I love that you have a puppy on the show its nice to see a different animal on the show besides diamond 💎💎😍😍 I hope you are going to keep him by the way is he a golden retriever
Honestly man thank you, I am a vet tech and had a seriously rough day. You said the words I needed to hear without knowing I needed to hear it. Vet tech in Ontario Canada and we make absolutely nothing but do 90 percent of the work but I admit it’s worth it to see these animals everyday. 🙏
Currently in the early stages of opening my own little reptile zoo and I'm so frigging stoked! There's really nothing reptile related where I live in Ontario so I basically turned to my girlfriend a week or so ago and said "f it I'm gonna do it myself" I'm stoked for the journey. I know it's gonna be tough but I'll be dammed if I waste any more of my life not doing what I lovr
@@barbellboa8421 where in Ontario are you? I'll be going to college in Buffalo, NY starting next year so would happily visit if it's close to the border/near Niagara Falls!
Getting there! Between youtube, Patreon, occasional live education show, and part time hours working in a reptile shop, I can say that I make money in reptiles... It's not 'grownup' money yet, but I'm on my way!
theres no good reptile shops near me theres a reptile shop but its really bad carpet pythons in 4x2x2 beardies in 90x45x60 its not great getting my first snake a woma from a breeder on sunday
While it isn't (often) a paid position, becoming a docent at a zoo or aquarium is a great way to get your foot in the door to the zookeeping/animal education field. I'm a docent at a small zoo and I love it! It's great for experience and just being around animals that many hobbyists don't have in their collections is amazing.
As a full time veterinary assistant it has its ups and downs emotionally..some days are really really rough but it is 100% fulfilling and amazing work. The bonds you build with your team and clients are unmatched AND you get to work with all sorts of beautiful animals. Thanks for shouting out the veterinary field! @Wickens Wicked Reptiles
number 1 being supplies was a huge confidence boost since getting into reptile channels actually got me and my family to look into selling manzanita for exotics- for reptile enclosures, bird perches, aquarium driftwood, etc we've got 20 some odd acres overgrown with a non endangered species of the stuff, from tiny baby plants to mature 10ft trees, and we've been pulling it out for fire safety reasons, so we're hoping to dry and sandblast it to sell at expos!
Another comment already addressed this but gonna say it again: as a veterinarian you are limited by the owner therefore if they refuse to listen you CANT do ANYTHING about it even if it's something totally treatable which sucks. Glad Adam also mentioned dealing with death cus that is another thing a lot of people don't realize. Also if you want to be a veterinarian you gotta really want it because it's 8 or more years of college so yea. Also vet school is extremely hard to get into. On average each school accepts like 100-200 students PER YEAR out of thousands of applications. I am just finishing my 4th year of schooling and applying to vet school this year (also have been working in the vet field as a tech/assistant for all 4 years). It's not easy but it's doable!
Just wanted to say your videos kinda inspired me to do something crazy. Seeing how you just started all this during the pandemic and how it took off for you, made me think, why not. I've been working in IT for like 15 years, not really lovin' it, and decided to make a huge change, and I recently opened up a reptile rescue in my area, and I kept thinking it wouldn't go anywhere. I have gotten a ton of support from the community every step of the way, and I am officially the director/founder of a nonprofit reptile rescue. It's not going to bring in money, but I hope it continues to grow and perhaps I can quit my day job in the future.
Can you address the Lacey Act Amendments that might pass in the US? USARK discovered it and it is threatening hobbyists all over the US. Love your videos btw!!! ❤️🦎
@@jaykrizzle I just became a member this week after hearing about the amendments and I wish I would have done it sooner. USARK is amazing and I’m learning more and more about this hobby and I love it.
@@enigmamagnus6806 it will effect more countries than the US. An importation, sale, and travel between states ban will lower the sales of anyone who ships internationally.
I don’t think your career on TH-cam could be taken away in a heart beat this is a freaking awesome channel , I do agree that it is hard to do though it’s like anything the best will make it .
Good idea Adam I’ve thought about building / crafting basking platforms from wood and all those materials so thank you 🙏🏼 when I get done with them I’d like to show you what you think of them
Great video. So many people think that breeding is a money maker but it's hard. As an educator I don't make a ton of money but the business does really well, and I am comfortable. But it's a hard grind. No one gets rich working with animals.
Well done and informative list. I’m currently a veterinarian assistant and begin veterinary school in the fall with hopes to become board certified in reptile medicine. With an ever growing hobby, I hope to positively contribute to the welfare of these amazing animals.
