I need some reassurance here..

I just got done spending a bunch of money on snakes, racks, and supplies. Of course I'm not going to make it rich off this thing, but, will these snakes pay for themselves after time(through sales of offspring you sell). How many of you have snakes that pay for themselves? How many of you have snakes that pay for themselves with a little contribution? How many of you have snakes that don't pay for themselves and definately need a big contribution? How many of you are losing you butt do to your darn snakes? Does anybody know how I make this into a poll? I'm new to this site:confused: Thanks all!

I just got done spending a bunch of money on snakes, racks, and supplies. Of course I'm not going to make it rich off this thing, but, will these snakes pay for themselves after time(through sales of offspring you sell). Thanks all!

Depends on a lot of different factors. But generally speaking if you are in this to get rich quick then you would be better off going to Vegas and trying your odds there. :gj:

I think if you need reassurance you bought the animals for the wrong reasons. You will be lucky if you can get your hobby to break even for you. There are a lot of costs and unknowns involved. Animals can die, breeding size females or males that don't want to breed etc.

The best medicine for this is to actually love the animals you're investing so much time and money into.

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Originally Posted by twistedtails

I just got done spending a bunch of money on snakes, racks, and supplies. Of course I'm not going to make it rich off this thing, but, will these snakes pay for themselves after time(through sales of offspring you sell). Thanks all!

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I have a feeling you got into this for the wrong reasons..... :colbert:

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Originally Posted by twistedtails

I just got done spending a bunch of money on snakes, racks, and supplies. Of course I'm not going to make it rich off this thing, but, will these snakes pay for themselves after time(through sales of offspring you sell). How many of you have snakes that pay for themselves? How many of you have snakes that pay for themselves with a little contribution? How many of you have snakes that don't pay for themselves and definately need a big contribution? How many of you are losing you butt do to your darn snakes? Does anybody know how I make this into a poll? I'm new to this site:confused: Thanks all!

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You need 2 threads to point out to everyone you got into this for the wrong reasons? :colbert:

Poll done :gj: + both threads merged

I invested some money (and we are not talking couple of hundreds), I am not making any profit, I am not breaking even, but definitely have no regret, this is a hobby for me and what I chose to spend my money on, and I enjoy every minute of it, so even if I lose money I do not consider them "darn snakes" ;)

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Originally Posted by Turbo Serpent

You need 2 threads to point out to everyone you got into this for the wrong reasons? :colbert:

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because someone wants to look at the economic side of breeding that automically means there in it for the wrong reasons???

how judgmental and narrow in your thinking can you be???

to the OP welcome aboard!

I invested quite a bit & I won't be making back anywhere near what I invested this year (or the next). But I don't regret a penny spent or a minute worked (let's not forget the investment in time).

Hope you got into it mostly because you love the animals...

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Originally Posted by twh

because someone wants to look at the economic side of breeding that automically means there in it for the wrong reasons???

how judgmental and narrow in your thinking can you be???

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I'm very narrow minded thank you very much. :P

His approach through the first thread he made wasn't the same as this, so he came across as one of the "get rich quick kids" we see in here frequently. Yes, I jumped too quickly, we all make that mistake from time to time. :cool:

I started out just owning snakes. I always thought it would be cool to own my own business. First I love the animals, then I make some money. If I make enough to pay for a few meals for them, I am happy. If I happen to get a little ahead, great too. Just go into it with no expectations, but still give it your best. Just my $.02 ....

First of all I have no clue how there is two threads. Second of all I have always loved snakes and do not care if I make money, I was curious how many of you guys actually are. Having any hobby pay for itself is an added benefit and a smart thought to make. For those of you who are forum junkies and have nothing better to do than talk nonsense about a legit question, I'm sure you can all post your negativity on each others threads. And for the one who was all pissy about the "darn snakes" thing it was obviously a joke.

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Originally Posted by turbo serpent

i'm very narrow minded thank you very much. :p

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good awarness

I have spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $35,000 since 2005. Thus far I have made $0. This is my first season breeding and I only went for 1 clutch. I will never make my money back, or anywhere close to it. Then again, I knew that going into this and have no problems with it. My snakes are worth everything I have spent and more. I am breeding for what I want in my collection and choosing the absolute best examples I can find of the morphs.

Do I think you can make your money back in time or even have a business with it to make a living- sure, there are a few out there who can and do. But those are few and far between and have decades of experience, knowledge, passion and quite frankly are a bit off their rockers to make such a leap of faith (in a good way!!).

