# When breeding leos are the hatchling easy to sell?



## Spencer95 (Feb 20, 2010)

when u breed leos are the hatchlings easy to sell... or isit that your often stuck with 1 or 2 for a while? 

wheres the best place to sell them?

whats a good price to put them at?



any advice would be great

:2thumb:


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## SleepyD (Feb 13, 2008)

Spencer95 said:


> when u breed leos are the hatchlings easy to sell... or isit that your often stuck with 1 or 2 for a while?
> 
> wheres the best place to sell them?
> 
> whats a good price to put them at?


when you breed leos be prepared to often having to keep the hatchlings for a long while ~ to give you some idea of how long there's breeders with hatchlings left from last years season ~ the market at the moment is near enough flooded (there's plenty of threads regarding this) and in some cases the prices have been forced down to almost what a petshop would pay ie £5-£10... even high end morphs are at the stage of being worth a lot less then last year.
If you're trying to breed and make a profit then to be honest you won't ~ if anything you'll be spending out a lot more then bringing in and anything you get for any hatchlings won't even start to cover what you spend out feeding/looking after them.
If you're only thinking of breeding then two threads which may be of help are ~
http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/breeding/244367-breeding-leo-s-few-thoughts.html
http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/lizards/320956-thinking-breeding-please-read.html


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## Spencer95 (Feb 20, 2010)

isit worth it? 

the thing is ive been wanting to breed mine with a blizzard and a paternless or something like that.

but if i did it would be next spring so by now and then i would be researching.

but overall isit actually worth it?


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## SleepyD (Feb 13, 2008)

Spencer95 said:


> but overall isit actually worth it?


*If* you've got the time, money, space and are doing it because you like leos then yes hatching baby leos and watching them grow is worth it
*if* you're doing it in the hope of making money then imo no it isn't


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## JotnJosie (Apr 16, 2009)

i personally think you have to invest in some good morphs and know abit about genetics before u jump straight in there SleepyD has posted some links i strongly suggest u read them, if ur breeding normals then personally i dont think there worth it because on here i see them sometimes going for £10 im sure that they cost more than that to feed untill the correct age to sell them.

as for easy to sell it depends what people are interested in, everyone tries to buy that unique morph and everyone has different tastes to what colours they like so breeding 1 type of morph with high intense colours could work but also breeding more than morphs with normal colours could help too.

Best thing is more research i hope it helped a little and again i strongly advice reading the links


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## puddin (Sep 27, 2009)

So if in the long run you do not make any profit on breeding, why is everyone on this forum breeding & selling?

I agree you have to have a interest in any reptile you intend to keep, & breeding them can not just be about making money.
For me it will be part of the enjoyment of owning lizards & I am sooooo excited to see when my first baby hatches out :mf_dribble:

If I can make a bit of profit along the way then I will be more then chuffed! :2thumb:


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## SleepyD (Feb 13, 2008)

puddin said:


> So if in the long run you do not make any profit on breeding, why is everyone on this forum breeding & selling?


for a large number (myself included) it's ~ to sound all doe-eyed ~ for the joy of it and any babies sold just about cover the foodbill during the breeding season; for some it's accidental ie: either they've been sold gravid leos (and sometimes not told) or mistakingly been told that it's fine to keep fred in with matilda or not warned at all; and no doubt theres a few who'll try buying & breeding for a quick buck ... there's more then a few threads concerning this on the forum two of which I've already posted links too 
It's worth noting as well that in the past year that at least five good and respectable hobby/breeders have either sold-up completely or put breeding on hold


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## sam12345 (Dec 28, 2007)

JotnJosie said:


> i personally think you have to invest in some good morphs and know abit about genetics before u jump straight in there


I wouldnt advise this, if you want to breed for the experience i would breed what you have got (after a lot of research). I see no point in investing a large amount of money for the first year of breeding. You need to find your feet and see how things work, once you have done this if you want to carry on invest in morphs.

OP if you want to breed as Sleepy has said, be prepared to keep the hatchlings for a good few months or permanently if you get any defects.
Or make sure you have homes for the babies before you decide.


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## Big Red One (Oct 17, 2007)

puddin said:


> So if in the long run you do not make any profit on breeding, why is everyone on this forum breeding & selling?



