very curious

[remsin76]

what herps do you all own??
how muhc do you spend on them each year (adding to collection and feeding medicine etc. ) ?
and what do you guys do for a living to make this muhc money?

i am asking this b/c i see some people with like 10+ herps and seems really expensive so i was wondering.

this is me wondering

[bob_thesnowman]

hey,i have 18 leopard geckos(lol,and 8 eight eggs in the incubator and more on the way!),2 beardies,a b/w argentine tegu,a savanna monitor,a monkey tail skink,2 desert iguana's,a mali uromastyx,4 spider geckos,2 fat tails,a giant day gecko...and i think that sums it up,well when you do have this many herps,you really got to consider thinking about getting crickets shipped to you in bulk,otherwise you're gonna be spending 25 dollars a day just to feed them all!!i really don't make all that much money,but i'm only 18 and i still live at home,lol,so the fact that i don't pay rent helps!

[Emily-Fisher]

I have:

2.1 Leopard Gecko
0.0.1 Redeye Treefrog
1.0 Green Treefrog
1.0 Peacock Treefrog
1.0 Grey Treefrog
0.1 Giant Day Gecko
0.1 Crested Gecko
1.0 Mali Uromastyx
1.0 Cornsnake

For food, supplies, medication, etc... I probably spend around $450 on my herps a year, minimum. However, I am always buying new herps too and am currently saving up my money to buy a greek tortoise, a BCI, a white knee or a red knee tarantula, a giant black african millepede and a super hypo tangerine carrottail baldy leopard gecko. So all of the together costs around $1650 plus the enclosures and heating which is another $300. Herping is a very expensive hobby and you can see why

[lilyskip]

I have 0.0.1 ball python, and that's it! Because I'm a college student, my income is irregular and mostly depends upon when I can get an appointment for a medical experiment, so one snake will be more than enough until I have the time to get a steady job. With one bp, the initial costs were over $200, and I estimate an average of 2-4 dollars a week on food for it's first year. Vet visits are $44 for healthy visits, and $16 for a fecal, so at least that's not over-the-top.

The bottom line, really is just to be realistic about the amount of herps you can afford. A lot of people *can* afford 18 herps, but for those of us that aren't at that stage in our life yet, the hardest thing is to restrain ourselves from getting that cute little leo that is on sale for "only" $19.

[LISA127]

I had to cut back my collection. Not so much because of money, but because of obligations. I have two daughters who are getting older. They always have something going on that I need to be involved in, particularly during the school year. I also have two cats and a dog. The dog is turning 2 years old this week, but when she was a puppy and was a lot of work was when I cut down on my collection.
As far as money goes, decorating enclosures for me is always done as cheaply as possible. I do not use the naturalistic method. Substrate for everyone is usually paper towels or newspaper, because it's cheap! My leo's water dishes and calcium dishes are peanut butter jar lids, not fancy bowls from the pet store. You get the idea. My favorite herp, my blue tongued skink, is the cheapest herp to feed. He eats right out of my fridge or cupboard. I find the insectivores to be the most expensive to feed. You gotta order insects on line. They are too expensive at the pet stores. Yes, keeping herps is an expensive hobby. But there are ways to cut the costs. Turtles, tortoises, and terrestrial lizards can be kept in large rubbermaid tubs, as opposed to expensive tanks or expensive enclosures. Just clip the lighting to the side.

[damzookeeper]

I also cut back on my collection, jus because I started getting away from normal leos, but right now I have about 41 leos, 5 fat tails, 14 bearded dragons, 1 newt, 1 tree frog, and a blue tongue skink. I also have a cocatiel and a ferret for non herps.
I can't even imagine and don't really want to know what I spend on my herps a year. lol, It would be too depressing.
But just the insect food alone, monthly, cost me about $300( that cost is much higher when I have baby beardies to feed) and that doesn't inclued vitamins, calcium, parazap, salads for the dragons and skink, baby foods, bottled water because I wont use town water, treats like the occasional wax worms or pinkies, dog food for my skink, fecals, vet visits, or any meds they may have to have if something is found at the vet, and god knows I am probably misssing something else in there. lol.
That is the best I can do for an estimate. I wouldn't want to sit down and calculate it out or I might run the other way. lol
I use terra cotta dishes and finger bowls for calcium water and mealies for the geckos and large terra cottas for salads or mealies or supers for the other herps. I use paper towel or news paper for substrate and get most of my furnishings from dollar store and make my own hides and branches. I also use coaconut hides for the geckos because they are cheap and cute.
I use rubber maid containers for most of the geckos as well, easy to clean, cheap and effecient.
I have also been building new cages for them and moving them to the basement working on spending at least a grand there. But they are all worth it!! And I can't wait till it is done so I can stop spending on enclosures and spend more on them.
or me. lol, eventually I want a pair of albino fatties.

[Wuntu Menny]

Well, let's see. Right now we have:

1.2 Veiled chameleons
1.1.2 Crested geckos
6.5.13 Vorax geckos
1.1.3 Leopards
1.0 Henkel's leaf tail
1.1 Fire skinks
1.0.2 Spider geckos
1? Blue tongued skink
several hundred misc inverts

We are trying to cut down the population these days as well. It has been higher than this in the past. While we do save all herp related receipts, I haven't bothered to tally them up. We do this for personal enjoyment and self education. What little we make from the sale of offspring goes back into maintenance. Neither of us makes a lot of $$, so it can be a challenge at times.

One thing that helps us sustain a project this size is our dedication to finding cost effective alternatives. We end up paying around 1/4 to 1/3 of retail to keep our animals. We have found other sources for virtually everything our herps require. The only item we have to buy from a pet store is supplements.

