Starting a gecko business?

[Keitone]

I am considering breeding leos and was trying to get some info on what people think it takes to be successful. By successful I being able to sell the babies that are produced, and not winding up with more animals than I could take care of.

I would have a small group of animals and focus on producing high quality animals.

So, what do you think it takes from the business aspect of it? I know how to care for the animals and all that jive.

 

[B.appel13]

Dont do it as a main source of income...ull be lucky to break even at the end of the year.

You have to equate for the feeders, the calcium, the electic bill increase, the extra enclosures to house the hatchlings, If you goto an expo to sell your booth costs. The BIG breeders that have a business are huge scale. There are so many leo breeders you wont be able to compete with the big guys.

There are people working with 2-3k geckos.

If you are doing it just to make money.,...stop. If you are doing it because you enjoy it then do it for that reason just be ready to take care of the hatchlings if they dont sell..

You have to remember the market is very saturated so unless you comming out with the next big thing do it as a hobby not a business.

 

[acpart]

If your main goal is selling what you produce, that's a reasonable thing to aim for. I'm starting my 6th season and would make the following suggestions:

--start small with maybe 1.2 at first
--talk to everyone you know because word of mouth is great
--be prepared to donate 1 gecko to a good cause like a science room or something like that. It gets you more free publicity
--be aware that there are some places and people that are not good destinations for geckos even though it will get you a sale
--try to vend at any show remotely in your area
--get a list of all non-chain pet stores in your area. Go to visit them "incognito" and if you like what you see, find out if they're interested in some of your geckos. Be prepared to sell to pet stores for less than you sell for on your own
--check out craigslist regularly for people who are "looking for a reptile" and respond to them. Take the attitude that you're educating them first and trying for a sale second (it helps to do this with all your contacts --it really makes a good impression and increases the chances your geckos will go to a good place)
--advertise on GF
--send PM's to new GF members who are from your area (I have made several sales that way) or who are looking for something that you have
--start local but be prepared to ship as you grow
--evaluate your first season and think very carefully about how much and how fast you want to grow. Consider not only number of geckos sold but also expenses in their care and how much time you want to spend taking care of them.

GOod luck

Aliza

 

[snowgyre]

Aliza has some great advice there. I'd like to add a couple.

- Keep careful track of your expenditures and income the first year. It'll help you budget.
- I have 10 leopard geckos and I spend $17-30/mo on food. You may want to consider raising your own feeders to cut down costs.
- Be careful of craigslist people. For one, it's against CL rules to post animals for sale, and most of the people on CL are looking for deals and/or they're flippers (aka they get a reptile at a cheap price and then sell it again for a higher price).
- GET A WEBSITE!! A website gives you a place to showcase your animals, is relatively inexpensive ($50-60/yr for domain and hosting if you build the site yourself), and really gives you a professional appearance. As far as website design, the KISS principle is vital (Keep It Simple Stupid).

Here are some initial expenses you may want to think about. This is for 2.2 geckos.
- Home made sweaterbox rack that can hold 10 geckos (think hatchlings) - $100 minimum
- Sweaterboxes - 10 x $2 = $20
- Food costs for one year (1000 mealworms/mo at $14/1000) = $14 x 12 = $168
- Hovabator incubator = $40 + shipping = $55
- 2.2 geckos (depends on morph, but this is a conservative estimate) = $400
- miscellaneous supplies (mealworm, water, calcium dishes) = $20

So, at a very minimum, you're looking at a $743 investment just to get started. You probably won't make this back the first year with yearling females.

 

[Keitone]

Dont do it as a main source of income...ull be lucky to break even at the end of the year.

Im not looking for a career, its just something that I love and would like to expand my hobby.

As far as expenses go;
-I am going to be buying a few thousand roaches in the near future to feed the leos I already have.

-As I mentioned above I already have 4 females, I would only breed 3 of them though, the fourth was a rescue and has had a rough life, she's missing all her toes :main_angry:.

-I am in school now and I was planning on taking a web design class of some sort and pick some knowledge on my own, so that I would be able to build my own website.

-I am very handy and can make my own racks and what not. I have one already that could house 8 adults, but I use 28qt sterlites for my girls.

-I couldn't imagine selling a animal to someone that didn't want to take care of them properly. I worked at a chain pet store as a manager in the animal department, I know they dont have a good rep but..., I would refuse sales to people that were not willing to care for the animal properly. I told my employees to as well. I care to much about them to sell them just to get a sale.

Thanks for the suggestions guys! I will definitely network and put myself out there.

 

[roger]

I find the lower end babies sell much more quickly.say a normal or tang.I got trapped BIG time buying $800 animals and not getting my money back.I am doing it for the fun of breeding.I find i sell alot to younger people that want them for pets.If I could make a suggestion, buy cheaper animals.By cheaper I dont mean lower quality.You can get some awsome looking animals for $100.

 

[Keitone]

I find the lower end babies sell much more quickly.say a normal or tang.I got trapped BIG time buying $800 animals and not getting my money back.I am doing it for the fun of breeding.I find i sell alot to younger people that want them for pets.If I could make a suggestion, buy cheaper animals.By cheaper I dont mean lower quality.You can get some awsome looking animals for $100.

Good point. In terms of numbers alone there would be a lot more people looking for less expensive pets versus high end investments.