Bit of a sweeping statement that ! :gasp:

Not EVERYONE is breeding and selling, there's a heck of a lot that don't. If you're talking specifically leos then yes a good number of people do breed for various reasons (as Sleepy said).
Personally, I have 'lost' a fortune on my leos and have even given some away, as long as I know the people involved were genuinely interested in long term rep keeping. Anyone can have a change of circumstance (hope it never affects me!) but I really 'vet' anyone who takes on one of my leos to make sure they are keen and able to cope with the demand of a new leo. That's not me being 'superior' as we all start somewhere, I'm not even hugely experienced compared to some of the guys on here, but like to think I will learn and take things on board. 
I never intended breeding leo's when I got our first one, but as many will tell you they are addictive little things ! :lol2:
I genuinely got interested in the genetics and breeding side over time and to me it's my hobby, tis what I do in my spare time... 
I'm certainly not in it for money - ask my missus/bank manager ! :Na_Na_Na_Na:

When I hatched my first hatchling I was genuinely like a kid at Christmas, absolutely made up and despite some setbacks, I loved the whole end to end priocess of breeding and raising leo's.
I'm not going to breed every leo I 'could' this year but am concentrating on specific longer term 'projects', cos it's fun!

Anyway - OP, if you really want to and are happy you can cover the time effort and frustration involved and have thoroughly researched, then go for it.
If you have ANY doubts, then I would say enjoy your leos as they are...

:2thumb:


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## puddin (Sep 27, 2009)

Yeah but do not get me wrong I do not mean anything by it but a lot of people on here do breed to make profit ONLY.

I have kept reptiles for y-e-a-r-s & have never breed any before, this will be my first time fingers crossed!
For me its just part of the enjoyment & the next step in reptile keeping.
All 8 of my lizards have 6 monthly check up at the reptile vets, the 3 female cresties I am wanting to breed have also have been for check ups before I even considered breeding them, & their health is the most important thing to me.
So yep it defo costly, but I wouldnt change it for the world!

Knowing me I will end up keeping all the babies too, so excited to see the moment my first hatches out, it will be a very special moment :2thumb:


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## boywonder (Mar 10, 2008)

i've kept leopard gecko's for over ten years, from when a high yellow was the most impressive morph out there, and cost a massive £60 i used to trade my young gecko's for food at my local petshop, i'd get ten pounds credit for each 
as time went on morphs began to appear on the market, i remember being over the moon with my tremper albino, she cost me a fortune and when i tried to breed her she wouldn't entertain my male, she was a hot female and never bred, 
a few years ago i got more serious about high end geckos and i began taking records of what i spent on food, equipment and gecko's, my books say that in three years i've spent nearly ten grand on my hobby, not including electricity, and despite being able to offer the highest end gecko's i have only got just over £2000 back, thats a deficit big enough to by a decent enough car so obviously i'm not in it for the money, i do it because i love seeing all the wonderful little hatchlings and the way that each egg holds a surprise, could it be a "normal" or a "the first on the planet",
i love the genetics side of leopard gecko's and often lay awake at night thinking up new morph possibilities, who to put with who to make what, 

but i never find myself thinking "if i shift enough leo's i'll be able to buy a new Porsche" :lol2:


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## tonkaz0 (Apr 25, 2008)

boywonder said:


> i've kept leopard gecko's for over ten years, from when a high yellow was the most impressive morph out there, and cost a massive £60 i used to trade my young gecko's for food at my local petshop, i'd get ten pounds credit for each
> as time went on morphs began to appear on the market, i remember being over the moon with my tremper albino, she cost me a fortune and when i tried to breed her she wouldn't entertain my male, she was a hot female and never bred,
> a few years ago i got more serious about high end geckos and i began taking records of what i spent on food, equipment and gecko's, my books say that in three years i've spent nearly ten grand on my hobby, not including electricity, and despite being able to offer the highest end gecko's i have only got just over £2000 back, thats a deficit big enough to by a decent enough car so obviously i'm not in it for the money, i do it because i love seeing all the wonderful little hatchlings and the way that each egg holds a surprise, could it be a "normal" or a "the first on the planet",
> i love the genetics side of leopard gecko's and often lay awake at night thinking up new morph possibilities, who to put with who to make what,
> ...


 

I agree with you entirely my friend, myself and Mr mike were only saying that you gotta love leos its very rare you can make a real profit,
I spend alot more than I get from them! a few Thousand quid in the last couple of years to say the least, and like Sleepy says...no sooner you get the higher end morphs their price drops like a lead balloon, you say you can remember over ten years ago when the first first high yellow came in! well I can remember 25 years before that! as I got my first leo in the early 70s and the ones you got then were wild caught "normals" nothing like some of the ones people call normal now a days! totally pale yellow all over and spotted from head to tail, and the ones that came in to the petshop that were really dark and blackish in colour were rejected for not being bright enough ( I bet Mr mikes cringing at that but its fact,)
enough of the history lessen the old farts finished now! back to the 21st century.


