Anyone have good info on keeping and breeding them? Especially keeping them outside in Southern Florida? Also does anyone know how sellable they are? And how sellable do you think Ctenosaura palearis are? I am trying to decide a breeding group of 1 or the other in a outside pin.
Caiman Lizards and some other questions
- Thread starter Etunes
- Start date
Choose the animal that you have a stronger passion for, because when something goes wrong or your costs over run your profits, you do not want to end up resenting the critters in your care. Chasing money in the herp market is much riskier than the stock market or just going to the casino.
RMorrow;4548164; said:
That makes since, then maybe i will wait then as for some reason i find uromastyxx really interesting. So then maybe i will wait. Let me ask you this since you are in the buisness. Do you make enough to support yourself? That kind of thing? Or do you do this as a side thing to a job? Does it support itself? What do you like breeding?
Go for Ctenos in a outside enclosure, super easy and fun. Also Ctenosaura palearis is endangered in the wild so your efforts will help ensure its continual existence on this planet. Consider as well if you can Ctenosaura melanosterna and Ctenosaura bakeri, both really cool. If you want do caimans as well but more of a project aproach then something that you can really make allot of babys from and sell them.
I think you could probably do the caimans outside for a good part of the year, but you'll need something permanent indoors for them. Especially considering needing to heat a water area. In that respect I'd go Ctenos but I'm not familiar with C. palearis specifically.
Etunes;4548144; said:
Both are a small niche market.........Palearis aren't as marketable as a Pectinata, or some of the other Ctenos.........Dracanea aren't much different. Take a look at the classifieds and you'll find people trying to sell this years Imports for less than what they paid........Both are something you'll have to sit on for quite a while before they move.......You'll sell one here or there, but don't expect to do much more than covering your costs for a few years untill they start paying for themselves........
We all have our "Pet" projects, but anyone that does this for a living has projects that pay for themselves, pay the bills, and pay for the other projects that will never be profitable.........
You'll also find some projects that will pay for themselves and make a decent amount on the backside......You get enough of those, and you'll be able to make something of yourself.........
Chasing money in the Reptile trade isn't hard to do, you just have to understand the dynamics behind it and the markets your trying to tap into........Just realize that whats in today may not be in tommorrow, and what sells well this shipment may not sell well the next........There is a cycle to it, and if you can follow it you may be able to survive.......MANY have tried and failed though......You have to understand that every decision you make has to be a business decision, and not personal......
EricIvins;4548388; said:
Very well put. Well i like the fact that i can do this and help the species. But i am not looking for this to be crazy profitable or anything, but it would be nice to have ones that pay for themselves or maybe other projects and it owuld be cool for this to pay for the bills but i dont see it happening, not any time soon anyways. So let me ask you this? How do i get a "feel" of whats selling currently and whats not? BTW i see me doing the iggs if i can get this project moving quick enough so there not sold.
Etunes;4549576; said:
You try selling whatever you're trying to sell......If it sells it sells, if it doesn't sell within the first few days of running an add then you'll likely sit on it untill a buyer finds you......Could be weeks, days, months......
There is a buyer for anything and everything.......Keep that in mind, however, it may take quite a while for that buyer to commit or find what you've advertised.....