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Originally Posted by twh

good awarness

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Sarcasm................................ :rolleyes:

if you are smart, and lucky you can make a living from this. I have spent in the neighborhood of 8-15,000. the first year I made back about 2000 and this year im expecting to make back around 5000 . if I just keep the animals I have now I could potentially make a lot of money in a couple of years. personally, I enjoy doing it and if I loose for the first few years I don't care. its all worth it.
I look at it this way. if you were to start any kind of business they say to expect to loose money for at least 5 years. and most businesses take at least 50,000 to start. If I were to invest 50,000 to begin with I'm sure I would have made triple that in 5 years time. but it all comes down to smart decisions and a lot of luck.
spend money on supplies first then snakes. I know people who have very expensive snakes but don't even have a thermostat on their cage.

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Originally Posted by ARpythons

if you are smart, and lucky you can make a living from this. I have spent in the neighborhood of 8-15,000. the first year I made back about 2000 and this year im expecting to make back around 5000 . if I just keep the animals I have now I could potentially make a lot of money in a couple of years. personally, I enjoy doing it and if I loose for the first few years I don't care. its all worth it.
I look at it this way. if you were to start any kind of business they say to expect to loose money for at least 5 years. and most businesses take at least 50,000 to start. If I were to invest 50,000 to begin with I'm sure I would have made triple that in 5 years time. but it all comes down to smart decisions and a lot of luck.
spend money on supplies first then snakes. I know people who have very expensive snakes but don't even have a thermostat on their cage.

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I'm glad that are some level minded individuals out there who can answer questions for thier face value and not try to make assumtions by the way a question was worded. It's people like you who make it a long way in life and relationships you create.;)

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Originally Posted by twh

because someone wants to look at the economic side of breeding that automically means there in it for the wrong reasons???

how judgmental and narrow in your thinking can you be???

to the OP welcome aboard!

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I can understand this sort of reaction due to the way the post was entered. The OP is "looking for reassurance" that they have not spent a lot of money for nothing. They are worried that after all their "investing", they won't be rolling in bucks in another year.

Looking at the economic side as a positive possible "bonus" to keeping the animals you love is one thing, but posting on a forum for "reassurance" that you've done the right thing monetarily is quite another.

Chris

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Originally Posted by twistedtails

First of all I have no clue how there is two threads.

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There was two thread because YOU created two threads regarding the same subjects.

Both threads were merged together.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

There was two thread because YOU created two threads regarding the same subjects.

Both threads were merged together.

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I hit the back button in my browser to correct something before i hit submit and it must have posted the thread that I was editing. Did you not notice one thread had things that the other didn't?

You need reassurance for what exactly? that you are going to get your money back?

You may get your money back a few years after they get to a breeding age. Not saying you are in it just for the money... but anyone who is in it just for the money, the odds are seriously against you. You have to have a genuine love for the hobby. Otherwise there is just too much stinkin work and time involved for you to stick with it long enough to even begin to see any money come back.

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Originally Posted by twistedtails

I'm glad that are some level minded individuals out there who can answer questions for thier face value and not try to make assumtions by the way a question was worded. It's people like you who make it a long way in life and relationships you create.;)

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well I know where they are coming from. I mean I want to make money doing this too. I do love my animals and they are spoiled but I hope to someday make this my prime source of income.
also there are a lot of people who think I'm stupid or crazy for breeding snakes. and I want to prove them wrong the first time I sell a snake for a large sum of money

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Originally Posted by ARpythons

well I know where they are coming from. I mean I want to make money doing this too. I do love my animals and they are spoiled but I hope to someday make this my prime source of income.
also there are a lot of people who think I'm stupid or crazy for breeding snakes. and I want to prove them wrong the first time I sell a snake for a large sum of money

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I definately agree on that! In the mean time have loads of fun making some cool babies.

well this is my first year breeding, I'm way in the hole(for my small income anyway) by about $2,500 + food costs, but I'm not upset about it. I love my snakes, and I love surprising people with what I have and know. My boyfriend(for 1.5 years now) came into the relationship knowing I had them. It annoyed him and he didnt like me spending so much money or getting so many. He's now outside at this moment building me a hatchling rack and a rat rack for my 10 gal tanks and encouraging me b/c he is now starting to see that in the future, I could really be making this my income, and he sees now how much I enjoy it. (hes also requesting what snakes HE wants me to get into, but wont admit that they're for him! :P )

You might not make the money you want in the first few years but in the long run, you can make a little bit of money.

my wife is the same way.