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## MrMike (Jun 28, 2008)

tonkaz0 said:


> I agree with you entirely my friend, myself and Mr mike were only saying that you gotta love leos its very rare you can make a real profit,
> I spend alot more than I get from them! a few Thousand quid in the last couple of years to say the least, and like Sleepy says...no sooner you get the higher end morphs their price drops like a lead balloon, you say you can remember over ten years ago when the first first high yellow came in! well I can remember 25 years before that! as I got my first leo in the early 70s and the ones you got then were wild caught "normals" nothing like some of the ones people call normal now a days! totally pale yellow all over and spotted from head to tail, and the ones that came in to the petshop that were really dark and blackish in colour were rejected for not being bright enough ( I bet Mr mikes cringing at that but its fact,)
> enough of the history lessen the old farts finished now! back to the 21st century.


Black Leopard Gecko? Now who would want one of them? :whistling2:

Anywho, agree completely, I've only been keeping a few years and dread to think how much money has gone on the little dudes.


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## Spencer95 (Feb 20, 2010)

but if i did breed ill only be breeding one male and one female. 

i am not looking to make vast quantities of hatchlings?


so with 1 male and 1 female what do u think the costs would be?


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## SleepyD (Feb 13, 2008)

Spencer95 said:


> but if i did breed ill only be breeding one male and one female.
> i am not looking to make vast quantities of hatchlings?
> so with 1 male and 1 female what do u think the costs would be?


depends .... one female can lay 16+ eggs in a season with hatchlings needing imo individual rubs/tubs ~ average costs =

16 rubs/tubs for hatchlings @ approximately £16
growing-on tubs/rubs relevant for size @ between £1 and £5 each (bearing in mind that you may end up having the hatchlings for far longer then anticipated .... my last ones to be sold were adult sized.)

heatstrips for rubs plus stats and thermometers ~ heatstrips start at £15 each and you'll need enough to provide for all the tubs/rubs

shelving for hatchling rubs ~ costs vary

(hides, moist-hides, water dishes, calcium dishes can be made from household bits and bobs such as milkbottle lids, toilet rolls, small plastic tubs etc)

extra food ie mini mealies, small crix etc even buying bulk or breeding you our livefood costs can rise up

incubator ~ bought can be from £70... even a DIY 'bator costs for a heatmat, stat and thermometers

vet fees ~ one of the worst nightmares to be faced is primarily with the female especially eggbinding & prolapsing (several hundred pounds+) but also if she isn't kept at optimum health then you can get a knock on effect on the hatchlings health .... then there's risks with the male prolapsing his hemipenes or ripping them (definate vet job)

I'm sorry but I won't pretty things up as it's far better to be prepared fully as opposed to going in half-cocked ...even if you can cut costs with DIY etc you're still imo looking at around £200+ before you start .... more if things go wrong.

good luck if you do go for breeding ... it can be really satisfying watching the babes hatch and grow but it can be full of potholes too


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## boywonder (Mar 10, 2008)

tonkaz0 said:


> I agree with you entirely my friend, myself and Mr mike were only saying that you gotta love leos its very rare you can make a real profit,
> I spend alot more than I get from them! a few Thousand quid in the last couple of years to say the least, and like Sleepy says...no sooner you get the higher end morphs their price drops like a lead balloon, you say you can remember over ten years ago when the first first high yellow came in! well I can remember 25 years before that! as I got my first leo in the early 70s and the ones you got then were wild caught "normals" nothing like some of the ones people call normal now a days! totally pale yellow all over and spotted from head to tail, and the ones that came in to the petshop that were really dark and blackish in colour were rejected for not being bright enough ( I bet Mr mikes cringing at that but its fact,)
> enough of the history lessen the old farts finished now! back to the 21st century.


 
i had a really really black female back when i started, she was old when i got her and not knowing about morphs etc never bred her because she wasn't "pretty" i thought no one would want dark babies when they could have yellow ones, she lasted three years with me before she passed away,
i was thinking the other day what she actually was, if she was a subspecies, if i remember she was brown rather than black though, i think i have a film photograph of her somewhere, i'll have to dig it out,


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## shiprat (Mar 16, 2009)

on the financial issue:

selling babies helps recoup some of the money breeders put into their animals.


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