Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey, guys!
My wonderful girlfriend and I just bought our first house together and we're really excited. We've gone from one snakeroom to two and I can already see that this won't last too long.
There are vacant lots all around us and we're working towards buying at least one of them in the future. We'd like to use those one of those lots to build a small facility consisting of three to five small reptile buildings probably occupying a combined amount of space equal to a normal moderate sized 3 BR 2BA house later on. I was wondering if any of you guys were breeding on a decently large scale and running a breeding business out of a residential neighborhood.
We made sure not to get into a deed restricted neighborhood and want to be sure we're not going to have any other problems before we look into buying another lot.
What do you guys think?
Are you doing it?
If so, how many animals do you have?
Have you had any problems with the amount of animals?
Any problems with the business address coming from a residential neighborhood?
The neighbors?
I hope that these questions aren’t rude. I’m posting because I imagine that there are a lot of other people out there like us that have experience in this.
I know that WE all know that even a large breeding facility could be pretty quiet and inoffensive to neighbors if properly maintained, but not everyone does.
We're responsible and considerate. We’re very low key. We wouldn't be running the place like a retail store and wouldn't be getting TOO much mail. (You guys know what I mean: food, more snakes, equipment sometimes…)
I'm rambling.
Please let me know what you think.
Aaron

Well, I would be on the paranoid side, because of the risk of theft. One member of my local herp society was pretty low-key about his collection, but after he made a transaction AT his house, he was later assaulted and burglarized in his home, for some high-end reptiles.

I think it would be wise to open a post-office box for all business-related literature and correspondence to be sent to. That might cut down on the "nosy neighbor" factor, even though you'd probably still want to have packages delivered directly to your residence.

You should probably look into local codes - if a property is not zoned commercial, and your residence isn't located on it, you might run into problems (the extra property you are talking about). If you are sufficiently low-key about what you're doing you probably won't have a problem.

Insurance is another issue I personally worry about - it can be difficult to obtain homeowners policies that are herp-friendly.

However, I do not currently have a business, so I can't answer for sure - but your local codes might vary from anyone else's anyway. Just remember, if you call local offices asking questions, don't let them know WHO you are when you ask, in case they want to start prying.
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Lauren Madar - OphidiaGems.com
1.0 Ball Python, 1.0 Hog Island Boa (RIP DeeDee), 1.1 Hypo BCI, 1.1 Surinam BCC, 0.1 Green Tree Python

You will probably have a hard time raising your rodents there.

Best bet would be if your zoning is agricultural or residential/agricultural.

Good luck to you.

I doubt you will be able to proceed as you stated. I'm not sure where you live, but I'll go by the way things work here. Most areas zoned as residential will not allow you to build several smaller buildings in any addition. That can really depreciate the value of your and your neighbors' houses. People move into neighborhoods to see houses.

Also, there is a reason areas are zoned residential, and that is to keep out businesses. Businesses, even small ones, add to traffic and bring possibly unwanted people into the neighborhood. Many neighborhoods do not allow for any businesses that require outside traffic to be run from your residence.

I would say you have two options you may sneak under the radar. You could build onto your current house (maybe add a two or three car "garage" that is really your reptile facility) or you could build another "house" next to your current house. If you would buy another lot, and build another "house", I would make it as close to being a real house as possible and still meet your needs. The reason being resale. If you ever need to move, noone is going to want a shell of a house with no kitchen, full baths, etc.

Without knowing the specifics of your neighborhood, it is tough. If possible, an adjacent lot with one very nice, finished building may be your best bet. You could always section it off and make a rodent room. It is very unlikely you will be able to build multiple buildings. Many neighborhoods do not even allow one garden shed. Also, if even one neighbor finds out and is uneasy with the reptiles, you may get the boot from the neighborhood or new legislation may even be brought up in your city. I'm not sure how you expect to run a business and expect the neighbor's not to snoop around.

You may also hit more zoning issues if the city finds out. For example, a person with so many dogs needs a kennel license. If you have a certain number of mice and snakes, you may need special permits that require you to be an agricultural zone. It all depends on your local laws.

I did not mean to shoot down your plans. I just want you to take the proper steps and find out what you need to do locally. I can only speculate. The problem with gathering information is that you will be asked questions as well. As you well know, not everyone is a snake fan. Beats me as to why, but they're not. Any suggestions and similar situations here may help, but it all comes down where you are located and what laws apply there. Good luck with your plans and I hope they work out.

Phil Goss

Thats a great idea, why make small buildings that won't add much to the value of you property. Make a house be it small or large that doubles as a snake building. A kitchen and a few baths shure couldn't hurt to have in a snake building.. The freezer might have different food in it, but the kitchen would be a great prep and cleaning area.

Not to mention the resale value being better and less grief from the folks in the area.
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Ed Lilley, www.constrictorsnw.com
www.reptileinsider.com

Great thoughts there. That's pretty much what I had come to, but I feel validated knowing that you guys came to the same conclusions and thought of the same issues. I had had the same idea about the house, but that wastes so much space. I think we're going to start looking for agricultural property.
Thanks again!
Aaron