What's it like livin' the dream of owning a lot of herps? I've got a few questions..

[Jhill001]

Go be an accountant, you can buy all the reptiles you want. People that work with animals make hardly any money which limits the possibilities of a collection.

[distaff]

Set a budget. Your extra electrical use can be calculated from each heater or lamp you use. Figure out the food costs, supplies and a vet fund. The maintenance costs of each animal you add leaves less money for the rest of them, and you.

Pay as you go.
NO CREDIT!

As someone else stated above, Life Happens: Natural disasters, car wrecks, apendicitis, cancer, blown disks, babies, deaths in the family, lay-offs, hyper inflation, deflation, violent crime, etc.

Don't take on more than you can handle.
It won't be fun.

[das_nooblet]

I remember seeing someone mention once about how details concerning their BP collection was actually included in theirs and their spouse's wills.

If something serious did happen to you, what would become of your collection? Where would your animals go, or who would look after them?

They are questions that someone of your age might never think to consider. Heck, many people of all ages probably wouldn't think of it either, I know I certainly didn't until I read that post.

[Kris Mclaughlin]

This. Start small and work your way up as you can afford it.

Now that said, if you have a large collection then there are expenses you won't have - like vacation travel longer than an overnight trip - because pet sitters don't handle exotics.

Indeed. Takes alot of dedication. It is possible to leave for 2 days but other than that we have a very tight maintenance schedule. Were remodeling anyway but we rewired with big stuff and a generator hookup in our animal room. We lost a few pacman frogs last winter due to a power outage. Ive started building my own display enclosures lately too with more energy efficient heat wire to make side panels heat panels and save on all the heat mats and just have my uvb tubes and leds for my plants built in. Itll save me a ton on all my high powered things everywhere.

A friend of mine recommended a cheapie solar gig for my lights even...

Keeping frogs, snakes, and lizards of all sorts takes alot of time and sometimes pinching pennies for a while. But if ya have the resources, living artwork is the way to go!

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I do not own a large collection I try to stay within 75 to 100 breeders, but I have good insight on the "dream" from my perspective the one and close friends who do this for a living (I do this successfully allowing me to make a nice profit but have chose not to make a living at it.)

Having a dream is great being realistic about it is very important.

First have you owned any of the species you mentioned above? No read about those species but actually owned them?

You want to go full extent on a breeding facility but seem yet seems reluctant to spend money

I dont go bankrupt collecting and selling herps.

, reality number one it takes money to make money and making money with animals is a risk, now you can minimize that risk by being smart and investing your money wisely.

First step to make money regardless of the level at which you want to succeed (collection paying for itself, extra spending money, making a living) you need to have a plan and treat this like any other business, second step you MUST know your market and while diversity is great, too much diversity can quickly be overwhelming especially when things do not work out as planned (and sometimes they do not). Over the years I have seen people jumping head first thinking it's fast easy money with little work and when things do not pan out they sell their entire collection within 3 or 4 years.

Now I could tell you how much my electricity bill is but it will not help you since the chances is you will not keep your animals the way I do, this too needs to be figure out with your own figures (number of racks/enclosure = how many feet of heat tape = how many watts, or facility kept at room temp, than how many watts are being used to do so with either oil filled heater or heat pump)

While getting to do what you want is close to a dream even if it's not how you make your living it's also a lot of work, planning, but also heartache at times (the ups and down of breeding) and that is reality.

[Hypancistrus]

Haha, thats the problem! I'd love to work at a zoo specializing in the reptile house. Then maybe save enough money at the side for my personal herp dreams lol.

Go be an accountant, you can buy all the reptiles you want. People that work with animals make hardly any money which limits the possibilities of a collection.

^ There is a lot of truth to this. I love animals more than anyone I know... and I don't work with them, I teach instead, which gives me money to pay my bills. If I had taken any of the jobs I had initially thought I wanted involving working directly with animals, I wouldn't have the money to keep the animals I do. So my work life is less desirable than I wanted it to be, and it's not at all a hobby in any way, shape or form-- but I make good money, have good benefits, and have great hours which gives me lots of time and some spare cash to spend on my pets.

There're down sides to everything-- and with animal based careers, the low pay rate is usually it.

And yes... if you want an enormous collection.... don't ever plan on taking long vacations. We are lucky enough to live within walking distance of a friend who also keeps herps, so when I travel, she watches my guys, and I do the same for her. Not everyone is that lucky to have someone they trust completely with such things.

[footballpythons]

thats my dream to except i will not go extreme full time because after high school and college i plan on being a business man, and i plan on getting the variety going after setting a strong base in three main staple reptiles which are ball pythons, leopard geckos, and blue tongues

[Hypancistrus]

thats my dream to except i will not go extreme full time because after high school and college i plan on being a business man, and i plan on getting the variety going after setting a strong base in three main staple reptiles which are ball pythons, leopard geckos, and blue tongues

You consider blue tongues to be a staple reptile??