What type of ts should I breed?

[Johnn]

I'm looking to start breeding ts for fun and profit. I want to breed some that fetch a good price and that will sell well. What types should I breed? What's popular and will sell well and fetch a good price?

 

[tarantulas118]

I'm looking to start breeding ts for fun and profit. I want to breed some that fetch a good price and that will sell well. What types should I breed? What's popular and will sell well and fetch a good price?

I don’t know much about breeding and selling but I’m thinking
gramastola pulchra
harpactira pulchripes
maybe some pokies
T. Seledonia
im sure there’s more but those are the ones I’d pay any price for, plus there somewhat more expensive than other Ts

 

[Johnn]

I don’t know much about breeding and selling but I’m thinking
gramastola pulchra
harpactira pulchripes
maybe some pokies
T. Seledonia
im sure there’s more but those are the ones I’d pay any price for, plus there somewhat more expensive than other Ts

Thank you. I'll consider your suggestions

 

[Wolfram1]

breed only what you enjoy owning

 

[Liquifin]

Types? You mean species? I'd recommend researching and caring for T.'s before thinking about going into tarantula breeding or the market in general. Start off with something with not too much offspring because you don't want a tarantula species that have hundreds of babies for a beginner or someone new to breeding. Because it's going to take a lot from you. It's hard to get a grasp for what sells because this market fluctuates faster than most other exotic pet markets. I'd recommend starting on the smaller end in terms of number of offspring to see if you have the capacity and capability to work with a number of slings. Finding a profitable species will vary as the market is constantly fluctuating. Also, I would not recommend any old world tarantulas for a beginner/new breeder. So try to stay with NW if you're new to tarantula breeding.

I don’t know much about breeding and selling but I’m thinking
gramastola pulchra
harpactira pulchripes
maybe some pokies
T. Seledonia
im sure there’s more but those are the ones I’d pay any price for, plus there somewhat more expensive than other Ts

Why are you recommending OW tarantulas for a new beginner into breeding?

Also my thoughts:

G. pulchra is a very hard sell in the US. Unless you have sexed females, they're a very long term investment tarantula which might not profit for your loss depending on numbers (overall). It could be as long as 4-7 years before they're profitable, unless you undercut heavily.

H. pulchripes are one of those species that sells better with size. Very hard to sell as slings IMO unless you undercut everyone else. At 2''+ they start selling better due to adult colors coming in, but it will depend on the market that year, month, week, or day.

Poecilothera are a great profit. But they can be either easier/harder to sell as they get larger because any inventory that grows will become ventrally sexable. So if you hold on to them for too long, you'll have to sell them sexed, which can be a blessing or curse depending on the timing of when you need money/profit. I've been on both ends with Poecilotheria.

T. seladonia is a species only the very niche or very high end of the spectrum that people will buy. They can be a gold mine or dead water, having them is up to you.

The overall message, the market is constantly on the move. A good sale today could be a crash and burn the next day. Welcome to the market.

 

[Frogdaddy]

Grammostola pulchra. Grammostola rosea.
Now forget about getting rich and think about maybe breaking even

 

[Introvertebrate]

I'd pick only fast growers.

 

[Gilligan]

Liquifin's response is valuable. Take what they said and use it.
Breeding T's for profit can be tricky. Some home breeders don't turn a profit, some do. You want a species that will sell well and be pricey, that species doesn't really exist. It depends more on the tarantula buying market local to you.

Selling T's depends on your client base and where you sell, regardless if you sell them bulk or as individuals. What T's to breed depends on your own local supply and demand, because what is popular and expensive where I live may be given away for free where you live. You will have to research your market.

Selling as a home breeder can be difficult because you need to get clients to buy the slings. Marketing them and earning a good reputation can be hard to put it lightly. One week you may sell 5 slings then none for the next 3.

 

[Johnn]

Types? You mean species? I'd recommend researching and caring for T.'s before thinking about going into tarantula breeding or the market in general. Start of with something with not too much offspring because you don't want a tarantula species that have hundreds of babies for a beginner or someone new to breeding. Because it's going to take a lot from you. It's hard to get a grasp for what sells because this market fluctuates faster than most other exotic pet markets. I'd recommend starting on the smaller end in terms of number of offspring to see if you have the capacity and capability to work with a number of slings. Finding a profitable species will vary as the market is constantly fluctuating. Also, I would not recommend any old world tarantulas for a beginner/new breeder. So try to stay with NW if you're new to tarantula breeding.


Why are you recommending OW tarantulas for a new beginner into breeding?

Also my thoughts:

G. pulchra is a very hard sell in the US. Unless you have sexed females, they're a very long term investment tarantula which might not profit for your loss depending on numbers (overall). It could be as long as 4-7 years before they're profitable, unless you undercut heavily.