I can tell you really appreciate being able turn this into your full-time job. Abit of it might of been luck, but you’re definitely creating quality content. Your “comedic” background does come through your videos!
For me, I wish I could do a little bit of everything. Work in a Reptile Store ( a good one) breed some rare lizards, which I hope to do this year and continue making some videos for education and entertainment
I just started a small business primarily focusing on like artwork, decor, apparel and jewelry etc my first few products have been reptile themed like stickers and shirts but so far really enjoy it! The hardest part is getting the name out there
Started designing and building my own supplies for 4 months now, plus my breeding project is probably 2 years away from being fully realised, im starting to take a crack at social but i can honestly say everything is going to take time, echo that message loud and clear patience is key.
Love your channel, Adam. You have really great advice, info, and are authentic. When it comes to being an influencer on YT, it's like trying to be an actor - chances are small you can give up your day job. If you think about it, the average reptile enthusiast can only watch so many channels - maybe a half a dozen regularly - that's it. Chances of making into the top 15 or 20 Tubers is pretty small unless you have such great charisma, are the real deal, and perhaps have something unique to offer that really stands out. Congrats for making it! You've checked those boxes. Reach out to me if you want to discuss some things from the last category ... offering something unique in the segment. Not trying to sell services or anything, I'm just a creative thinker. Thanks again for continuing to make great vids.
Great ideas! Thank you. I live an hour + away from the closest supply stores. I was just thinking I should do something about that. This video must be a sign!
This is awesome. After months of wanting to start doing this I finally started my TH-cam channel last month. Learning to edit is HARD. But I’m learning with each new video and even when I started I made 5 videos and that means I only need to make 1 video a week, kinda tried to be smart with it. Hopefully this will take me somewhere 😃
As a veterinarian with an interest in exotics and long time herp owner, exotics are not money makers typically. People are just not typically willing to spend money on $50-100 gecko or snake.
So true! I'm still working on it but i wanna cover the supply area , i already did 4 custom enclosures (6'x4'x4') and i sold them in $1,000 each with that money thankfully buy my own house and now i'm just saving money for Buy more and better material to keep doing enclosures
There is such a huge shortage of veterinarians right now in the US. Let alone ones that know much about reptiles. So I definitely hope there's some future veterinarians out there.
@@suicidalanderson2500 I knew somebody who wanted to be a veterinarian. So she did some shadowing at vet clinics. It changed her mind completely. Not because of the animals, the animals were great even if sometimes it was sad. It was the owners that she couldn't handle. People have such terrible attitudes towards their pets sometimes, treat them like they are disposable objects and not living beings.
@@suicidalanderson2500 I have a friend who was a vet tech (with an associates degree) for 15 years and I was paid more in my entry level IT job with no degree no certifications. Awful awful. That $80-125 grand mentioned for vets is maybe $3000 in certs and two years experience away. I don’t know how reform happens but the veterinary trade is going to die under these conditions save the overworked passionate people who feel called to the field more than they feel called to thrive personally.
This is what I have wanted to do MY ENTIRE LIFE, seriously!!!! Reptiles didn’t become “mainstream” until recently for me. (Also, I am a Vet Tech & I was surprised that he hit the nail on the head with salary-we make about $40 in the Midwest!! It is ALSO very rare to find any where you can actually work ON reptiles. Also, most of our Zoo Keepers & folks who educate kids etc. are usually ALL volunteers. It is also VERY competitive for those positions.
(Not a reptile owner myself, just have a fascination with them) But I could see someone doing two of these jobs at the same time to supplement the cost of the other! For example, you’re studying to be a vet/vet tech and you do programs on the side! Or you’re an educator at a zoo/reptarium and you’re starting out a TH-cam channel! It’d be so cool to see more people in the hobby become professionals in it as well. Anyone who’s studying/aspiring to be in any of these professions, good luck to you and your scaly babies! The world could always use more people like you!
Being a vet student and hopefully a future veterinarian i can agree that being a vet isn't for everyone. Other than the cost of schooling, the sheer amount of stuff you have to study is amazing. You are essentially a doctor for all animals from birds and reptiles to livestock and small animals (dogs & cats) until you decide what you want to focus on after getting your license to practice.
