Small Time or Big Time Success

[EasiGregory]

I would love to hear how you guys all approach breeding leopard geckos and if its more then just a hobby for you.

Are you a small time breeder?
Do you breed for just a hobby?
Do you make a living off of breeding and selling your geckos?
How does your family feel about what you do?
How do you sell off your geckos?
Do you MAKE money or come out even?
Do you sell at shows or to local shops?
Do you do this hobby with friends? Or have a partner? Or alone?
How do you house them?
How much money have you spent on this hobby?
How much time do you spend each week on breeding/maintenance?
How many days/months/years have you be in this hobby?
Will you do this forever or think you will grow out of it?

You don't have to answer all the questions but I would love to hear a general overview of how you approach breeding in your life and how it fits in. I'm sure people do it for the pure joy of it, but I'm also sure people also enjoy the aspect of making money off of it. Let the Geckoforums(r just me) know how this hobby effects your life.

 

[EasiGregory]

I guess Ill start it...

-I haven't started breeding geckos but would love too in the future as a small time breeder/hobbyist.
-I plan to possibly sell geckos to local shops or friends/family/neighbors or online. I hope to make money but its not something I'm shooting for.
-Currently my kids looove the pretty lizzaards but the wife is mostly meh about them.
-Some sort of homemade rack system is most likely what I will do/build unless I can find something of better quality for equal price.
-So far I've spent around 700$ between geckos, housing, decor, feeders, lighting and instruments.
-I've been working with reptiles for years. I started with ball pythons and boas but had to get rid of them all when I joined the military. This is my first month as a leopard gecko owner.
-I absolutely love reptiles and think I will do something in or along the lines of this hobby for years to come. Leopard geckos fit my lifestyle perfectly but I my branch off into -other types of geckos in the future.

 

[acpart]

THis is my 10th season breeding. I started with leopard geckos, which remains my primary species but have added gargoyle geckos, AFT's and Coleonyx. I produce 80-100 geckos a year and am usually sold out by late winter.
I have tracked my income and expenses and posted the information for at least 2011 and 2012 on the forum here, so you can look it up (I got lazy in 2013 but am back in the saddle and will post income/expenses at the end of 2014. I don't track electricity cost or wear and tear on the car when going to shows or delivering geckos. With that in mind, I usually come out several hundred dollars in the red each year.
Some of the answers to your questions can be found in posts I've made (besides the income/expenses posts I also posted a few weeks ago about my gecko sales stats for 2013). I've also written articles for Gecko Time about breeding on a small scale and ideas for how to sell geckos (go to Archives | Gecko Time and look up these articles if you're interested).
My kids (college and post-college) have absolutely no interest in the geckos. My husband is supportive and really likes my crested gecko and beardie, but, although he's interested in their welfare in a general way, isn't that into them.
I spend an awful lot of time with a collection that ranges from 45-95 depending on the time of year. Luckily I don't need that much sleep. I have a gecko "partner in crime" who is my Gecko Time co-editor and lives just a few minutes from me. Recently he sold his geckos due to a move and now has mostly dart frogs, but we still exchange info and ideas and feed each other's creatures when someone goes out of town.
I do have a 16-tub rack but I prefer glass enclosures and have shelf units with front-opening glass cages so I can see everyone.

Aliza

 

[tb144050]

Before You Start Breeding Leopard Geckos. - YouTube

 

[EasiGregory]

Lol, maybe I was confusing on my wording of this post. I'm more asking you guys so I can hear your experiences, ups and downs, and just overall how this hobby or possibly job effects your lives in the different ways. I guess I was just trying to reach out and talk about the hobby and meet all of you guys and see the story behind the name. That is about it. Sorry If I came off in a different light.

acpart - 10 years! That is amazing, and I'm glad you are still passionate about what you do. Ill need to dig back in your post and read the numbers/info about your previous years breeding. Id be really interested in those! Do you feel your rack system has been sufficient enough for what you have produced over the years? Id imagine you don't keep 10 glass tanks for geckos(if you do..sorry) throughout your home. How did your husband feel/react when you brought the breeding aspect of geckos into the picture? Thanks for responding, It was great to see a bit of your back story.

tb144050 - Thanks for the link(I've watched it a few times awhile back), it provides some really good information.

 

[Gary Orner]

Are you a small time breeder?

I am not sure if I am in the middle or larger. I will be producing 1200 to 1500 babies.

Do you breed for just a hobby?

This is a hard one for me. I love i. I breed to see what I can make and see all the babies. But I do sell and make money doing it......

Do you make a living off of breeding and selling your geckos?

