Leopard Geckos are hard to sell. [Archive]

thunder

07-20-04, 10:21 AM

i dont breed any of my animals unless i know i can place the babies, or i am able to keep all of them. this way i dont get an overload, or end up with clutches of normals that no one is interested in. i can understand the temptation to breed them, because it is really fun, but there are just too many unwanted babies out there.

serpentor

07-20-04, 12:34 PM

Petstores in your area won't buy them? Around here they sell like hotcakes. I over heard 2 guys talking at a booth at a repshow that I went to earlier this saying that they were having problems selling their leo's and one guy said he started using them as feeders....... but I didn't hear for what.

little_dragon_

07-20-04, 12:49 PM

Probably for snakes and monitors, poor little things

VooDooMafia

07-20-04, 12:51 PM

Leos are easy to move in my area if teh price is right.

Problem with leos and other more common kept herps is they breed easy so alot of ppl have babies to sell.

672

07-20-04, 12:53 PM

Originally posted by little_dragon_
Probably for snakes and monitors, poor little things

Would you day that about an anole, or a house gecko? It's the same thing, they are easily bred and there were so many that they've mainly become feeders as opposed to pets...

little_dragon_

07-20-04, 01:29 PM

I hope they don't become feeders, when you look in to a baby leopard geckos eye's you can see they are very social creatures.

Samba

07-20-04, 01:44 PM

Geez, send them to me! LOL I've never heard of anyone having trouble selling leos, but maybe your prices aren't competitive enough? Just an idea... personally if I ever bred my girls I wouldn't want to get rid of the babies!

It's sad that leos are becoming an inexpensive food source, I agree with Little Dragon... it does seem that creatures with such personality shouldn't be used as feeders. However, we have to respect other's beliefs...

djc3674

07-20-04, 02:12 PM

hmm?? okay so what about rats. They are social creatures and from what I have read, they are quite intelligent. I have lost count how many rats I have fed off to my boas. Why is this more acceptable? I am not saying at all that I agree with feeding off leopard geckos. We recently acquired our first leo and he/she is so damn cute I personally would never feed a leo to any animal. But someone else may find rats just as cute as some people find leos.

thegeckoteam

07-20-04, 02:20 PM

Hi-

Actually I not having a hard time selling. This is our first year with babies to sell and I've sold quite a bit already. At this point I only have 1 left that's ready to go, but I will have a few more in a few weeks. I had more customers than I had babies. Also, I checked into our local reptile store and he said that if I had any left overs that I couldn't sell he would buy them off me (at a reduced price). But, at least I have a place to go with them. Maybe there is a difference between Canada and the US when it comes to the leopard gecko market?

Denise101

07-20-04, 02:44 PM

yea i have lots of babies too but no ones intrested :(

little_dragon_

07-20-04, 02:48 PM

Siretsap

07-20-04, 02:54 PM

Actually, many of the snakes we feed mie and rat in captivity wouln't be eating those as often in wildlife... Many of the milksnakes we keep would actualyl be eating other snakes.

An anole is just as sad to feed to a snake or lizards as is a leopard gecko.

djc3674

07-20-04, 02:59 PM

The difference between using a rat as a feeder and a leo as a feeder is.....Rodents-rats are the most common food source for snakes in the wild and in captivity...unless you have an animal from india, pakistan, afghan, iraq that preys on leo's in the wild as a main food source that's your difference.

Your missing my point. You keep leos as pets, you breed them, you love them. You would never even phathom the thought of feeding one of your leos to a snake. However, there are people outside of your "place" you call home, that keep rats as pets and would never phathom the thought of feeding one of their pet rats to a snake either. The point is who is to say one of better then the other?

little_dragon_

07-20-04, 03:24 PM

I understand you..I have had rats as pets I am not trying to be bias.

I just called a pet store that would give me 20 bucks each for leo's but no higher for the tangerine jungle.

Invictus

07-20-04, 03:45 PM

I've managed to get myself addicted to leos as well. Erin and I are breeding them as well - we have 4 hatchlings, and I'm getting more adults in trades and such. (Erg.. a LOT more adults it seems.) I'm fully prepared for the fact that they likely won't sell. If that's the case, we will be happy to keep them. They are not expensive to feed, and although it would have to be integrated into our daily routine, it's worth it to me. If I end up wholesaling them to pet stores (most of which will buy leos), so be it. If I end up keeping them, so be it. It's been said a million times here, and it really rings true - breed animals because you love them, not because you want to make money on them. Be prepared for what happens in the event that they DON'T sell.

Tim and Julie B

07-20-04, 03:57 PM

Really it comes down to people knowing you. If you try to sell something, but no one has ever heard of you then good luck. Reputation is everything in this hobby. Sometimes it's best not to start breeding something that everyone already has, unless you know you can sell them and have buyers already lined up.

As for leos as food, well why not? If people are going to keep snakes that eat lizards then leos are a perfect food source. They are inexpensive to buy and feed, easier still to breed, and grow very quickly. Now, I would never even dream of doing this, as I would never own something that eats lizards, but on the grand shceme of things, they are ideal.

Julie

meow_mix450

07-20-04, 04:28 PM

Its getting very hard now a days to sell geckos, people are giving them away cause they are unable to sell, this will reduce prices the geckos in the area.

Meow

little_dragon_

07-20-04, 04:31 PM

Believe me, I'm not in it for the money I love my reptiles. But if I can make some money selling reptiles coming straight out of college where I have a huge student loan to pay back and I need money for rent and food so I can survive I really have no other choice but to sell my hatchlings.

I'm even starting to raise my own crickets to less the expenses, and I have started a U. Phantasticus breeding project.

Katt

07-20-04, 07:47 PM

Hello there. Just had to add my piece.

Vanan and I have quite a few leo's, with many many eggs in the incubator. We keep them for feeders, for relunctant feeders.

That's not to say, that we don't like leo's or don't care about them. We do, but to breed them for sale, well, there are is only one pet store within 45 mins of where we live.

I think the reason why you're having trouble to sell is saturation in your area. Ontario has a lot of herpers, and a lot of them have leo's and a lot of those leo keepers breed.

Plus leo's are so plentiful and so cheap, they're not seen as desirable any more, by many new and old herpers. It's a shame as they are really enjoyable li'l lizards that are so easy to keep it's a joke.

lifeline

07-20-04, 10:54 PM

I have found no issues finding new homes for our leopardgecko's.
I guess it really depends on location and the number of other leo breeders in your area and your reputation.

thanks mike and cheryl
leopardgecko.ca

beth wallbank

07-21-04, 12:06 AM

I have to agree with the majority on this one (Julie especially) that reputation will sell most of your offspring before they hatch. I have have just over 400 leos so far this season, and have 5 here that I left of 2004 so far. Though there are many to come, they too are spoken for, for the most part. I agree though that if you do not have the buyer market, maybe not breed them?