Here in my city theres a wonderful mini zoo with a mini beast house. They keep spiders and butterflys and snakes mainly and do ace presentations for kids. Ive started myself on an open course for reptile welfare and Im hoping to get a job there next time they have an opening! Im a cleaner atm and its ok money but it absolutely sucks. Id love to have the chance to teach people not be afraid of animals they might find scary or gross. I was terrified of spiders as a youngster till a guy brought a huge tarantula (A salmon pink birdeater I think) to my science class and ive been head over heels ever since. Especially considering I cant keep anything where Im living currently it would fulfill me alot. So Im starting on the path to hopefully become a zoo staff member/educator. This video has re asured me Im making a good choice for myself and not to settle for my current lot in life and dream a little bigger so thank you adam youre awesome
Hello brother. I am watching this video just after you left us and you are now in Thailand. I wish I watched this before you arrived in Bali. I tried avoiding saying anything like came or come to Bali. Lets do a great, once in a life time collaboration. Singapore/Sumatra bring it on.
I'm studying in college right now to become a zoologist! Hopefully I can make a career out of being with reptiles. I'm also starting to breed leos and sell them on the side as pets to neighborhood kids and such
Another thing to consider for prospective vets/vet techs that often gets overlooked: you are going to be working with pets, but you're also going to be working with pet *owners*. Meaning you are going to have people ignore your advice, apply treatments incorrectly, refuse to admit they're wrong, refuse to pay, accuse you of malpractice, and call you a long list of very, very hurtful names. Ask *any* vet and they will tell you how often this happens. Also, you are going to have a very hard time being JUST a reptile vet. The hobby isn't big enough in most places for that to be viable, so if you don't also want to work with cats and dogs and other exotics, you might want to reconsider
anyone can become great in a hobby if they care enough about it! I'm primarily on facebook for now because I still work fulltime; however the page is finally starting to take off :)
Its really funny that u made this video cuz as of lastnight I decided I wanted a viper boa an my mother was like u should breed them sell them around Washington the fact she said I should do this shocked me hahah 😂 😅 I won't say no tho lol
Thats crazy that a vet tech's salary is only $36,000 a year or $17/hour. I literally make more than that as an undergraduate business student working part time at a consulting company. They deserve to be paid way more.
About 8yrs ago my parents adopted 2 puppy brothers from a local (Wichita, KS) rescue. A wonderful woman in Oklahoma fostered the pups before my parents adopted them. She fostered them because they came from a very large litter & mom wasn't able to support all of the puppies. So these 2 were nursed and raised by the foster Moms Boston Terrier who had just had a litter of her own. Well 1 of the 2 pups has ice blue husky eyes, but they obviously look like Pitbulls. So she had them DNA tested and they came back as husky, pitbull, American bulldog and boxer lol. The pups were named Harley & Hunter. Harley was a good 4 inches taller than Hunter and they both got huge very fast. They had all of their shots, proper vet care. Unfortunately, although he was vaccinated, Harley got Parvo. Your girlfriend, I'm sure, unfortunately knows how evil that illness is. Our vet office tried so hard for 4 days, he seemed to slowly be getting better. Then day 5 came, he declined very very fast. We made the decision to let him go, get him out of pain. Our vets office was incredible and let us take all of the time we needed with him first. It was by far 1 of the hardest things my family has ever had to do. There was a vet tech named Lexie who had only started a week before this, fresh out of school. That day, she got into her truck, called her husband & completely broke down. She cried for 20 minutes in the parking lot, uncertain she could continue. It was much harder than she had anticipated. I spoke with her online and encouraged her to stay, that she had been so incredibly helpful for us. Knowing how much it hurt her too, it broke my heart even more. I still talk to her, still see her at the vet office. Her heart is so pure!!! They go through so much!!!
1. Teach it how to dance... Lol, I actually have yet to watch this but I am excited to, I just wanted to address something else first. I am sure you know about the proposed American pet import ban that Clint has been posting about. Well I had an idea. I told both he and All Canadian Reptile Girl about and wanted to run it by you too. Idea: Get all the HerpTubers (I just came up with that name now, feel free to use it lol) to make a short part of a video where they talk about how this could affect them, their loved ones, their family members (heck, get as many kids in the thing as possible) their viewers, the communities as a whole, the planet for pete's sake! Then, send them to the person who wants to head this thing and get them to put all the footage together to make one mega animal positive video with everyone. Then post it in everyone's channel. At the same time if you can. I really feel like that would make a massive impact! I also say don't stop at reptiles. Get people like Emzotic on, I know Clint at least has access to her. Get the tiktok pet people in on it too, heck, put the famous pets on. Have them sad that as a dog they can travel, but that their turtle sister and bird brother have to be left behind! I have a lot of ideas if anyone needs them for something like this and I'm unwell but willing to help to the extent of my ability.