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Originally Posted by twh

because someone wants to look at the economic side of breeding that automically means there in it for the wrong reasons???

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:bow: Well said IMO.

i have spent probably close to 4g's over the last 2 years building my collection and my setup. it is definitaley a long long term investment. i suspect over the next year or 2 i will actually make the money back i have spent on the investment(not including feeding cost) so thats a total of 4 years just to break even. another 2 years to actually make any profite. But i am in it cause i love ball pythons. i owned my first ball when i was 7 years old...that was 20 years ago.

you wont turn into bhb overngiht,i came to the relisation myself,that to really get rolling,if i want to turn this into a business,i need to do other species then just ball pythons,now if only they had pie bald and such in burmese pythons,lol

You can not work with these animals and expect to make a huge profit unless you have an already well established facility.

You have to do it for the love of the animals. Maybe after 10 years you'll make a profit, but not something to make a living off of unless you have a place like BHB.

I can't say how much I put into my snakes. I started off with het normals and babies. I raised the babies and traded 2 for one het female. I then traded that girl for a pastel. Most of my snakes I got from raising up from little and traded them. I now have 2 large females (I bought them as adults but got a killer deal on them) 1 beautiful normal, 1 mojave (again got on a killer deal), 1 pastel (traded), 1 pastel male (traded) and 1:2 rescue bp's.

I have spent what feels like a lot on equipement, but there is NOTHING like seeing the little snake pip. I have gotten about $200 back from the sale of my last clutch of 7 normals. I have NO idea what I am going to get out of this last clutch. I have 8 eggs and will split the clutch because I traded the breeding to an albino, mojave, and a pastel. So we have a HUGE question mark. I MIGHT get all normals, I MIGHT get all mojaves, or pastels. So I am slowly climbing up the ladder to get my albino (my main goal of breeding) I am really taken now with the mojaves and the pastels. So I can't wait to see the babies. If things go like they have in 3-4 years I will have broken even.

I put in 12K into my snakes, and this season I will bring in nothing. Was I planning to, yes, did I know that the chance of it not happening was the same as it would be, if not more, of course. Everyone has different breeding experiances, so really this poll cannot help because some people maybe add to it with two or three snakes breeding while some have 100's.

I find the poll really interesting, but it definitely has weaknesses. When looking at the results, one should keep in mind the large numbers of breeders who have come and gone because they lost interest for one reason or another. So I would expect the responses to be very heavily skewed to the positive side, since many of the people on the negative side aren't around to answer the poll.

I try not to think about how much I've invested in these animals and their care. I just buy what they need to live the best captive lives they can while they're with me. I'm always working to upgrade things I have for them. I bet if I were to actually sit down and crunch the numbers, it would scare me. Thankfully for me it's all about the snakes and not the cash. I'll probably never even break even, but that's okay.

My advice to people just getting into this is to not spend more than you can realistically afford to lose. It's kinda like gambling. Put love of the animals first, money second.

I havent bred yet, but the appeal and allure of breeding these amazing snakes and creating living works of art drew me into the hobby. I spent almost 700 bucks in the past month on snakes and everything to make a rack. I do not regret a penny spent, a minute passed caring for them. I cant fully answer your poll, but if you had an option for "doing it for the love not the money," then I'd choose that one.

My children are out of the nest so to speak, so I decided to get back into pythons, I got 2 back in Dec. now I have 10, some are re-homies, but I decided in the beginning that I would not go overboard(it's a true test)

After the first month or so, I decided I needed to cut expenses, so I started raising feeders.

I know I will probably never re-coup the money that I've spent, oh well that's ok. I know I'll get more enjoyment from buying a $400 snake than wearing a $400 purse.

My snakes are my babies now, I will continue to take in rescue/re-homies, they bring me joy & keep life interesting :).