WM

[LTownsend]

3.5 Green Tree Pythons(1.1 Sorongs / 2.3 Biaks / 0.1 Manokwari)
1.3 Guyanan Red Tail Boas(ready to breed this fall)
0.1 Emerald Tree Boa(gorgeous large female...looking for a male)
1.1 Tanimbar Scrub Pythons(picking up another 1.2 next week)
5.12 Ball Pythons (various normals & hets)
1.2 Black Milk Snakes(one of the favorites in my collection)
1.1 Peublan Milk Snakes
1.1 Greybanded King Snakes(Alterna Phase)
2.3 Amelanistic Corn Snakes

Costs for me are minimal actually... I breed all my own rats and mice and sell quite a few of them as well to finance the colony. I'm a carpenter, so caging is fairly cost effective as I build all my own enclosures. The only real cost each year, besides hydro (couple hundred a month) is the addition of new animals periodically, which is usually a few thousand each year, adding new bloodlines or different species I want to work with. So far this year, it's around $6000 to $7000 on new animals, with about $35-$40 k invested overall in the last three years.

[SCReptiles]

2.3 Timber Rattlesnakes
1.1 Eastern diamond back rattlesnakes
2.1 Cotton mouths
1.0 Pigmy Rattlesnakes
1.0 Copperhead
2.2 Burmese Pythons
1.1 Black Racers
1.3 Rats snakes
0.1 Water snake
0.1 Scarlet king snake
1.1 Spec king snake
This is my personal collection and the beginnings of my breeding stock, we have many more herps at our building that either belong to Joe or Barry or we have for sell. These numbers will change as I add more breeders and trade some out. We also breed rats to sell, so we have the food covered. We have a vet who works close with us due to a personal interest in venomous herpiculture, so she takes very good care of us on that. So, in reality we are not spending very much on our herps. About what I so, well on the side I breed rats and buy, sell, trade reptiles and I am a professional wrestler. As for my main source of income, I am a fleet manager with Covenant Transport.

[Samba]

I have:

1.0 Burmese python (Bandula)
0.1.1 Leopard geckos (Girl and 'Baby')
1.0 African Plated Lizard (Dahli)
0.1.2 Red-Eared Sliders (Bo, Bubbles and Scooter)
1.0 Iguana (Iggy)
1.0 Water Dragon (Agua)
0.1 Bullsnake (unnamed)

Since I run a rescue many animals come and go, but these are my pets. I just got the bullsnake the day before yesturday and she's adorable! I will probably find her a home though!

The way I break down my costs may be a little different; I get animals at last minute's notice, adoption fees recover some of my own money that I've spent making animals well, and vet bills are through the roof!

Annually I would estimate my spendings to be around $9,000.00. In between caring for my own animals, rescues, food, heating, electricity bills, etc. Not that bad I guess, but it could be better! Like Lilyskip, I am a college student and I have a part time job, (18 hrs. a week @6.75 per hour... Ouch!) That barely covers my car insurance, gas and food for myself and my pets!

[remsin76]

wow chuck ur a wrestler? like the wwf stuff or like olympics stuff??

well im a college student and i only have one BP. I am really tempted to increase my collection but i know its better not to. Im afraid taht after i graduate i mgiht get moved off somewhere cause i plan to go where my work takes me.

so fra keeping my snake it cost me less than $100 since the snake was a gift. i admire u guys for being so dedicated to the hobbby. $9000 for herps good lord

[Mike177]

i have
1.0 Blood Python
0.1 Ball Python
0.1 Albino Burmese Python
1.1.1 Corn snake
1.0 Red tail Boa (BCI)
1.0 Leopored Geckos
1.2 Tokay Geckos

I have not realy say down to canculate all my costs. i go to high school and kinda just do odd jobs to support my snakes. i got alot of money in the bank just in case something falls through. but right now the costs are low but they will go up. my parents give me a set amount of money per month (its never enouph) but i would say about 80% of my money goes in the bank or to my rodent supplyer!

[Zoe]

Heh Remsin I hear ya! And am very jealous of some of the members here.

Anyway to answer your questions:

I own:
1.2 adult Irian Jaya Carpet Pythons (paid a total of $575 for them)
1.0 baby Irian Jaya Carpet Python (value of about $225)
2.1 baby Irian Jaya Carpet Pythons (for sale) (value of about 700$)
0.1 Colombian Red-Tailed Boa ($125 as a baby, she is now sub adult)
1.0 Ambanja Blue Panther Chameleon ($175)
0.1 Sudan Plated Lizard ($30)
1.4 Hypo/Tang Leopard Geckos (value ranging from $100-$250 each)

I'm not sure how much I spend - but its a lot!

I work a crappy job at $10 an hour, but I don't have to pay rent or food or anything so I can spend everything (or almost) on my herps!

Zoe

[Colonel SB]

Right now I have:

2.5 Ball Pythons
2.5 Leopard Geckos (various colours morphs)
2.2 Corn Snakes
0.1 Blood/Borneo Cross

I will be getting a pair of Desert King from the Gillards soon whoohoo.

As for cost my father breeds mice so food is free and I usually creat my own cages too keep costs down. When your collection gets bigger you have to get very creative to keep from going bankrupt.

[SCReptiles]

wow chuck ur a wrestler? like the wwf stuff or like olympics stuff??

I have never done the Olympic style, I did do the free style mixed UFC style wrestling in the middle 1990’s. Now all I do is pro, like the WWF umm I mean WWE. Ha ha.