I currently lack the resources and time, but I'd love to be a feeder breeder one day (crickets, roaches, mealworms, isopods, etc). Everyone's gotta eat, including our pets. It wouldn't be just the money for me, I would take some pride knowing that I am producing quality and safe food for my customers. Personally I think it's from my bloodline since I do have some farmers down my lineage and I've always loved nature from the cute to the grotesque (I used to freak out my family by showing them neat creatures like nightcrawlers and millipedes when I was a young child around 4 or so). It may be a pipe dream of mine, but I feel it's a noble one.
Hey Adam, just started watching your videos because i have been helping a friend of mine open a reptile, insect and animal food shop here in a small town in germany. love your videos and I'm learning a lot. if you want to take a look and maybe give us some tips thats would be awesome! at the moment we have 2 boas, 4 bearded Dragons (jung ones), 5 baby corn snakes and a bunch of different insects, from centipedes to roaches. sry for the broken english an writing mate :D
Also another thing that may have been overlooked. Veterinarians are also responsible for all the animal products we consume on a daily basis. They are responsible for certifying and making sure that the animal products would not cause any disease or illnesses to human customers.
Animal breeder.Rare poultry and small parrots. Mostly poultry.I spend 1800-2k a month and even during the pandemic I still had to feed my animals.I wouldn’t risk too much shipping and I have higher priced animals( keep your prices!!),so sales were low.It is rewarding. It is also devastating at times. I love all my animals. Terribly sad to lose them. Also, no days off, ever! I had heart attack and Covid. They need cared for no matter weather and how bad you feel
You actually post videos on the same days of the week that my celeb crush posts his podcast he has one about food on Monday and one just random talking about random b******* on Thursday that would be sal vulcano I've had a crush on him for about 5 years and I'm finally going to one of his shows next weekend
A great tip with breeding is that the more money you put in, the more you’ll get out of it. Don’t expect to make bank off of regular leopard geckos. You want to make money off of reptiles? Get into something rare but popular enough for it to sell. I personally see way too many ball pythons on morph market that have been posted for months and don’t have any recognition. Basically, don’t breed an animal with loads of competition. My father breeds mastiffs and they’re pretty rare and expensive. They’re also really popular too. We sell all of our pups before they’re three months old. High demand leads to good business. Just know what you’re getting into
Hey, just so you know, one of the dollar bills your tort was on is a star note. They can be worth a little to a lot more than face value. I couldn’t catch the year on the bill to look it up so I’m not sure in your case which one it is.
My dream was to be an exotic vet a few years ago. Not sure what other countries are like, but in the US it’s a super long uphill battle and I dropped out of vet tech classes my freshman year. The pay is absolute ass, you work absolutely ridiculous hours like it’s not uncommon to work 12 hour shifts. Be in a vet tech is often likened to being a nurse and we were informed about a debate in the vet field about titles and whether or not vet techs should be called nurses. I would argue being a vet tech is worse than being a nurse for human because if you are nurse for humans, you will have a better understanding of different illnesses you may contract as well as the fact that there is much more oversight for healthcare workers than vet workers. OSHA has more laws to protect healthcare workers than vet workers. Additionally, people put more faith in human doctors than vets, so it’s more social acceptance to become belligerent with a vet or vet tech because of your own ignorance than to become belligerent with a human doctor. Additionally, if pediatric patients are being mistreated by their guardians and you feel that the life of the child is in danger you can report the parents to CYS. As a vet tech, you can technically call certain hotlines to report animal cruelty, but often nothing happens to these people. If anything they get a slap on the wrist, their animals die and they get new ones and move on. Then when those animals inevitably die from neglect, they get new ones, rinse and repeat. It’s also super annoying that people don’t get the distinction between pets and people. If you have a strong bond with your pet and treat them as your child, that’s wonderful. I do too, but you have to recognize that your pet is not a human and that their care is different than the care of a human child. My dad used to argue with me about feeding our reptiles. I explained to him that they are not endothermic and therefore save energy by not having to constantly maintain their body temperature which means they don’t need to eat as much as a person or as often. When I left our lizards alone in his care for an extended period of time I came back to find our one lizard had become obese. I had to explain multiple times before getting