I am not going to lie- we want to make money. DH especially- but he does love the snakes. I want to raise dogs too, and plan to some day. That's my passion; I'd do it for free happily- but wow, it does pay so even better. But I love both and enjoy the snakes. I would have snakes even if we didn't breed them, simply because I love them. But we wouldn't have so many or have gone out and bought all these snakes if we didn't think we'd at least break even and make a little... and if we can make a lot, why is that bad? Why is it assumed someone who makes money off their snakes (or dogs for that matter) is the scum of the earth? Can't you love animals AND make money? :)

BTW we know we're not going to make a fortune next week. We have long term goals, and hope to be well established in a few years. We're being realistic :)

IMO, with good business decisions you can make a profit. It would be pretty hard to make a living off of snakes, but could happen. You would have to invest a large sum of money to make a lot. One piece of advice I will give is breed codom morph to morph as opposed to codom morph to normal. This will give you more variety, and less normals. Also, simple recessive will not produce normals. Normal do not sell for hardly anything; for example, I sold normals last season at around $10 - $20 each.

How do you even sell your normals? With normal ball pythons being around the corner at every pet store, how do you get people informed about your normals? Or do you send your normals to the pet shops?

Craigslist. You have to really screen out the buyers, but there are plenty out there that are looking.

Really? I never knew CL allowed the sale of animals... Awesome! Thanks Mike!

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Originally Posted by Mitch21

How do you even sell your normals? With normal ball pythons being around the corner at every pet store, how do you get people informed about your normals? Or do you send your normals to the pet shops?

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I sell some of them online, but most locally. Some are from classifieds, and some are from word of mouth. I have sold some to pet shops also. I try to sell them for $20 each, but have sold them for $10 each.

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Originally Posted by Mitch21

Really? I never knew CL allowed the sale of animals... Awesome! Thanks Mike!

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They don't. If you want to sell on CL you have to go against their TOS, which I don't agree with.

It takes a lot of time to start making money, especially if you buy babies. Then if you keep buying snakes because of your addiction :D then it takes even longer to get your money back. It's fun either way!

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Originally Posted by TheOtherLeadingBrand

I am not going to lie- we want to make money. DH especially- but he does love the snakes. I want to raise dogs too, and plan to some day. That's my passion; I'd do it for free happily- but wow, it does pay so even better. But I love both and enjoy the snakes. I would have snakes even if we didn't breed them, simply because I love them. But we wouldn't have so many or have gone out and bought all these snakes if we didn't think we'd at least break even and make a little... and if we can make a lot, why is that bad? Why is it assumed someone who makes money off their snakes (or dogs for that matter) is the scum of the earth? Can't you love animals AND make money? :)

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Ahh.....Another honest person. I think that all of us would love to create some killer looking snakes and make some money while we're at it.

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Originally Posted by Mitch21

How do you even sell your normals? With normal ball pythons being around the corner at every pet store, how do you get people informed about your normals? Or do you send your normals to the pet shops?

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kijiji.com, if marketed at a fair price they will sell in no time, I sold mine in less than a week last year and could have sold a lot more.

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Originally Posted by Mitch21

Really? I never knew CL allowed the sale of animals... Awesome! Thanks Mike!

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They aren't... you can however charge rehoming fees.. :gj: your best bet is to post pics of the snakes with description, then tell them to contact you for the rehoming fee.

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Originally Posted by twistedtails

Ahh.....Another honest person. I think that all of us would love to create some killer looking snakes and make some money while we're at it.

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So those of us that have said we aren't in it for the money are lying? Honestly, I've given away more than I've sold, and the animals I do eventually produce will probably be wholesaled out to middlemen anyways just so I don't have to deal with the advertising side of it. If I make a few bucks then great, but this is a hobby and not a business for me.

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Originally Posted by Shadera

So those of us that have said we aren't in it for the money are lying? Honestly, I've given away more than I've sold, and the animals I do eventually produce will probably be wholesaled out to middlemen anyways just so I don't have to deal with the advertising side of it. If I make a few bucks then great, but this is a hobby and not a business for me.

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So what do you do when you have 1,000 snakes? Work just to feed them? What about feeding your family? What about putting your kids through college? By the way I'm open for free handouts. Obviously people are miss reading this thread. When I originally posted it, I asked how many of you have snakes that are paying for themselves not how many of you are rich because of it. I took this hobby up because of the killer snakes that are coming out of it not because of the money, but if I can have these snakes pay for themselves while I'm on the road to making some of them then great. When I say pay for themselves I mean make just enough to feed, house, and care for them(e.g. vet bills, cleaning solutions, substrate etc.). My wife and I make great money aside from anything else. Even if I was making miilions at this I would never quit my day job. :colbert: