Why do you do it?

[jtrux]

Why do you breed torts/turtles?

Do you do it for fun like a hobby?

For income?

Does anyone here make a living solely on breeding?

Just curious really, i'd like to breed torts myself and just want to see what everyone else's motivation is.

 

[kanalomele]

I breed russians. One of my personal motivators is the knowledge that there are still sooo very many that are still wildcaught being imported every year. The more captive bred tortoises we have being placed into long term educated homes the sooner the demand for petstore imports will decrease. I don't make very much money and whatever I do usually goes right back into a rescue tortoise. Additionally, I love this species and have worked with them for many years. I think they are great sturdy family pets and deserve a place of respect in the homes they go into. It is an enjoyable process to be apart of. I especially love the hatchlings. Watching those little eggies hatch is a lot of fun.

 

[Yvonne G]

I bred the leopards in order to make a bit of money...it didn't work out that way.

Now I'm trying to breed the Manouria because there aren't that many Manouria breeders in the U.S.

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

The spectrum of reasons is broad and multi-colored. I get some depth of satisfaction that would take a small book to describe, and even if I were a really good communicator, it might still not come across to most readers. In short, I have no altruistic motive, it makes me happy.

Will

 

[Baoh]

I like to watch successful reproduction of the animals I keep. I find the hybridization side projects I have interesting from a point of curiosity. I like to have the alternative income stream, which I selectively apply to the principal of my home's mortgage to pay it off much faster. As production ramps up and as the mortgage fades, it will serve as a backup income stream to my "real" job as a researcher.

 

[Baoh]

I bred the leopards in order to make a bit of money...it didn't work out that way.

Now I'm trying to breed the Manouria because there aren't that many Manouria breeders in the U.S.

Where did you advertise the leopards?

 

[jtrux]

Yes, i'm curious as well.

 

[RedfootsRule]

I breed tortoises because it is a passion and hobby of mine. I love it and I don't think I'll ever go back .

I know some keepers (such as ALDABRAMAN) make their living off of tortoises; I could never picture being that lucky, but I would eventually like to add some rarer tortoises to my collection to breed, in hopes of making a small income on it. Well, that and I would love more then anything to work with said tortoises .

 

[bigred]

I got into breeding redfoots just to see if I could. I have 2 females and 2 males and they lay 5 or 6 clutches a year each. Not really alot of money to be made off selling redfoots, but I make a little and also give a few away. I also have 3 radiated that Im going to try to do the same thing with several years down the road. I got into it because I grew up with tortoises in the backyard when I was a kid, Got back into it later in life again

 

[Tom]

I was part of the reptile explosion of the early 90s. Captive breeding was a huge deal back then. I set it to raise some hatchlings and breed them. Took me a long time to get it done due to the way I raised them (dry and light feedings). By the time I got there everyone in the world was breeding sulcatas. I still breed because I want people to have an alternative to the dry babies that are so common and because I need test subjects for all my experiments. When I start breeding some of my other species it will be to provide healthy captive bred babies to people who want them. Yes, money is a factor, but I also want to take pressure of the wild caught species like Russians. I'd also like to reproduce some of the rarer species like platynota and Galapagos tortoises just so there will be more of them in the world.

 

[Katherine]

I absolutely whole hearted vehemently LOVE them. Every single tortoise and/or turtle I hatch out has a better life than the one prior because of the vast amount of knowledge acquired just from quiet observation of my backyard populations overtime. Networking and reading studies is helpful, but nothing trumps experience and observation. It is certainly not lucrative the way I am doing (my most expensive hobby truthfully) but I can not imagine my life another way. Every dime I 'earn' from tortoise/turtle related sales goes back into the tortoises in our care. Because we have an open door policy for rescues/surrenders we will never see a fiscal gain on 'sales' and any income applied to some of the at times prohibitive costs of vetting/feeding/enclosure building hardly makes a dent. As under appreciated and often grossly misunderstood creatures I can only hope that the knowledge base I am building now can help the tortoises of the future receive better care from their human companions in years to come. The better we understand them the better we will be able to protect them in their natural populations, decrease WC animals and run management projects for tortoise populations that suffer because of us. Also, have I mentioned how much I love them?

 

[african cake queen]

hi, have pancakes. never planned on being a breeder. just want my cakes to stay heathly, & happy. any eggs for me are just a perk. may give our local zoo(breardsley park ) some if they hatch. we will see.