through to him that it’s not cute or okay to make your pets obese. Humans have autonomy over what they eat and can choose what and how much they eat generally, whereas lizards cannot. Therefore, they will typically scarf down whatever is offered to them. Humans also have significantly longer lifespans so if I die at 70 of heart failure it’s like okay, I died about 10 years earlier than the average American life expectancy, but I still had a good run I guess. Blue tongue skinks average about only 20 years. So if I lose 10 years it’s not as big of a deal comparatively to him losing literally half of his life expectancy. So far I’ve made the argument about why not be a vet tech. Okay, what if you make it through all 8 years and get your doctorate? Is it still worth going through a minimum of 8 years of bullshit? In my personal opinion, no. You cannot focus solely on reptiles as I wanted, and it was very difficult for me to put in the energy to learn about domestic and farm animals as I don’t have the same passion for them that I do reptiles. As far as I know you can still choose to see exotics if you have the correct licensing, but in order to become a board certified exotic veterinarian you must put in an additional 4-6 years and this is only for the initial board certification which my exotics professor said wasn’t worth maintaining in her opinion as she is no longer board certified because you must pay for continuing education you are mandated to go to in order to not have your certification revoked. I live in Pennsylvania and there are 2 board certified exotic vets last time I checked. According to veterinary practice news .com I found that only 10 percent of veterinarians maintain AVMA board certification in at least one specialization or more and there are multiple categories such as equine or oncology so if you looked at exclusively veterinarians AVMA board certified in the care of avians and exotics it would be fairly low. I will never take my animals to a different vet unless I take on the care for a domestic animal, or I relocate and find another exotic vet. It is not uncommon for people to drive across the country just to see her. That title matters because if you don’t have it I’m assuming you vaguely remembered just enough from one exotics class enough to pass which you may have taken years before finally earning your doctorate. I took my first lizard to a vet that mentioned nothing about his MBD, the fact he wasn’t fed enough, the fact his diet was inappropriate and how I could get him to eat more greens, the fact that he was underweight, all that happened was she tested for parasites, but she only told me about his coccidia, and did not test for cryptospiridosis which he was positive for and resulted in him having to be euthanized. I was too attached to let go, but when he got the additional cancer diagnosis that affected his ability to breathe, it was time to let him go. R.I.P. Ricky you were my everything and I will always love you.
When I started to read the title, I thought “he just means chump money, I want a real career” but then I saw the addition “not chump money, a real career!” (Humorous sarcasm)
I've been largely discouraged by my mainly failed attempts at breeding fancy guppies and selling my floating aquatic plants. I'm great at breeding these fish and have had pretty solid luck with my floaters especially water lettuce but it's hard to market it and find buyers whether it be private, commercial for stores or otherwise. I still want to do something related some day full time though
I can only imagine what it's like to pay for the number of animals you have. Our power bill went up significantly in the last three months since getting our ball python, Morty and then our leopard gecko, Azure. Our power bill went from around $80 during the winter months on a subsidised power program to $140. Part of that probably because we had below 0°F at night for a few weeks. Normally we would have kept it just warm enough to keep the pipes from freezing, but with two scaly babies that's not gonna cut it. 😆 So yeah, I can't imagine how much your paying for the setup you have, especially being up in Canada.
Yeah I did a online course in veterinary assistant and got no where everyone wanted hands on experience so I got screwed they would not even train me to get hands on training
Life is hard especially trying to make ypur dream job I tried TH-cam but gave up as I wasn't hardly getting views hopefully one day I can work with animals/reptiles maybe start breeding one day just something cool.
Go to www.squarespace.com/wickenswicked to get a free trial and 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.
Where did you get that shirt? That's super dope, would love to get one for my fiance!
I love that you have a puppy on the show its nice to see a different animal on the show besides diamond 💎💎😍😍 I hope you are going to keep him by the way is he a golden retriever
I’m a leachianus breeder in Alberta, I don’t think I could do it full time. But as a hobby and a very nice extra source of income, I love it.
That is awesome!
Hello fellow albertan
Wish I knew where I might buy one or four off you
And that's the truth, if you make it your full time job, you wouldn't enjoy it so much. You're doing it right.
Good on you!
