a living out of it. Subsequently, I gave it away and haven't hit the water in over eighteen months. I also used to brew my own beer (using barley grain like a professional brewery), then I went into the brewing industry... haven't brewed a beer in five years! There's no way in hell I'm going to ever attempt to make a living from breeding reptiles!!!

 

[Waterrat]

I used to love SCUBA diving... then I started making a living out of it. Subsequently, I gave it away and haven't hit the water in over eighteen months. I also used to brew my own beer (using barley grain like a professional brewery), then I went into the brewing industry... haven't brewed a beer in five years! There's no way in hell I'm going to ever attempt to make a living from breeding reptiles!!!

I can relate to that. As a photographer, I spend more time processing, filing, researching, promoting and marketing my stuff than I do shooting. But I still love it.

 

[Mo Deville]

I think you have got it a little wrong! There are those that believe they are going to make money breeding stock standard over produced snakes and these are the ones that cant be told that oppurtunity has long gone. There has been a mass over production of plain type critters in the last 4 or so years, This has forced the downward pressure on prices achieved for such critters.

The only way to get a decent return from producing critters is to be at the coal face when a new morph/designer type is released and pay the big dollars to get in on the ground floor, BUT this is where it will weed out most keepers as they dont have the $$$ and time needed to purchase and reproduce such critters.

We have plenty of critters we will not breed because the market is no longer there, We still keep them because we enjoy doing so. Then there are a few lines we work on every year, these are project lines that will we hope after a lot of work will turn out something a little special.

The biggest down fall for anyone new to reptile s/reptile breeding they always tend to work on maximum possible production when working out what they want to do. This is flawed planning
at best. It is far better to just have a crack for the fun of it all because it is a wonderful thing to experience and see how it all goes.

There are a huge amount of variables in breeding that have an infulence over what may of may not happen
There is an old saying, Don't count your chicken before they hatch!

Thats an example of why i said "you just need a good eye for it to see where its at".

 

[Red-Ink]

Its best kept as a hobby that pays for itself and not a job IMO.
My wife isn't a fan of pythons, so not happy to fund my obsession through family savings.
Everything i breed, the money from that goes straight back into the collection.
I run 12 adults plus whatever you get at hatchy time. Which can be quite a few depending on if i am resting females that year.

If sell 2 albino darwin babies, that covers my yearly food cost.
If i want to update cages, get better species, power bills etc it's all is covered through hatchy sales.
I have not had to put 'Family' money into my collection for many years.
Do it right and it's self supporting.

Greatest hobby in the world.

Self sustaining hobby.... not a job, what more can you ask for. I wish all of my other hobbies were self sustaining.

 

[Wally]

I used to love SCUBA diving... then I started making a living out of it. Subsequently, I gave it away and haven't hit the water in over eighteen months. I also used to brew my own beer (using barley grain like a professional brewery), then I went into the brewing industry... haven't brewed a beer in five years! There's no way in hell I'm going to ever attempt to make a living from breeding reptiles!!!

I guess gigolo is out the question then......