Difficultly level?

[ChelseaV]

Best piece advice to be given is RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH!

You can go ahead a breed your normal to lets say a mojave and end up with a clutch of all normals and mojaves. You are only doing it for fun at this point, so you don't invest in two gene females or higher end morphs. What will you do with the babies? Are you prepared to care for the entire clutch if need be? The demand for normals is very low, with the market being as saturated as it is with spectacular animals. And Mojaves may sell a little quicker but most people may pass up your one gene mojaves for two or three gene combos that have more potential.

So if you do decide down the road to breed them, really do your homework on genetics. Find genes and morphs that you really love so if by the off chance you can't find homes for them, you don't mind keeping them.

Then comes the expenses, something that you read about but you can't full understand until you are knee deep into the game. I've been building my collection for the last year and half now. I've made sure I've not only invested in genes that I really love and want to work with but with higher end, multi gene animals as well. I don't have the exact amount but I've spent well over $1500 on snakes alone, making sure I have the best quality animals I could have found. Then comes the equipment. With owning multiple animals, its easier to keep them in racks, so be ready to invest in those as well. I've gotten two and am already in need of another because all my snakes are growing very quickly. Heating equipment is another investment to consider. I've heard horror stories of people losing entire collections due to equipment short circuiting, etc. So invest wisely! Then there's the bedding and the weekly food expense. I spend approximately $26 a week on rats and another $20 every other week on bedding. You can use paper towels or newspaper to save money, but I just prefer actual bedding.

To be honest, after all this investment, you most likely won't break even for a while. Unless you initially invest in a higher end project like clowns, pieds, desert ghosts, etc... I most likely won't be breaking even for a couple years after I finally get my girls going but to be completely honest, thats the least of my concerns. I had the money to invest and I did, but not for profitable reasons. I wanted to create stunning animals of high quality and hopefully someday I'll be able to show all of you on this forum the product of my hard work and time and effort!

When It comes down to it, just really make sure its something you are ready to do. Don't become one of these backyard breeders that give the hobby a bad name. If you do decide to take the plunge, do it the smart way and do it because you want to, not to make a quick buck. Pick the best animals you can and make sure they are animals you are going to love looking at everyday when you open their tubs.


Good luck!