sulcata breeders?

[Baoh]

Originally Posted by TBH123

And if the owner was to make a 50-75 profit on all 15 hatchlings, thats what.....a £750-£1125 pure profit? Rather the the supposed £6000 profit (Supposing that they were £100 each to raise)

So? A Bentley and a Honda Civic both get you from A to B. A certain kind of customer wants to get from A to B in the former. Another in the latter. A third variety may desire the former, but may only be able to afford the latter (and some nothing at all). The prices are set to acquire the greatest profits possible per unit from each category's target customer population. Each customer is only entitled to what that customer can financially manage to adequately cover. A customer has every right to wish that the Bentley was set at the Civic price and not buy one due to finances, but a Bentley dealer has every right maintain his price at the elevated mark which will still attract the customer who is willing to pay what he is asking for it. Tortoises are not very different in this manner of relationship.

[Baoh]

Originally Posted by ALDABRA MAN

I like the way the word profit hear is being used. I have got 2 young Aldabras who weigh about 10 stone each, 6 adult Sulcatas and 4 adult male Leopards. The cost to build there tort house was in the region of £15000, it cost approx £3000 a year to heat then there's the winter hay bill and not to mention any vet bills. The only reason I breed my sulcatas is to off set some of the costs, Profit LOL. Anyone that has seen my set up can see that I give my torts the best that I can give them and if that means selling some hatch lings then so be it. The price for the hybrids is very similar to ones sold in the USA some 2_3 years ago it means that I wont have to hatch so may Sulcatas next year. Thank you.

Absolutely no one will know the particulars of your situation as well as you do. I would not be bothered.

[Baoh]

Originally Posted by EJ

Maybe among the younger folk who focus on the hobby as a means of making money... I'm not against that. I charge premium price for my Aldabras... been sitting on some for close to 6 years.

Hybrids do not go for $500 in the US... no matter what you see them advertised for. Anyone that pays that price... doesn't know any better. The rest that get moved are traded.

Hybrids are a novalty. They are worthless to the majority of the folks keeping tortoises.

Perhaps so, but I have seen third-party transaction documents for more than that amount in seven instances now. I see more go in trades, though, as you said, but not for poor trade values in the couple instances of that I have been privy to observing.

They are worthwhile to me, though, both as a neat pet and as potential breeding projects (my animal is poss het for Sunset Hypo and for Ivory and I keep projects of both of these in the two parent species, so my situation may be a bit atypical).