Reptile & Amphibian Forums

How stable is the crested market on an investment point of view.
Im wondering as how easy they are to produce and how quickly

easy to produce, easy to keep. probably one of the easiest in fact.

as an investment, its hard to say, i love the hobby so i dont look at my animals as investments at all, i just enjoy having them.

if you are in it for long term financial means, it may not be the best choice, its really hard to say. the more cresteds grow in popularity, the more they will be available, which will lead to lower prices eventually.

if you want investment rhac's, get leachianus, or even high end auriculatus and chahoua.
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RhacRoom.com An Online Rhacodactylus Community
www.rhacroom.com

Breeding reptiles isn't like printing money...especially with crested geckos. They are extremely variable, meaning clear photos are always necessary if you want to get a fair price for them. If you start with good stock, produce nice animals and are able to present them to enough people, the market is great.

Breeders who knock the Crested Gecko market are typically very unprofessional people with no business sense whatsoever and/or people who put very little effort into presenting their animals. These are the guys who post an ad in the classifieds that says something non-descript like "Baby Flame Crested Geckos $100 plus shipping" along with a blurry group photo of a bunch of hatchling geckos.

If you want to have a successful reptile business, you have to start with a passion for the animals. To a serious hobbyist (the type to spend a little money), nothing is worse than a guy trying to sell geckos when it's clear that he really doesn't know much about them. Another thing people forget is that to make money, you have to operate like a business. That may mean investing in things like advertising, a website, a decent camera, etc. and taking the time to answer emails and take photos of each animal. As with everything in life, the more you put into this, the more you get out.

I could go on and on about all the things that I see people doing wrong when trying to sell their animals, but simply put, a lack of professionalism is what hurts most breeders.

Just my .02

-Anthony

>>How stable is the crested market on an investment point of view.
>>Im wondering as how easy they are to produce and how quickly
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Anthony Caponetto
www.ACreptiles.com

I'm not a breeder, but I agree 100%. The thing that makes me scared about some breeders ( just a me thing and I'm not pointing fingers at anyone) is that they lose site of the fact that these are potential pets for someone and that the breeding stock are pets too. I've heard people I work with at the pet store where I work talk like those breeders and it makes me feel bad for their animals. Just my thinking, not pointing any fingers here.
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-Idiotshot
4.2.5 Crested Geckos (Marty, Skitz, Flip, Splash, Houdini, Domino, Tongues, Peep, Chomps, Siren, Boomer)
2.1 Ball Pythons (Oedipus, Achilles, Tempest)
0.1 Spotted Python (Echo)

It's hard for me to hear about people who look at an animal of any kind and think "How can I get rich breeding these"! It makes me think of puppy/kitten mills and how it just comes down to $$$$$$$$$
I do breed my cresties but I also try to take care to screen those who would adopt "my babies". I started with the best breeding stock I could find from folks like Anthony & Allen among others, and every single one of my breeders is also a beloved pet. Maybe it sounds corny to anyone with $signs in their eyes, but I just love the breed and want to place my babies with folks who will take as good care of them as I do. I feel like some kind of a minor prophet, converting the uninitiated to becoming crested-lovers like myself.
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Terri
5:9:5 crested geckos: Bear, Goldfish, Kermit, Brimstone, WildFire, Big Red, Olive, Smudge, Belle, Brilliant, Tina, Brick, Toni, Beauty, WildSpatter-Spots-to-Spare, Randi(y), Shine, Squeak, & Bling. (last 2 just hatched)

Agreed. This all goes back to passion. Money isn't a big enough motivator to feed or water animals when you can put it off until tomorrow. The thought of them being uncomfortable (hungry or thirsty) is what motivates me. The end result is a healthy collection, a super low mortality rate and happy animals...and customers.

My .02 (That's actually .04 now

-Anthony

>>I'm not a breeder, but I agree 100%. The thing that makes me scared about some breeders ( just a me thing and I'm not pointing fingers at anyone) is that they lose site of the fact that these are potential pets for someone and that the breeding stock are pets too. I've heard people I work with at the pet store where I work talk like those breeders and it makes me feel bad for their animals. Just my thinking, not pointing any fingers here.
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>>-Idiotshot
>>4.2.5 Crested Geckos (Marty, Skitz, Flip, Splash, Houdini, Domino, Tongues, Peep, Chomps, Siren, Boomer)
>>2.1 Ball Pythons (Oedipus, Achilles, Tempest)
>>0.1 Spotted Python (Echo)
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Anthony Caponetto
www.ACreptiles.com

Thats so very true, I do not breed cresties but other lizards, especially collareds.

I always tell people these are my pets, I sell the offspring, but they are my pets first. Their health and giving them an enjoyable existence is what makes me very Happy.

Walking into the reptile room looking at how beautiful they all are, is priceless to me, LOL

Being able to share my passion for them and their beauty with others is ICING ON THE CAKE !

My Basking Beauties

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PHEve/ Eve

Contact PHEve

so true...so true....

I do breed my cresties and just opening the incubator and seeing little cresties sitting there makes it all worth it. But it doesn't come easy if you don't love what you are doing then when all your friends stay out late or do do something cool and you can't go because you have to mist or feed dozens of cresties then you better love it otherwise you will just be another herp "bum" as for the buisness point of view sure money plays a part in everything I mean you and your animals gota live and have clean living conditions. Plus if no one ever sold there cresties then this hobby would be nothing. But the diffrence between a good and bad buisness is what Anthony said and if you have quality cresteds (like Anthony, Allan, Randy and a couple of others) then yes your buisness will probably do quite well but if you are one of those people who would buy 100 but-ugly buckskins (not saying i don't like buckskins i just prefer the prettier ones) and throw some trios together and sit back for the cash to start rollin in you are wrong sure you might sell some but you will only get like $35 a baby which will not cover your expenses by a long shot and your main customer is that red-neck down the street who uses them for his "expirements" then you will not go very far at all in any breeding buisness. Overall, I only breed them because I love my animals and sure my life isn't on the line if something goes wrong I mean I am only 14 thats what parents are there for.LOL, And I'm sure the crested buisness will die down as will all of the "must have herps" like designer ball pythons and corns but thats life.

Derek