H. pulchripes are one of those species that sells better with size. Very hard to sell as slings IMO unless you undercut everyone else. At 2''+ they start selling better due to adult colors coming in, but it will depend on the market that year, month, week, or day.

Poecilothera are a great profit. But they can be either easier/harder to sell as they get larger because any inventory that grows will become ventrally sexable. So if you hold on to them for too long, you'll have to sell them sexed, which can be a blessing or curse depending on the timing of when you need money/profit. I've been on both ends with Poecilotheria.

T. seladonia is a species only the very niche or very high end of the spectrum that people will buy. They can be a gold mine or dead water, having them is up to you.

The overall message, the market is constantly on the move. A good sale today could be a crash and burn the next day. Welcome to the market.

Thank you for your advice

 

[tarantulas118]

Why are you recommending OW tarantulas for a new beginner into breeding?

as I said, I don’t know much about breeding so I had know idea what’s better for beginner breeders even for very experienced keepers.
so I just wrote what I thought might do good for selling. Well now I know.

 

[Liquifin]

as I said, I don’t know much about breeding so I had know idea what’s better for beginner breeders even for very experienced keepers.
so I just wrote what I thought might do good for selling. Well now I know.

The thing is... No one "CAN KNOW" what will be a good seller long term. Whether they're the biggest vendors/breeders/business in the country or someone small or local. The market relies on speculation (like all businesses) and taking a chance. If you profit, you tend to say that "this species sells better" or if a species sells very poorly you tend to say, "it's a bad investment". While there are some species that will sell better than others regardless, there is no gaurantee on anything in this market. Look at B. simoroxigorum within a year for example. From the hottest seller to low-water real quick with such price deflation. The one take-away people need to understand coming in is that whatever sold very well back then will most likely be different now (whether better or worst). Past sales do not equate to future sales. All it does is gives us a general direction of trying to figure out where to go from there.

 

[NMTs]

I saw someone listing adults of Theraphosinae sp. Colombia - get yourself some of those and see if you can get them established in the hobby.

 

[Frogdaddy]

Why not breed species that are in peril of disappearing from the hobby

 

[Arachnopets]

I'm looking to start breeding ts for fun and profit. I want to breed some that fetch a good price and that will sell well. What types should I breed? What's popular and will sell well and fetch a good price?

Without knowing your personal experience with caring for tarantulas (and the hobby), it will be hard to say.

They are not toys. They are live animals. Best to learn and focus on the care and husbandry before desiring a profit. If profit is your main intent, then this is definitely the wrong path. Remember to walk before you run.

 

[campj]

Lasiodora parahybana

 

[moricollins]

fetch a good price?

Seems like this is a question you could easily answer on your own by looking at vendors' websites...

 

[Tarantuland]

I’d recommend starting with breeding Grammastola rosea. Easy to find cheap adults for sale and easy to breed. Grow fast, and the females never show aggression to the males.

If you’re doing this for profit, you shouldn’t be doing it. There’s no money.

 

[coolnweird]

Breeding isn't something to do on a whim for fun or profit. It's not as profitable as you might think, shipping is expensive as a private citizen, and competition from established breeders will be steep. If for whatever reason you can't sell the slings, you'll have hundreds of animals dependant on you, indefinitely. Are you prepared for that?

 

[campj]

In my opinion, the best thing to do is to wholesale (or possibly trade for species you're interested in) to the bigger dealers. You wouldn't make nearly as much cash, but it's 1/100 the amount of effort and hassle that selling to a bunch of people is. Hold back a few slings to raise up, and then either breed again or sell them as sexed sub-adults for a decent amount.

 

[Liquifin]

wholesale (or possibly trade for species you're interested in) to the bigger dealers.

Wholesale will depend on what you or that person have to offer. In terms of bigger vendors, it would depend on the dealer/vendor, but every dealer or vendor will have a good variety or diversity of tarantulas already for sale. So relying on wholesale would depend on what you have to offer, such as offering them something they don't have or something that is going to sell well. It's becoming much harder to wholesale as a lot of species are currently caught in a wave of a recycling trickle effect. The competition is slowly cutting away the middle-man (such as me or other small or private breeders). It's becoming more corporate/export/import focus now as the times are changing and soon we won't be around much longer. This is just simply the truth as times changes and things become more mainstream. It could still be a decent or good side-or-small income, but not a good main source of income or profit if you're like me or most other private breeders. But I still do it as it's something I truly love.

You wouldn't make nearly as much cash, but it's 1/100 the amount of effort and hassle that selling to a bunch of people is.

This is true. I agree with this statement.