can you make a living?

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Originally Posted by RockSolid

I don't think people are trying to turn away a potential hobbiest, but what I got from the start of this thread is that you were trying to breed BP's for profit and not for the love of the hobby. That may not have been your intention, but that is how I perceived it and i'm sure I am not the only one.

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uhh yeah i agree with that. That certainly is the impression I got.

Oh, sorry if i came off the wrong way. But I would just like some help on choosing and how to properly care for the snakes since they are a life time commitment. I also want to make sure i have all the knowledge to care for them before i jump into buying one on impulse.

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Originally Posted by slimjim09

Oh, sorry if i came off the wrong way. But I would just like some help on choosing and how to properly care for the snakes since they are a life time commitment. I also want to make sure i have all the knowledge to care for them before i jump into buying one on impulse.

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oh OK.

I don't think anyone can tell you how you should do it. Only you can determine that. The path I've chosen is a path that I feel is wise for myself. I don't expect to become rich off of my snakes. It's just a hobby i'm enjoying at the moment. Would I like to make money? certainly...but I don't have the time or the money to invest in what it would take to make a huge company. So what I have to do in the mean time is work my 9-5 job and make that paycheck. The money I make goes towards my bills and care for my animals. It's a slow and painful road but I believe that it's the right path for me... me

My advice is to take things slow. Buy a few snakes and work with a clutch or two every year and determine that this is what you really want.

Everyone has their own path, their own way of doing things. You're the only one that knows your own financial situation and style of living. Do what you think is best for yourself and the animals. Don't get in too deep too fast.

Good luck.

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to westcoastjungle again.


dr del

I don't know that I have anything new to add about the possibility of making some profit from this hobby, but I would like to re-emphasize what others have said. Even a small breeding colony requires a lot of start up costs and then maintenance costs for the 2-3 years you will be growing up your females. That doesn't take into consideration the time and energy "spent". My family based small ball python business takes up almost all of our time away from work. You have to really love the animals to give that much time and energy to one thing without ending up resenting the very snakes you loved.


In regard to your question about that starter project for $1500 or so, you could probably buy what you mentioned (mojave, spider, cinny and 5 normal females) if all the morphs were '07 hatchlings and the girls were '07 or '06 and you bought the package from one breeder so he could give you a deal. It would require some good negotiating though and the quality might not be the best. I would suggest that you look at a couple of '07 male co-dom morphs and 3 sub-adult female normals. Raise them for a year and then you should be ready to breed next season if you are still interested. If not, you should be able to break even if you have to sell you normal females and you may not lose too much if you sell your males.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

A wise person once said to me, 'You can make a living doing anything you want as long as you have a passion for what you do, the business sense to know how to market yourself and your product, and the drive to see the job through'. Selling snakes is like any other business venture and should be treated as such. Raising and breeding snakes is the fun and interesting part but it seems that many people have difficulty with the business side of things. If you want to make a living selling snakes, look into taking small business classes at your local community college.

Mark

Quote:

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Originally Posted by slimjim09

Oh, sorry if i came off the wrong way. But I would just like some help on choosing and how to properly care for the snakes since they are a life time commitment. I also want to make sure i have all the knowledge to care for them before i jump into buying one on impulse.

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I don't think anyone is trying to deter you from becoming a breeder but want you to look at the bigger picture. Anyone that has been in this hobby long enough has seen their share of fly-by-night breeders. You can see them all over KS classifieds and a business you see today, may not be around next year.

You seem to understand some of it but I think you do not fully grasp the complexity of what you are after. It takes a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to make it to the top and become well known in this business.

I can tell you that a noboby selling snakes will have a lot harder time than somebody that is known in the community and been around for a while.

It may just be me, but I see a lot of this younger generation looking for quick answers on forums like this and expecting results. Asking people what they should buy, what is a good investment, etc. Most have no simple understanding of genetics but expect to "produce" the next high priced morph.
It may be callus, but I would suggest buying some books and do some reading and research on the snakes and their husbandry before I ever would think about "doing this full-time". I have an extensive collection of books and magazines and and still to this date, learning new things.

As a side note, pick up a couple of nice females and raise them up. ;)

I agree with all the posts. I've always had a bad twitch in my leg whenever I read about people trying to make a living out of BP's that were intended for pets. It's a shame that it's come to this because with selling BP's comes a lot of corruption, lies, and devious schemes. On the other hand, there are MANY helpful people out there who don't do it for the quick buck, but for the satisfaction of benefiting other people and the projects they wish to accomplish (ie. Adam from 8ball, Muddoc of B&B and many more).

My first priority would to keep the reproduction of BP's as a hobby on a free-time daily basis, because it isn't a 9-5 job as it will probably be a 8-12pm job. And selling would only come when it's beneficial to both people. My 2cents - an opinion that people may freely disagree with.

Sure, you can breed and sell rare morphs that will still be rare a few years from now. If you have maybe a few hundred grand to invest in them.

Well every one has given good points. Heres my two cents. Would 1500.00 get you started????? Maybe.. you have to think just cause you can spend 1500.00 on animals doesn't mean your set. If you spend your whole 1500.00 on animals and say get 5 animals thats great good start right? Then theres housing cost not just onetime expense of racks and tubs but substrate. Rack will run you 300.00. There is far more cost other than animals.

Give you an example. I started out with a 10,000.00 start up and with equipment, racks, animals, thermostats, and so one it pretty well killed my start up money.

Think three years from now will you still be able to or even want do this??

Is it get rich quick? NO
Will you even make a profit your first year? maybe.