Just imagine this.

"Welcome to Axie World!"

I think this would be a wonderful business venture!

From floor to ceiling, perfect, non-gravel, correct temperature tanks, with plenty of hide holes.

All types of Axolotls in different sections of the shop, in spacious, clean tanks.

A 'public viewing breeding section' where controlled breeding of these fantastic creatures takes place along with weekly work shops where kids can come along and view the progress of each breed program.

Stock of all the sufficient foods and nutrients, along with information on setting up wormeries.

A full care sheet issued with every purchase of an axolotl, along with controlled sales (over 18's only, proof of correct set-up purchase) and only then are you approved to buy one.

I am seriously thinking about this. There are a few retail outlets available in my area. Only problem is, I'd need staff...:happy:

Any ideas/feedback/input/help?

Ahh..and also, on site Brine Shrimp breeding also!!

Personally I think it's a good idea; however would the costs involved in keeping the place perfect outweigh the demand for axolotl?

The idea is brilliant but I think it may be different in reality. I commend the idea, anything that gives axolotls a better life by ensuring prospective owners are given all the information they need to care properly can only be a good thing. However the logistics of it may be very different.

I cant think of any retail shops that only deal with one specific type of species of animal and I would guess that the cost involved vs profit is maybe the cause of that.

If you consider the cost set up and then exactly how many axies you would need to sell a week to cover the set up, running costs etc i'd be surprised if this could become a profitable venture.

I guess profits could come from accessories and equiptment, but even then I still think it would be hard going. Are there even that many people who would want an axolotl? What I mean by this is that it's not like fish where you can have several in a smaller space than an axie would need. I would imagine the average household would have one maybe two at the most compared to many more fish because of lack of space for the tank size needed for more than 2. That means you need a heck of a lot of people each week to come in and purchase them.

I know everythings not about profit but realistically you still need to cover your costs etc.

I hate to be the bad guy, but I do think it's not very feasible to deal only in axies. If you do go ahead then I wish you all the best and hope it becomes everything and more that you want it to be

Of course there is the issue of breaking even at least and this is the stumbling block.

It is just an idea at the moment and would obviously need some expert help and assistance not only figure wise, but more knowledge on the species also.

You could get newts, reptiles, fish and maybe the odd small pet (hamster, rats, rabbits) etc.

Or you could breed them at home and try and sell them online or sell them to shops as a breeder?

I don't have the expertise to deal with newts and the whatnot. Small furry animals, yes. Not newts. I wouldn't have the first idea!

You hiring?! I'll put a resume together right away! :happy:

I think it would be feasible if you dealt mainly online and maybe did demonstrations at reptile shows and/or created an educational program for local schools with accompanying website.

Pangeareptiles.com deals almost exclusively with crested geckos. They sell animals, custom products, and also have caresheets with an accompanying forum. They also allow forum members to post crested-related advertisements in the forum portion of the site, which I'm sure they get a little bit of income from. You might want to check them out just to see how they function.

Cheers!

Well really,how expensive can the shop be? You'd have to pay rent, water, power, but you could deduct all of those from your taxes, right? And axolotls live 10-20 years, they say - that is a long time to offer them for sale - and breed quite prolifically if allowed to do so. Once the tanks are established, the cost of running them is not really that high. Live plants and foods you could breed right there (and sell surplus to boot). Only, I seem to remember one petshop clerk here telling me that it is illegal to breed guppies in the petshop, which is why the males nd females are kept separate. Maybe I am wrong and maybe I'm right but it's just a German thing, but perhaps a bit of legal investigation would be a worthwhile preparation in your considerations. You'd have to find out what the animal protection folks in your area have to say about axolotls, too, I reckon.

In any case, it's a nice thing to imagine!

-Eva

Correct. Overheads, to be fair, are apparant in all businesses as such. And once I have a good stock, things will take care of themselves.

I wasn't really into the idea of breeding the guppies anyway, i don't like the thought of dropping tropical fish into cold waters of the axolotl tank.

Might have a chat with my cousin. She's a business advisor:happy:

I'm sorry, I was unclear. I meant the guppies as an example that maybe there might be some kind of rule against breeding animals right in a pet store.

-Eva

Got ya!!:supercool:

Sign me up! I was just thinking about this sort of thing the other day :happy: I'm sure it could work - maybe not just Axolotls, but with the emphasis on these amazing little guys. "Axolotl Emporium". Lol.