Any advice to a new breeder??

Well ok im not new at breeding Luxurious Leopards has been operating for a few years. But now we have decided to up the collection and tour on shows and become a bigger part in this community. SO anyone have any advice or tips? I hope to get to know all of you in time, and get to know my felow breeders in this great addiction(yes i said addiction). Thanks and take care :scatter:

I think that is really personal preference.

I really like Giants of all color phases, tangerines and I just gotta say I like normals and have alot of those.

I also like the blizzards though I only have 1 that is a pet.

I like the Sunglow I just got a lot a few weeks ago, he is just a really clean looking leo and has a great personality!

I also like the tangerine albinos, bells, RW, Blazing and Bananna Blizzies and well I guess I just like them most all of them!

My budget is just not high enough to buy enough breeders of the all of morphs I would like to do breeding programs with

So basically I still think it is personal preferece of what you like and what you want to get into breeding. No matter what you breed, the babies may or may not sell so it needs to be a morph you are personally into just in case you do wind up with 10 to whatever babies that do not sell for whatever reason.

what Ive seen sell the most on the market today are, Tangerines, and All kinds of Albinos. or they can be crossed for Tangerine Albinos. those usually catch a persons.

Woah, Pat, you're new? I wouldn't have guessed from the high quality animals you've been listing in the classifieds!

Hehehe, well, that makes two newbies in here. I just started breeding and selling leopards seriously this year, and did remarkably well considering I was new at it. I'm keeping my original Tremper albino + het breeders for now since they help bring in money with their adorable babies, but I've been reinvesting in other morphs. Wendy's right, it's all up to your personal taste, I suppose. You've got wonderful super hypos, so you've already got a great foot in the door for a super hypo project of some sort!

From all my shopping, I think that giants are a good investment. A&M Gecko makes an absolute KILLING on their tangerine jungle giant albinos! I was talking to Alberto at the White Plains show earlier this month and he says he goes to Europe to sell his "leftovers" (and his leftovers are gems!). He makes tons of money doing that! One gecko essentially pays for the plane ticket! Europe doesn't have as many crazy morphs as we do, apparently. Really the only European breeder that immediately comes to mind is Ray Hines, and his super hypo line is nice, but I don't think they're nearly as nice as like, say, Urban Gecko and Hiss.

Buuuut, I digress. I think getting a hypermelanistic line going would also be fun, but I'm already struggling to find breeders for my small group. Maybe I'm being too picky *shrugs*.

Oh yeah! If you decide to go the White Plains show in NY to sell geckos, you're going to need to apply for a state tax permit first. Everything's explained on their website. Next year I'll probably rent a table and do that. Those shows are just SO much fun! I don't know what the laws are in PA, but I can't imagine them being much different from NY.

Wendy's also got a point too about babies that don't sell. Don't get too nuts with buying breeders and leave no rack space for the leftover babies! It's easy to be tempted to get more than you can take care of in the long run.

Good luck and let us know what you decide!

Just remember to keep it fun and work with what you like. Remember also that even though we are working with leopard geckos who have a relatively fast breeding cycle quality and truly outstanding animals take take time. Think outside the box. Be willing to outcross, work with possible hets and hets and really infuse quality into the animals your producing. Too many times people buy their "way" into the higher end morphs. The only thing it takes to produce the "latest" and "greatest" animal quickly is the almighty dollar. That being said alot of the times these animals themselves are badly in need of outcrossing and strengthing. Just remember the animals are the important thing. Most people view money as something that comes and goes. Something to spend and have fun with. Yet its more than that. Our beautiful leopard geckos with good care can stay with us for 20 years! Remember not to equate leopards with cash and you'll do fine. Keep it relatively small and always provide the best care for the animals and you'll do fine!

Yes I think Chad is right the money with this one. Outcrossing is big in the long haul. Just look at Kelli it is one of the first things she will tell you. I have some HISS animals and let me tell you they are a very strong bloodline.

And yes you have to think outside the box. Just because everyone is trying one cross doesn't always mean that is the ticket. We have seen some wonderful morphs appear over the last say 8 years. But I think there is still so many more to come if you just challenge yourself.


BTW Pat, you do have some great looking animals listed.


Glenn Bishop
G & M Geckos

I wanna thank everyone for the comments, I look forward to alot of posts and a great season to come!

Yes, it is a fine addiction! Just work with what you love personally. I have had some of the most high-end herps and albino turtles in my herper career, but I keep coming back to the leopard geckos. What is cooler than a pretty leopard gecko!

My advice is to get the best male you can afford to start any project. Be selective about the genetics you bring into your collection and always try to learn no matter if it is from a mistake or something cool you have done.

Have fun and work with what you like! It also always helps to find someone you respect that you can bounce ideals off of.