Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I read the posts about the pros and cons of opening a reptile store. Mainly it seemed there were all cons. My question is how can someone make money by in the pet trade, while specializing in herps? Is the internet the main way or are there other options?

Making money by dealing reptiles would be a difficult task. It would reqire a large sum of money and considerable amount of time/ experience to even begin to have a large enough breeding stock/ breeding facility to see a margin of profit. Theres no getting around it. After that, you could begin building a name for yourself in the online community and sell you CBB critters through that avenue. If you offer high quality CBB animals, it wont take long before eveybody knows who you are...and in a good way!

Yes I am getting mostly negative responces to starting a reptile business. I do agree with some but I have a problem with the most popular answer. That answer seems to be breed your own pets to sell. That would be nice but that would be like trying to run two businesses at the same time and one would suffer. Most businesses at first take a lot of commitment 10 hours every day. That leaves little time for taking care of lots of animals unless they are located in the same place. I guess a large work force but that makes it more expensive, plus finding good employees is hard. You could start breeding some reptiles on your own but the time it takes for you to get a good stock to produce sufficient animals for sale might take a long time. There is also the problem of having enough different kind animals for a store. In retail your stock has to change or be large enough not to go stagnant. If you do deceide to breed what animals will you choose? Too easy to breed and everyone will soon over flow the market. It might be cheaper to buy these popular animals from already set up breeders than it would be to breed them on your own. Then you have to worry about fads or even laws leading to you being stuck with animals no one wants (I know stores have to deal with this too but the stores loss would be less). There is also the fact that some species are hard to breed and may not have enough offspring to viable for sale for many years. To me this way to start will never lead you to a store. Im not saying raising reptiles would never work but your leaving too many variables unanswered. Its seems that is good home business but it probably never get profitable enough to quit yor current job and go full time.

If you really wanted to do some business, what might help is having some BIG snakes on show, or other reptile of impressive size, you'de have to have a pristine shop, clean,tidy and smelling nice as this would put people off right away if any of these things overlooked by you. you'de have a big electricity bill, and a big caging bill, and not to mention the reptiles and food bill, I would start small, even using your credit card, buy some grown albino balls or boas, even some adult hets, keep them and see if you have success breeding them, I guess you would make your money back in the first breeding season if you hatched a few albino balls from and albino to het breeding, maybe buying a pair of adult albino boas, yes expensive but if you havd 15 babies the next year you'de make about 15 grand at least, minus the food, elec, and cost of the parents.

I would start at home, you just dont see people buying many herps from stores anyway, just the odd sale, unless you have a huge store like prehistoric pets, now thats a store alright but even he started off small, and i can't immagine the costs of running that place.

Good luck, and this is just my oppinion, but you know, in life if we don't do what our heart says, or at least try something new now and again then why are we living here. best of luck to you.

steve

Why do you have a problem the concept of dealing CBB animals?! If someone is serious about actually providing a quality service, than a couple years is NOTHING. Time passes anyways. Either way, a buisness is going to take a huge investment of time and money. If a persons motives are just to make money, and not have concern for contributing to the gross trade of WC/CB reptiles, then they may as well not be alive as far as Im concerned. Why not at least try to make a more positive impact while existing, than negetive??
Your mentality sucks

Good post Michelle. Either your in it for the money or for the animals.The good thing is you can be in it for both.

I have no problem with ccb but it is not what I think will make a solid business in my opinion. Sorry but in real life money does matter (I guess unless you have been born rich). I would try to sell all cbb reptiles at my store if possible. If I did have the money I would raise all the animals I sold (that would make good business sense) but that is impossible for starting store with a budget. To tell the truth the best thing for any animal is to be left alone in the wild and for humans to leave them be. Since we like to keep them as pets we know that is not a real answer. Activism is good, only if tempered with reallity.
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"Do or do not there is no try".

Yoda, Empire Strikes Back, 1980

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There are few individuals who should ba alowd to keep any WC animals, and those few are persons who have years of experience and the ability to allow those animals to carry out life events such as reproduction. The general public that goes out and buys a Varanus Melinus, or anyother WC animal, only to let it die alone in a cold cage have no right to have such an animal. The pet trade perpetuates this. No pet store should be allowed to carry WC. The public can have their pets. There are plenty of CBB animals to choose from. Its our job, no, our obligation, as reptile "lovers" to only promote CBB. End of story.

I can agree with you in spirit... but in practice there are flaws.
There is no such thing as an "experienced keeper" of a "New" species. While I would argue (in the case of rare or endangered species)) of leaving the animal in the wild...I have the misfortune of living in an area that is proving that "In the wild" is a rapidly disappearing option. Therefore the only chance such animals would have is for people to figure out how to keep them (which unfortunatly means some casualties) as the only option beside extinction.
The second problem has to do with who decides "who is qualified". I have known talented ametuers and shockingly bad professionals. Having a degree is no qualification either as some of the ones I have met have a "Pickle it for Science-and save the DNA" additude.
We all want to avoid the horror of such unique animals falling on the not so tender mercies of the incompetant keeper (I'm being nice). The problem will remain...How do you pick and choose?
One option would be to necessitate the sale of w/c animals as PAIRS ONLY. Hopefully the larger investment would keep the less commited from getting involved.
Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

My statements are geared toward the general pet trade. Your local "Pets For Less", or "Critter Depot", down from your house should not be carrying nile monitors, or whatever other cheap disposable mass imported critter found on the "Strictly Imported for you to Kill" list. The rarer, such as Indonesian and other iscolated species, should also have tighter trade restrictions. Its ridiculus to think that there arent plenty of qualified people/ institutions that have the ability to breed these animals, but for them to be avail to every Tom, Dick and Harry is sick to me. Its precious lives wasted.

The fools who have never owned an animal, but have the money to spend on a whim to get a new toy, do not deserve the privilidge, and I will never agree to animals being "sacrificed" for no good reason. The general reptile buying population are complete fools, who want a little novelty thing to display. If I never read the words "What would make a good display animal?" again, I would die a happy girl.

I do agree with you...I just have a very distinct memory of a time when "someone with the credentials...refused to listen to "an ametuer" and lost an entire litter of unique snakes. A I said. "The problem is deciding who is qualified."
Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."