A decent living

[Neil]

Is there a decent living to be made in breeding reptiles or is it quite a struggle?

[Simon]

I would think that it's quite big of a struggle since it's very hard to find people that likes snakes. Then there are a lot of supplies and then if you want to make big bucks, you'll have to have a lot of reputation. So making a living out of selling snakes isn't much of a good idea. You'll have to be at least someone like Rich, Don, and Kathy. Some of the biggest snake keepers and sellers in the US.....of course there are more but these 3 are the most well known.

Good Luck and Happy Herping!

[Elaphe_Mo]

I wonder if we could start a forum for serious "beginner breeders" about other aspects of the business aside from dealing with the snakes themselves. This comming breeding season I will finally have enough adult animals to make breeding worthwhile and I'll be applying for permits, etc. I don't ever plan on making this a full-time job...but it would be nice to be able to talk to others just starting out about what is involved with the business aspects of this.

[bmm]

I honestly cannot say that one could plan a future to support himself/herself with breeding. Not to say its impossible, but come on even Rich Z says he just *recently* quit his day job to deal with just reptiles, and that is many many many years after he began with them.

unless you have a huge amount of money to start with and buy animals that are in demand, but even then its probably not going to make you money. not enough to live on that is. its nearly impossible.....the costs of medical supplies, vet visits, starting up a large rodent colony, maintaining a large rodent colony, deli cups, cages, water dish, substrate, heating costs and supplies, and not to mention if you have a lot of animals you will need employees etc. It will take you years before money made from hatchlings turns into any sort of profit, because at first for many many years all the money from hatclings will go into supplies and breeding stock.

MHO
Bmm

[SilverTongue]

It will mostlikely be costly hard and time consuming. You will struggle and have lots of problems even Rich has problems now and then. But this does not mean the you can not do it. If you are willing to put the effort you need into the job and if you have the paitence then you most certainly can do it. It wouldnt be an overnight success, unless you discovered some rare gene that would rock the snake world. Rich, Don, and Kathy are awesome breeders and they will own the snake breeder choice easily, but they wont live forever (no offence at all guys) Give it a try but dont quit your day job unless you are indapendently wealthy. GL and let us know what you think!!

[Neil]

Thanks for all your replies but remember that I'm not asking because I want to live off breeding, I was just curious although I would really like to own a reptile shop at some point, but I'm only young.

[CornCrazy]

And you could then rely on other people to do the breeding! It's an idea I have been considering myself. There is only one good reptile store anywhere close to me and it is a half and hour away. I think a <b>good</b> reptile store would be easier to make a living from than just being a breeder. Unless, as SilverTongue says, "you are independently wealthy."

[Tim Madsen]

Starting any business is risky, starting a business that depends on live stock is doubly risky. Be prepared to fail. IMHO

[Elaphe_Mo]

Even a good reptile store isn't a guarantee to do well, there was a great one near my college, the only one for about an hour radius, and it went through several owners and finally closed. Even really great places may not do well if there just aren't enough people around interested in herps. I sure was sad when they closed though...

[Jimmy C.]

Hey Neil,
I am not sure but I would bet that all the "BIG" breeders started out by just loving the animal and wanted them as pets.
One thing lead to another, they started breeding them as most animal lovers do. With time them started selling any excess animals that they dont need. And then as they say the rest is history.
What I am getting at is I wouldn't go into it with the intention of making money. Thats how we end up with things like puppy mills. The animals always suffer.
Go into it because you love the animal and enjoy the husbandry. Later if you are lucky and successful you can start selling the excess.
Thats just my 2 cents,
Jimmy C.

[Missymonkey]

Any new small business is going to be less profit making in the first few years, the thing that is the clincher for most is advertizing, you need to make yourself known in the market so that you can draw the customers you need. It is definatly possible and there are plenty of people out there who can help small businesses and entrepreneurs (ie: Cap services has a job/business development program, SCORE has mentoring programs that help you write up business plans, there are lots of economic development corps out there with revlolving loan funds and what not)

I personaly think that we will be seeing an uprise in small businesses in the next ten years and a decline in corporate america as everyone (most everyone) starts to loose their trust in big business, and sees that their neighbor is opening a grocery store "well I can trust my neighbor we have cook-outs every week why should I buy my hamburger from some big business whom I don't have cookouts with every week?" that kinda thing,
It's going to be a good economy for small businesses (specialy when if they go bankrupt it doesn't ruin the retirement of hundreds even thousands of people)

nothing ventured nothing gained...

[kenalotia]

Neil, since you're in England, you wouldn't be in direct competition with Rich, Kathy or Don anyway. Are there any other major breeders like them in England? If there's a large enough group of people who are interested in buying corns and/or other herps there, you might be able to do fairly well.

[Neil]

I haven't really heard of any major breeders who produce animals on a grand scale over here in England but I'm sure someone will know a couple. The keeping of herps has declined recently and the future of the hobby looks bleak because of all the ignorant activist groups and the like so I doubt that there is a huge demand for herps or herp products anywhere but in London.

[HomeBreeder]

you see.... this is why we need to get more organized as herphiles. If we could take a tiny percentage of the gross annual profit from the herp trade and hire a good P.R. firm (and some lobbyists) maybe we could make a difference...!

(Sorry - just the hippie inside me trtying to break out again.... repressing the inner hippie now, blood-preasure returning to normal....)

:D :D :D


^Curtis

[Matt L]

Curtis,
I know how you feel, I know it's not the hippie-just your passion for herps. however do not fret, our "cause " grows stronger all the time. It still burns my butt every time I hear things like "I hate snakes" or " The only good snake is a dead one". I find it a challenge to turn people around. Wow did this get off topic. rewind------I do sell 90% of my offspring--and I keep telling my very tolerant wife, that someday this will be a buisiness--but for now--it is still a hobby!:D

Matt L.

[Missymonkey]

It still burns my butt every time I hear things like "I hate snakes" or " The only good snake is a dead one".

this just brought to mind the "inspirational" poster that was put outside my office in the student involvement complex (at UWSP where all the different student org.s have thier offices like mine the A.C.T. (not the test) and two doors down the herpotology club) the poster was put up by SGA (stud. gov. assoc.) along with lots of other random inspirational ones. this one was a quote from ross perot....
" if you see a snake, kill it, don't appoint a commitee on snakes"

I would take it down but SGA controls our budget... I am probably going to put a little picture of a snake below it saying something like "how rude" or something...

another reason Ross Perot never became Pres.

[SilverTongue]

Gee that is kinda like not disagreeing with the goverment....because it controlls our country...kinda sounds like a monarchy

i cant spelll but you get the point