Advice for future breeders??

I got my first corn snake this past fall, and I've really been enjoying him. So much that I think I may want to pursue hobby breeding sometime in the near future. Nothing that is large scale, but I think it would be fun and interesting to have a few pairs of snakes and to produce a few dozen hatchlings each year. Maybe even some lizards- leopard geckos or crested geckos perhaps.

There are a variety of stores in the area that sell reptiles- two of which are very good at it, and I would feel comfortable selling to them. I plan on speaking to them well before I begin breeding to see if they would be willing to purchase any extra hatchlings I produce. There is also a monthly herp show in my state that I could possible attend as a vendor. So I feel like I would have a pretty good chance of moving the offspring out. I will definitely be doing more research into that first, prior to any breeding plans.

I was wondering though... for those of you that have been doing this a while, what advice would you offer to those of us who are just starting out (or thinking of starting out) on the path to breeding? What are some mistakes you made early that were correctable? If you had it all to do over again, would you do anything differently? If so, what? Any advice will be welcomed... the amount of options and information at times seems quite overwhelming!

Don't get too far ahead of yourself. I'm not trying to discourage you, but you have had one snake for a very short period of time...you have barely even gotten to know your cornsnake, let alone progressed to the point of breeding. I think it is great that you are interested in possibly pursuing breeding as an extension of the hobby - but take your time and don't get in over your head. Snakes are interesting and enjoyable captives - they don't require much space, food, or care (large boids excluded, lol), so many people "get bitten" and acquire more at a fast pace. This is not a problem until they realize that they aren't providing proper care, or the animals start getting sick.

An adult corn can lay 12-20 eggs...that is a lot of babies to have around if you can't sell them. You need to be prepared to have them around for awhile in case things don't go as planned. That includes housing, feeding, and cleaning. Before you start thinking about breeding a few pairs, start with one clutch. Keep in mind that if you decide to vend at shows, you have to follow all appropriate laws (sales tax ID is a big one that many newcomers don't think about). Vending at a show means automatic competition and people asking lots of questions...and don't forget to bring lots of small bills for change!!! I used to enjoy doing shows, but I rarely bother now - too much hassle getting there, setting up, dealing with people (other vendors included)...it just isn't worth me taking the time off work in most cases.

Hi Lauren!

I'm not trying to discourage you either, but be sure you take into consideration the amount of time that you will be spending cleaning up poop, worrying over new mothers and hatchlings, vet bills, feeding, etc. Even being a small hobby breeder can be time consuming. I breed a very small number of bearded dragons, ackie monitors, and ball pythons, but I spend an average of 3 hours a day going through the daily routine of feeding, cage cleaning, bathing the dragons, etc. This can be a bit taxing at times when you have 3 kids and a job. But - it is highly rewarding and I love doing it! Also consider the amount of money it will take to maintain both your breeding animals and any animal that you may produce. Caging, food, lighting, etc. can get to be quite expensive when you are talking about multiple animals. I guess my best advice to you would be to plan, plan, plan! Get it all down on paper, make sure you know what you are getting yourself into on all aspects before you even consider moving forward with this. Best of luck to you!

Jamie

The most important thing is to be properly set up before getting more herps. Better to spend your money on proper caging, temp control, humidity, and space than to buy the herps first and end up overcrowding them.

I really appreciate all the good advice. I know that there are gaps in my knowlege that have to be filled in well before I proceed with this, especially when it comes to the business aspects of it... like the tax thing? I have no idea what that is! I will most likely be seeking the advice of an accountant or a few small business books specific to my state to try and fill some of that in. It is very good advice to start small, as well. I definitely don't want to become overwhelmed with hatchlings. I will probably start with a single breeding pair and work up if it is something I enjoy doing.

Keep the good advice coming! And thanks again!

Before I moved to an apartment, I also wanted to breed my leopard geckos. I had cresteds, beardies, and a russian tortoise, but just wanted to focus on the leos as a hobby. Now that I'm moving back to a house, I'm starting up my reptile collection again and will continue my planning for leo breeding strictly as a hobby and not on a large scale business or being a vendor.

The big things to think about are the bills. For the extra tanks and the incubator, which will have their own lamps, heating pads, etc. will be extra on the electricity bills. You'll need to increase the number of feeders (crickets, mice, etc) so it may save you to order in bulk, but make sure you have enough room! And the amount of time you'll be putting into cage cleaning, bathing, feeding, handling, etc. So just keep in mind the finances that will be going into it and how much you'll be getting back, especially if the pet store you plan on selling to doesn't need as many reptiles as you have to offer or if they want to stick with their own vendor. You may have one random incident in a reptile dying during shipment if the shipping company doesn't deliver on time or if they get stuck in the snow, whatever the case may be - and you'll have to cover the re-shipping and the reptile replacement, etc. etc. etc. If you can do it, then I wish you the best of luck!

Also, the "taxing" statement made by Valley Dragons isn't a financial statement. It just means it can become time consuming and tiring at times, especially if you already lead a busy life with a full time job and a family to take care of.