Marcia of Golden Gate Geckos
Published Saturday, March 29, 2008.
Marcia, how did you get started with reptiles?
In 1994, I worked with a guy who had several reptiles and I was curious about 'why' people would keep them as pets. He brought in one of his leopard geckos to work, and I was instantly smitten! I started doing research on them, but back then there was not much available... nothing online. I went to pet stores and asked lots of questions, and picked up a small pamphlet/book on geckos. I got a 10-gal tank, a UTH, a cave and water bowl to be ready for my new pet.
There was an upcoming reptile show at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, and I went looking for a leopard gecko. I wound up with two tiny babies, which turned out to be both female. I adored my geckos, Lucy and Lizzy! They grew and thrived, and were sooo tame because I handled them all the time!
After about a year, I thought if would be fun to see if I could breed them, and searched for a nice male. I got Larry, and put him in with the girls. They beat him up! I had to house him on his own for a few months, and then finally they all got along and I had eggs. Every egg failed for the first half of the season, but eventually I got the incubation and medium right, and had my first hatchlings. I sat on the floor and cried like a baby, I was so thrilled.
The rest is history!
What species do you currently breed?
I now work with 7 species of terrestrial geckos: Leopard Geckos (of course!) for 13 years, Desert Bandeds (Coleonyx variegatus) for about 5 years... which are just like miniature Leopard Geckos in their care and behavior. I also have 3 breeding groups of Coleonyx elegans (Yucatan Banded Geckos) which are very lovely creatures, but their environmental requirements are much more tropical and humid than the other geckos I work with.
I also have been breeding 4 Australian gecko species for the past 3 years. Who can resist those big eyes? I really enjoy my Nephrurus levis levis (Smooth Knobtails) which were a little bit of a challenge at first because their specific temperature and humidity requirements are very different than that of Leopard Geckos. My Underwoodisuarus milii (Thick-tailed Geckos) are a delight to raise, and actually quite hearty and easy to keep. They are very social and prolific!
I am new to the Rough Knobtails this year, and have a small colony of Nephrurus wheeleri cinctus and Nephrurus amyae, which I will keep for at least another year before starting any breeding projects.
What is your daily care routine you have for your geckos?
After I read and answer all of my email and read the forums with my morning coffee, I prepare all invoices, shipping labels, and boxes for geckos going out that day. I answer lots of phone calls routinely throughout the day, too!
I check each and every gecko to make sure all are eating, has water, and any that have shed have all their residual skin removed. I check all temperature controllers, and verify that the heat in all enclosures is correct using my Raytek inferometer.
During the 10 months of breeding season, twice a day I check for newly laid eggs, document clutches laid, and put them in the incubators. I remove all the new hatchlings from the incubators, document them, and put them in their clean tubs twice a day as well.
I have 12 large rack systems, and clean 2-3 racks each day by wiping out every tub, replacing paper towels, refilling mealworm bowls, adding calcium powder, and giving fresh water. I keep my C. elegans, U.milii, and C. variegatus in naturalistic vivariums, and clean those out twice weekly. I mist the Coleonyx elegans daily, and the cool end of the enclosures for the Aussie geckos every other day. All my cricket eaters get fed 2-3 times weekly, and all babies are fed daily.
I receive about 10,000 - 14,000 feeders each week, and they usually get put up the same day they arrive. The cricket bin gets cleaned out every 2-3 days, and mealworms weekly. All feeders get fed fresh gut-load, produce, and water every 2-3 days.
I wash and disinfect all used tubs, hides, and bowls weekly. I take photos and update my website monthly. I vend at 4 shows per year.
How did you go about making Golden Gate Geckos a business, and what are some tips that you would recommend to people who are looking to make a career out of their hobby?
Over the last 13 years, Golden Gate Geckos just naturally evolved into a business because I had more and more geckos! Obtaining a business license was the most difficult task, as the City had to contact all of my neighbors asking them if it was OK that I raised reptiles. (Fortunately, many of my neighbors have my geckos as pets!) The State of California issues a Resale Permit, and my taxes are paid quarterly.
Breeding reptiles as a career is extremely difficult, especially since there are so many people breeding geckos now that the market is saturated. Most people are lucky to have enough income generated from gecko sales to cover the expenses of maintaining their ever-growing collection! I am fortunate that I started a long time ago when there were not many people breeding geckos, and I think just being around for awhile keeps me 'grand-fathered in'. I can only think of a handful of people that breed reptiles as their sole source of income.
For folks wanting to build a career out of their hobby, my advise is to set realistic goals and stay focused on your projects. Start small, and build over time. Learn as much as possible about the reptiles you work with, and don't get too set in your ways. Be open to all the new information and methods that come up. Build a stellar reputation with your customers by providing the very best customer service you can, producing the very best reptiles you can, Be prepared to work 6-12 hours a day, 7 days a week! Most of all, do it for the love of the animals.
What are you most excited about this upcoming breeding season?
I am most excited this season about my Enigma leopard gecko projects, and continuing to learn as much as I can about the new Australian geckos I am working with.
We would like to thank Marcia very much for taking the time to be with us at Reptile Network. Please visit her site, GoldenGateGeckos.com
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