I also have a business in computer repair. So geckos are not my only income.

How does your family feel about what you do?

They love it.

How do you sell off your geckos?

I use online and reptle expos

Do you MAKE money or come out even?

I am in the black. menaing yes I do

Do you sell at shows or to local shops?

I sell at shows. I have only a couple shops that buy from me. I tend to sell them faster then I can make them lol

Do you do this hobby with friends? Or have a partner? Or alone?

My Partner is my Brother. I am the gecko side. If he was not family I would be doing this alone.

How do you house them?

In rack systems

How much money have you spent on this hobby?

Honestly you do not want to know

How much time do you spend each week on breeding/maintenance?

40 hours plus

How many days/months/years have you be in this hobby?

I was in the hobby doing shows in 1994. Have owned reptiles sense 1992

Will you do this forever or think you will grow out of it?

It is part of me

 

[EasiGregory]

PERFECT Grey! I would consider you to be a big time breeder. That's crazy how much time you put into breeding/cleaning/feeding/etc. Where do you keep all those geckos? Reptile room? I'm assuming that the shops are local and that you have established a friendly relationship with them? The idea of approaching shops to possibly sell them geckos seems so awkward. Its great to see/hear about people like you have a true passion for both these animals and hobby behind taking care/breeding them. Thanks Grey!

 

[Gary Orner]

I have about half of my basement set up for the geckos and a few snakes. Then My brother has a room at his place set up for all thebreeer snakes. I love this hobby a lot. It is something that if I did not make money and I could afford to keep doing it I would.

I get up between 6AM and 9AM matters on how late I stay up and I usualy get to sleep by 2AM but once in awhile it is 3 to 4 am. My days are like this

Get up
Go down stairs check for eggs and pull all eggs
Check for hatchlings and set them up
Clean who nees cleaned(I mark them when I pull eggs)
Then move to the few snakes I have and water and clean the ones that need it.
Sit down at my station(computers)
Get on facebok answer reptile messages and emails
Stay on facebook answer computer messages and emails.
Check ebay for sales and things I won(again computers)
Start working on clients computers I have for repair
Once I get them up I will work on machines I need to sell
By then it is dinner I eat.
Go back down stairs post ads (craigslist(computers) ebay)
Post ads for reptiles if I even have to
make sure everything is shut down
Check for eggs again pull all eggs
Check fo hatchlings set them up
Go upstairs and chill for an hour

In between all that post on the blog and try to get some other things done like going up stairs to play with my 3 year old daughter and when my son gets home(11) see him. He comes down to see me a lot though.

Then next day do it all again. lol

 

[acpart]

Here are my answers to your questions:

Do you feel your rack system has been sufficient enough for what you have produced over the years?
I don't like racks. I have the one 16-tub rack and the rest is glass enclosures. Including the enclosures for all my different reptiles, at the moment I have (believe it or not) 30 (!) enclosures integrated into my living room and dining room.

How did your husband feel/react when you brought the breeding aspect of geckos into the picture?
He is generally supportive of my crazy ideas, as I try to be with his.

Aliza

 

[EasiGregory]

Grey - Is this all through the year? Sounds like a lot of work but also worth it.

Aliza - Wow 30! You should post us some pictures of our enclousers. Id love to see them all. I can only hope my wife is supportive like your husband is. Ill break the ice sooner or later, not sure how that will go lol.

Thanks guys for the responses. I like hearing what you all are doing and how.

 

[Gary Orner]

Yep I breed year round. it gets slower at times. Like DEC. i do not have much going on reptile wise but computers make up for it

 

[acpart]

30 cages, count 'em:
Beardie cage on top of my 16-tub rack:



Rhacs and L. williamsi in the dining room (7 cages)


4-stack cage with leo breeders


8 cages to the right of bay windows in living room:


8 cages on the other side of living room:

 

[acpart]

But wait, there's more:

Cages to the left of bay window in living room (only 2):


Crestie and P. klemmeri cage in living room:


Then there are the 2 incubators in the living room . . .

Aliza

 

[Mantislover]

Wow! I thought I saw some low long 10 gallon tanks. Are they? And where did you find them? Id like some for mine. Meanwhile I will set up a sterilite box.

 

[acpart]

Wow! I thought I saw some low long 10 gallon tanks. Are they? And where did you find them? Id like some for mine. Meanwhile I will set up a sterilite box.

CHeck out Glasscages.com - Home under "stacking cages". They are front-opening cages that are the same dimensions as 10,15,29 gallon tanks but only half the height. The prices are really good and they have an extensive US National delivery schedule which they also post online.

Aliza