Gecko Time - a blog about geckos

Gecko Time is pleased to have had a chance to talk with Brittney Gougeon of PacHerp, a California breeder of geckos and snakes.

How did you get started as a breeder and what is your current scope of breeding?

I’ve had an interest in reptiles since I was a child and would often go out in search of turtles, salamanders, toads and other creatures while I was growing up. I started with two female leopard geckos as pets, then after discovering this huge reptile breeding community online, I thought of how breeding these animals could really be a work of art, like a living canvas. So… two geckos became dozens.

Fast-forwarding to current times — During the 2010 breeding season I will be working with Leopard Geckos, African Fat Tail geckos, Knobtail geckos and Hognose snakes.

What is the significance of the name “PacHerp”?

PacHerp is the short form of “Pacific Herpetoculture”. As some may know, my previous business name was “South Bay Geckos”. I moved to the “east bay” about a year ago, and felt I needed to change my name to prevent confusion. I also expanded my business to cover snakes as well, so the idea of a name change was very fitting.

You’re quite successful in the web design field. Why do you think this is and what is your favorite part of it?

Design and Business Marketing have been passions of mine ever since I can remember. I began working in the Graphic Design field when I was a teenager; that is where I developed my basic skill set for the web design field. I went on to study Digital Art and Design in Canada where I received my post secondary credentials in Graphic Design.

I now work full time with members of the Reptile Community to help them create a visual image for their businesses. I always tell my clients at Reptile Creative that “I build online businesses” as most of the clients I work with do not have store fronts, and need an online outlet to sell their animals. It is a unique field, and I feel I have an advantage when working with other breeders because I also keep and breed reptiles myself — I know what they need and how to deliver these things in the best way possible to each of my clients while keeping each design new and fresh.

Could you tell us something about your work with Late Night Leos?

Late Night Leos is a reptile related online radio show on Blog Talk Radio that I co-host with Nigel Kinley from Nairwokii Reptiles. We schedule various guests from the Reptile community to come be a part of the show and discuss recent events.

We want all of our guests to feel comfortable and at home while joining us on the air, so we tend to keep things low key and more laid back. Our listeners and guests really seem to like this approach. We will be launching some very exciting updates to the website that we will be announcing on our 1 year anniversary show, November 27th.

Do you have a favorite species of gecko? What is especially attractive about it?

That is a hard question because I work with several different species and there are things I love about each of them. I started with Leopard Geckos and there is a part of my heart that will always belong to Leopards. The variety of selective breeding possibilities in this species is simply inspiring, I look forward to many more years of work with the Leopard Geckos.

If I had to choose a favorite, right now I’m feeling a bit more partial to the African Fat Tails. I find them to be a more challenging species, as they are not as easy to breed as Leopard Geckos, and their genetic possibilities are just starting to open up. The future of the African Fat Tails is exploding, and I’m excited to be on the cutting edge.

What are your long range and short range plans for your gecko breeding?

My short range plans: I’m looking to expand my Knobtail gecko projects to include several new unrelated bloodlines. With the African Fat Tails, I’m working on outcrossing existing bloodlines with wild caught animals. With my Hognose snakes, I’ll be producing some ‘green project’ animals soon, as well as my first generation of “Copper Reds” in 2010.

My long range plans: I am planning several line breeding projects with the Leopard Geckos, AFTs and Hognose Snakes that will take several years before the final results will be seen.

I’m expecting to see some early results in 2010-2011 from several of my leopard gecko line breeding projects. I also have some unique wild caught african fat tail geckos that I’ll be working on proving out over the next few seasons. I’ll also have my first group of red albino western hognose available in 2011.

How has the economy affected your gecko business?

In general the economy had not affected me too badly. I have seen the effects of the economy beginning to show at Reptile Shows where people are there looking for the best deals, as opposed to looking for the newest and hottest morphs available. I have also noticed many breeders taking advantage of the “barter” system where they trade animals with each other rather than paying outright for new breeder animals. I’ve done this many times this season with my breeder friends, and it has been lots of fun!

Regardless of how things have been changing in the community as the economy works itself out, I have faith that hard work will always pay off in the end and beautiful animals will always be in demand.

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