Good morning Hogs!
I’m Jerame. I have been into reptiles all my life. I worked a lot with turtles in the late 90’s and early 00’s but as I focused more on family and career I got out of the hobbies. Australian Water Dragons have drawn me back in and I’m really thinking about building a business that could one day become a full time job. I love the AWD but they are not going to pay my bills alone, which just gives me the perfect excuse… uh… I mean reason to collect other animals.
I think I’ve zeroed in on Western Hognose as a staple. They are such a funny little animal, with their shovel faces and adorable defensive behavior. I’ve been around the block a bit and care for Hognoses looks pretty straight forward other then the occasional eating issue. (Both not eating and eating each other). I’m not too worried about that side of things. But I’m well aware that there could be things that I don’t know I don’t know. So if anyone has any “If I knew then what I know now stories” I’d love to hear them.
In addition, I’m trying to figure out where to start. I really like the Extreme Reds, Supercondas and Sables (as well as sable mixes). I’d like to start the project producing as many varieties as I can while slowly building into more specialized projects. I’d like to get started with 1 male and 3 females costing between $500, and $1500 each. I might be willing to go a little further and start with 2 males and 6 females, but that would be tight.
Anyway anything that any one has to add would be helpful.
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I have hognoses and they are a ton of fun to keep. Out of the 3 snake species I keep (including sand boas and a milk snake), they are the best eaters. I have 3 (not including a new one that’s settling in) and none of them have ever refused a meal (even in shed), unlike my sand boas and milk snake.
It sounds like you have a good plan. Think about what kind of market you’re selling to and what price range to shoot for in your babies. I think producing some variety in babies is important. Don’t buy (just for example) a super yeti male, and yeti and snow females, because you are going to have a very hard time selling that many high-end animals for a fair price.
I’m in a similar situation as you. I have a yeti male, anaconda het snow female, and superconda het snow female. That group will produce a nice variety, including some high-end snakes like yetis and hopefully a super yeti.
I also just picked up a male lavender. I’m going to get a female for him that’s het lavender (or lavender if I have the money), with 1 or 2 dominant genes and a recessive. With him, I’ll try to add lavender into my yeti projects and likely try to add arctic at the same time.
I would recommend spending a lot of time getting a solid breeding plan in place. Then, wait for high-end females that fit into your plan to go for sale. Wait for them to be almost mature before buying a male. You should have had time to save up for a male so you can get a high quality one. I would recommend getting a male with some extra recessives (het or visual), for any other projects that you might want to get into in the future.
I haven’t bred yet, but I got the reptile basics I-10 rack and I love it. Look into getting one or two for babies. It can house 30-60 animals (depending on what size tub you use) in a small space and is a great price.
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That’s what I’m working through now. It would be nice to have a few high end hatchlings that first year. But I’m thinking about focusing mostly my on mid range. So from $500 -$1000ish.
That rack looks like a good hatchling rack. Are you using it for adults now?
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It’s too small for adults, but I’m using it for juvenile geckos and hognoses.
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That would work well, just modify it in a way where the lid can’t be pushed up.
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