Sold out

[acpart]

I've been reading a lot of posts from people who want to start breeding and the issue of what they will do with all the hatchlings, so I thought I'd post some statistics from my most recent season. I'm a small time living-room breeder with about 12 geckos not all of whom breed or breed well.
This past season, my third, I produced 33 live hatchlings. Here are my results:

19 sold at shows (2 small shows)
6 sold to pet stores
7 sold to individuals (3 of these are promised for 1/13 but not delivered yet)
1 holdback


I estimate that I am about $800 in the red, but I did buy 2 geckos and a beardie this year (for about $800 total) which I don't expect to happen next year.

I hope this is helpful in considering your breeding plans.

Aliza

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Thanks for posting, Aliza. I will probably post my P & L's again this year for everyone to see that breeding leopard geckos will not get you rich!

 

[Baker14]

FOr me, who is going to breed sometime this year for the first time, its not about selling, its about the excitment of hatching and raising young leopard geckos that are produced by your leos. Its the passion for the hobby that makes me interested in breeding, not the fact that I can make some money off of it. I will be ready to keep and raise all my hatchlings. Thanks for posting this.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Its the passion for the hobby that makes me interested in breeding, not the fact that I can make some money off of it.

I think you will find this to be true for most of us here on GF! In many cases, we are lucky to break even. It's about the geckos, but making enough to support the hobby is great!

 

[johnnyboy4783]

I agree it is also the passion of the hobby for me too!

 

[Leopardbreeder]

Thank you Aliza for that interesting "chart".Marcia, can you post like how Aliza did with how many you sold where, I think everyone would be interested in that.

 

[mmsi1002]

I plan on keeping all my hatchlings. Just me & my reptiles........one big happy family.

 

[Ccrashca069]

I am already planing on keeping at leaste 1 of the 4 eggs I have right now. I might not even sell any I produce this year. Next year I am very excited about because I will have tangs and Bell hatchlings

 

[LeopardGeckoMom52688]

This year I produced 2 healthy babies. One was adopted out beause I think the mom was too old. To a girl that really wanted a little gir. Another was adopted out to a friend of mine. Kinda more of a trade i got a nice aft for a leopard gecko. And then this coming year I hope to hatch a few raptors. But plan to keep a few. and have a few sold and have almost all of my afts I hatch sold! My dad asked why I wanna breed. And I told him because I enjoy it. I love watching them grow before my eyes. I just love the animals!

 

[mynewturtle]

You don't get rich but in my case you don't loose money and gain around 200$ per year.

I spend 0$ a month, I breed my own crickets, superworms and mealworms infact I have 1 rack just for breeding insects.

I produce on a high end of 8,500on a low end of 7,000 bugs(per week). I have 2.4 pair of geckos by breeding season I will have a 3.5 pair.

Producing 50 geckos a year at a high end/low end depending on the breeder. I have 1.1 pair thats not a good pair and only produced 6 high end babys for the breeder.

So that would be around 46 babys, that would be around 3220 bugs per week if I feed 10 bugs per day. I produce 2 1/2x as much as that on a low end. By the time there juvies they all go up for sale (I pick 2-3 hold backs) and are eating every other day 10 mealies.

In conclusion not EVERY one looses money but not every one has devoted 2 hours a night to just insects like I have decided to. I'm sorry if I sound like a prick argueing. Just showing that you don't always loose money breeding.

Now new breeders(myself) don't rush into breeding thinking you'll make money by my post because this is someone who produces a 'mass' of bugs per week and the odds are you won't unless you are very commited.

 

[Baker14]

It soudns liek you have figured out away to stay + and not - with money. That seems like it works great and im happy your doing good! Just a few questions. Ive bred mealworms before and in my opinion the process takes a few months to start, then ti takes a few months for the abbies to become adult mealworms. Is it like the more you feed them the faster they grow? That kind of puzzled me, I didnt think that spending so much time breeding mealwroms was easier then buying them. I only have five geckos, then I had 2, so taht kind of explains it. Right now I go through about 200-300 mealworms a week, sometimes more. I will consider breeding mealworms again since it now costs a few dollars a week. Are there any tips on breeding mealworms you can give me?

Thanks

 

[acpart]

One thing I discovered (that I should have known before) is that mealworms develop faster when it's warmer --sometimes months faster. I've just moved my tiny mealworms that weren't getting much bigger nearer the heat vent of the room and am hoping to see some faster changes.

Aliza

 

[mynewturtle]

I keep my rack at 86F I find that the mealies grow faster + hatch faster same with crickets/supers.

Just feed the insects well and keep them at 85-86F and you'll have a healthy colony of bugs.
I also spend so much time because I only have 8 geckos but if I spend so much time when I don't have babys come hatchling season no debts.

 

[scottd]

glad someone posted this. i had about 20 hatchlings this last year and it was my 1st breeding season. 5 went to personal buyers and 15 went to pet stores usually 2-3 at a time. i also did not make any money because i put it all back into my colony for shelter etc. i tried breeding and will continue breeding to obtain my selective group. i guess i just want to keep the best looking geckos. hope i can keep it up, ill just get more creative to sell or end up keeping them all thank god 10 gallon tanks are 10 bucks near my house. i really dont want to go to a rack system, ill put tanks on every shelf of my house if i have too lol.

 

[acpart]

glad someone posted this. i had about 20 hatchlings this last year and it was my 1st breeding season. 5 went to personal buyers and 15 went to pet stores usually 2-3 at a time. i also did not make any money because i put it all back into my colony for shelter etc. i tried breeding and will continue breeding to obtain my selective group. i guess i just want to keep the best looking geckos. hope i can keep it up, ill just get more creative to sell or end up keeping them all thank god 10 gallon tanks are 10 bucks near my house. i really dont want to go to a rack system, ill put tanks on every shelf of my house if i have too lol.

I have found that talking about my geckos and breeding to a lot of people has lead to more contacts and resources for selling. I also check into the local non-chain pet stores in the area and go to visit them before I ask them if they want geckos. I just contacted a new pet store last month that met my criteria for health and housing. I sold them 2 geckos and 24 hours later they called to say they had sold them.

I am also not personally in favor of rack systems (for myself, not as a general thing) although I have one 16-tank rack for possible hatchling overflow. I have 20L front-opening tanks that I divide into 3 areas so I can hold 6 hatchlings in each (fewer when they get bigger).

Aliza

 

[goReptiles]

I spend 0$ a month, I breed my own crickets, superworms and mealworms infact I have 1 rack just for breeding insects.

I produce on a high end of 8,500on a low end of 7,000 bugs(per week). I have 2.4 pair of geckos by breeding season I will have a 3.5 pair.

What do you spend on worm bedding and gutload? Wouldn't you have to take that into consideration? Same with vitamins and supplements for the geckos.

Either way glad it works for you. I gave up breeding mealworms, as it got to a point where they morphed all at once and I had very little feeders and a million beetles.

 

[mynewturtle]

GoReptiles, I make my own mealworm bedding and vitimans I only buy d3 I make pure out of cuddle bone/egg shells. Okay I spend 7 dollars a month on viteman bills.

 

[acpart]

Not Sold Out

Well, the person who was supposed to buy my last 3 geckos emailed me to say he couldn't afford it. I really appreciate him contacting me instead of going silent. Hopefully I will be able to sell them to the pet store.

Aliza