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

I have been recently planning for my herp keeping future. I have an anery sand boa and a normal ball python now but after I get out high school, and I am thinking of college too, I will go full extent on a breeding facility. I want to breed snakes, lizards, arachnids and more. I would love some tips so I dont go bankrupt collecting and selling herps. I also have another question, what is your electric bill each week? I know herps can set the bill high lol.
In my first year I would breed ball pythons, hognoses, red tails, leachies, and leos. Is that too much for a year? In my second year Ill add rainbows, bloods, and cresties. I would also love to get into gators and monitors, but as a hobby not breeding. I absolutely love reptiles and would love to make a career from them, like breeding and educational shows around my state. Also I have thought of anti-venom too and that doesnt seem too likely unless I apply at a place already running. Any tips are greatly appreciated!

Nice an busy dreams there young'un.
All my animals including a/c and heat in the rodent shed add about $150 - $200 a month to my electric bill.
My first recommendation, concentrate and get a good education that will put you in a position to further your dream.
At the rate you have planned you are already bankrupt. LoL

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.

Have you looked into what your local zoo pays its keepers?
I know here they start at around the $10 an hour mark.
Look into what is offered at your local collage that would/could put you into an animal related field.
At some point you might have a practicum that could open the door for you to get into a zoo if that is where you want to be.
Start small and grow from there.
Sex your snakes and then find a mate for them.
Get one clutch under your belt and grow them out.

Lmao. 3bp's, 3 whites tree frogs, 2 red eye tree frogs, 10 firebelly toads, beardies, an myred tail.


Bill- $250ish for almost all planted viv's in a month. About another $1-150 for buying feeders of all sorts.



With great collctions, come great bills...

Great dreams, stick to it and don't let go.

The one thing I regret is not pursuing my dreams when I was your age. However, back then there was not the great information on hand nor the guidance.

Good advice from Pit, listen to him.

Don't be afraid to start small. Choose an animal to focus on and build from there, if you really want to breed. It seems lots of people get excited about breeding projects, and just keep adding species to their plans until it's all much too overwhelming to even consider (I had about the same thoughts as you at first, except I'm not a leo or crestie fan. Big lizards forever!). Just for a single species breeding group startup cost you're looking at between 500 and 1000 dollars depending on species in question, quality of animals, housing, feeding, and other needed supplies. Not to mention profitability isn't usually a word you'll hear thrown around here or by any other people when talking about their first few years or so breeding. Most breeders start out as just hobbyists, with very few actually going on to make it a profession after years of experience.

There isn't anything wrong with letting reptiles be your hobby while getting support from a different job. There isn't even anything wrong with choosing animals that aren't quite "mainstream" like balls and boas seem to be. It's all about you and what you're passionate about, don't let your herp collection be about anyone but you.

I've had to size back my collection due to life happening, so I'm down from 12 ball pythons to only 3 and our beardie, and I have a close family member watching the 3 snakes for me for the time being. I am a cautionary tale about what happens when you bull rush a herp collection, which is my own fault... Always think and plan ahead when considering the future of your animals!

Best advice I can tell you from what I have learned over the years is to buy top quality animal's and start slow.

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I'd also suggest " getting an eye" for what types sell and for what prices plus note which types / morphs HOLD their price year after year . For example here in the UK Royal morphs such as Albinos / Pieds - Piebalds / Bananas all seem to hold their prices fairly well .....

Apart from one adult Snow Boa all mine have been stunningly beautiful looking hatchlings usually bought a very good prices or traded with hatchings bought cheap and grown on ...

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Originally Posted by Kris Mclaughlin

With great collctions, come great bills...

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

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.

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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!

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

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I dont go bankrupt collecting and selling herps.

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, 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.

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Originally Posted by Sand_Boa_Owner

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.

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Originally Posted by 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.

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^ 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.

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:)

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Originally Posted by 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:)

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You consider blue tongues to be a staple reptile??