Quote Originally Posted by WolfeManRob View Post
Absolutely appreciated. I'm building the rack now, and since I'm sticking to one female, I'm making room for at least 8 hatchling tubs, but could pull out one of the adult male tubs that will be empty and make it 10 hatchling tubs. Incubator is pulled together but not built yet, as I have some time there. It's a mini-fridge that should hold 5 shoebox size tubs with eggcrate in them, so more than enough room there. For now, I think I'll actually use up the bottom space, just have room for 4 clutches, and do a submersed heating element, fresh air bubbler and mist generator in a dedicated tub in the bottom to control heat, humidity and air circulation. I actually have some experience making small scale commercial grade chiller units and with that experience, have done some thermal control units for homebrewing and two meat curing systems, which actually require extremely similar control to an incubator, but have to be even more tightly controlled, so they have heat, cooling, humidity and smoke controls all in on system, built into a full sized fridge or freezer.

I have found local reptile specific vets both up here on the mountain and down in the valley where I'm moving in a few months(hey a hurdle that hasn't been mentioned yet, I'm moving literally right before breeding season, going to cool them off just after moving, hopefully that can re-normalize them as quickly as possible just before getting them breeding). Vet bills will obviously suck, but can do it, and I have personal experience in both hunting and having to put down one of my own pets in the past as well, so as much as it's horrific, I can do that too.

Marketing and distribution are in the works, but are coming along nicely IMHO. I'm set of with my site(see sig) and a facebook page and I'm getting as active as I can here, BLBC, facebook etc. to get my name out even before I have hatchlings to sell, and have a couple local friends that ALWAYS have tables at the local shows, and they'll consign in shop, or sell me a couple feed of their table to sell anything not worth shipping.

I have a set of 6, 5 year plans, each one with automatic calculating rodent volumes and projected costs per quarter, quarterly misc expenses like damaged hides, paper towels, broken water bowls, replacement tubs, etc. Annual costs, like one complete temperature/humidity control unit going bad per year. They also include clutch projections year over year with manually entered holdbacks per year, with year over year variations based on genetics odds, and include minimum sales price of the clutch(based on ~3/4 survival, minimum expected egg count(4 first year, increasing by one egg per year to a max of 8, and the minimum genetic possibility, which is typically a normal, priced at $20) a median, which uses an algorithm I put together based on genetic possibilities, getting a full clutch and what would statistically be a resonable, but middling clutch, and what I call the hand of god, still using an algorithm based on genetics, if I were to a FANTASTIC, but still genetically reasonable clutch. Then extrapolating out year over year with those three variances and what information I tell it for what, if any snakes I were to keep. It's obscenely complicated, but gives me three scenarios based on varying luck for costs, income and potential growth.

I'm sure I haven't covered every eventuality, but I've been planning for this day to come for almost 5 years now, spending all that time learning, planning, designing, learning, re-planning, learning, re-designing etc.
If your various automatic calculations and algorithms could be set up in a user friendly system, I could see that easily being a sought after tool by new keepers/breeders. Or even converted into a reptile breeder simulator game. Something to think about.