Record keeping question

[warhawk]

So I was wondering what info do you as a breeder of geckos like to keep on your animals? My record keeping has been a work in progress for a while. When I started it was very hard to find out what info I should keep and a good way to keep it. I'm always open for ways to improve my system also willing to share info with others that have the same interest.

I keep two sets of records. One set for individual geckos and one set for breeding, both are on a excel spread sheet that I print out and keep in a folder. I keep the records even if I sell the gecko, it dies or I retire them.

My individual sheet has this info on the sheet. Again I keep in for every gecko I own or have owned.

Type - Leopard, fat tail, bearded dragon......
Mother - Got to know where they come from
Father - Got to know where they come from
Born date If I don't hatch this is harder to get
Morph - Good quick ref to know what they are
Sex -
Date-In - date I got them if I didn't hatch them
Date-Out - date I sold or retired
Het - This one is big got to have all the info
Name - Because these guys are still pets
ID number -I'm working on a number system but not done yet

It looks like a lot of info but I like keep my info in one place and I know my memory won't last for ever. On the same sheet I have columns so I weigh them every week and keep a record when the shed. I thought about putting info on their eating but not sure I really need that as I'm the only one that feeds and I can tell if they don't eat. There is enough room for weights once a week for over a year so after I fill up the sheet it gets filed away in that animals folder.

My second sheet is a breeding sheet set up to track breeding for the animals. On this sheet I have the ID# of the Male and Female, what Morph each has, what each are Het for, Dates that I put them together, Date eggs are laid, Incubation temp, Hatch date, sex of the hatchling, what morph they show.



What info do you keep for your animals?

 

[warhawk]

No one else keep records?

Would love to bounce ideas off someone to make my records better if anyone has any tips let me know.

 

[acpart]

Here's the short version:
These days I keep all my data in little spiral bound index card booklets that I get from Staples.
On the inside cover, I list the breeding pairs and their morphs.
Each hatchling gets a page. Hatchlings are labelled with parents' names (e.g Eragon x Asia = "Erase") and consecutive number (first hatchling is Erase1, second Erase2, etc). This way I can immediately know the hatchling's possible genetics by name instead of having some number that doesn't mean anything.
Each page has hatchling "name", DOH, number of days of incubation and morph
The rest of the page is used for notes about the hatchling as needed.
When I price the hatchling, I put the advertised price at top left of the page.
When I sell the hatchling, I paste the label from the cage onto the page and write who/where it sold and the actual selling price.

Aliza

 

[warhawk]

Thanks for that info. I didn't think about putting the prices on the sheets also that is a good idea.

I like the idea of combining the names and numbering the hatchlings. That would be a lot simpler then just a number. I'm not impressed with my numbering system for sure, it works I just feel there is something better.

 

[JoulesBurn]

I started using HerperPro a while ago and have been sticking with it. It can even make invoices for you and you can output histories on each individual. A lot of the fields can have drop downs that you can add custom lists to tweak to your species needs or just treat like a free field for special circumstances. You can always try the free trial. I think you can do two to three geckos for free on it and you can see if you like it.

 

[warhawk]

Thanks JoulesBurn i will check out that program.