Honestly man thank you, I am a vet tech and had a seriously rough day. You said the words I needed to hear without knowing I needed to hear it. Vet tech in Ontario Canada and we make absolutely nothing but do 90 percent of the work but I admit it’s worth it to see these animals everyday. 🙏
You really do make nothing. You might make more if you apply to home depot. But some of us very much appreciate you
Currently in the early stages of opening my own little reptile zoo and I'm so frigging stoked! There's really nothing reptile related where I live in Ontario so I basically turned to my girlfriend a week or so ago and said "f it I'm gonna do it myself" I'm stoked for the journey. I know it's gonna be tough but I'll be dammed if I waste any more of my life not doing what I lovr
inspiring!
I hope you succeed
@@apss5736 thank you so much!
@@barbellboa8421 where in Ontario are you? I'll be going to college in Buffalo, NY starting next year so would happily visit if it's close to the border/near Niagara Falls!
@@neilchace1858 I am in the Kingston region. About 4 hours from Niagra
Getting there! Between youtube, Patreon, occasional live education show, and part time hours working in a reptile shop, I can say that I make money in reptiles... It's not 'grownup' money yet, but I'm on my way!
I have zero doubt you'll make it doing whatever you decide to do!
theres no good reptile shops near me theres a reptile shop but its really bad carpet pythons in 4x2x2 beardies in 90x45x60 its not great getting my first snake a woma from a breeder on sunday
While it isn't (often) a paid position, becoming a docent at a zoo or aquarium is a great way to get your foot in the door to the zookeeping/animal education field. I'm a docent at a small zoo and I love it! It's great for experience and just being around animals that many hobbyists don't have in their collections is amazing.
As a full time veterinary assistant it has its ups and downs emotionally..some days are really really rough but it is 100% fulfilling and amazing work. The bonds you build with your team and clients are
unmatched AND you get to work with all sorts of beautiful animals. Thanks for shouting out the veterinary field! @Wickens Wicked Reptiles
number 1 being supplies was a huge confidence boost since getting into reptile channels actually got me and my family to look into selling manzanita for exotics- for reptile enclosures, bird perches, aquarium driftwood, etc
we've got 20 some odd acres overgrown with a non endangered species of the stuff, from tiny baby plants to mature 10ft trees, and we've been pulling it out for fire safety reasons, so we're hoping to dry and sandblast it to sell at expos!
Did you know there are over 1,000 species of manzanita? I ended up buying a book since it is hard to tell what variety you are growing.
Licensed vet tech here bud. Thanks for the shout out!!! I'm living comfortable.
You do a great job with the video content and convey the respect these critters deserve. You have earned success on this platform.
You are so kind
Another comment already addressed this but gonna say it again: as a veterinarian you are limited by the owner therefore if they refuse to listen you CANT do ANYTHING about it even if it's something totally treatable which sucks. Glad Adam also mentioned dealing with death cus that is another thing a lot of people don't realize. Also if you want to be a veterinarian you gotta really want it because it's 8 or more years of college so yea. Also vet school is extremely hard to get into. On average each school accepts like 100-200 students PER YEAR out of thousands of applications. I am just finishing my 4th year of schooling and applying to vet school this year (also have been working in the vet field as a tech/assistant for all 4 years). It's not easy but it's doable!
Just wanted to say your videos kinda inspired me to do something crazy. Seeing how you just started all this during the pandemic and how it took off for you, made me think, why not. I've been working in IT for like 15 years, not really lovin' it, and decided to make a huge change, and I recently opened up a reptile rescue in my area, and I kept thinking it wouldn't go anywhere. I have gotten a ton of support from the community every step of the way, and I am officially the director/founder of a nonprofit reptile rescue. It's not going to bring in money, but I hope it continues to grow and perhaps I can quit my day job in the future.
Can you address the Lacey Act Amendments that might pass in the US? USARK discovered it and it is threatening hobbyists all over the US. Love your videos btw!!! ❤️🦎
I wish reptile influencers would plug USARK membership as often as they tell viewers to like and subscrib
@@jaykrizzle I just became a member this week after hearing about the amendments and I wish I would have done it sooner. USARK is amazing and I’m learning more and more about this hobby and I love it.
Adam lives in Canada
@@enigmamagnus6806 it will effect more countries than the US. An importation, sale, and travel between states ban will lower the sales of anyone who ships internationally.
@@enigmamagnus6806 he's planning on moving to the US
Can 100% confirm (at least here in Aus) being an educator will not make you rich! But it’s a pretty awesome lifestyle! Great video as always Adam👍
I don’t think your career on TH-cam could be taken away in a heart beat this is a freaking awesome channel , I do agree that it is hard to do though it’s like anything the best will make it .
This video is so helpful!! I want to have a career with reptiles (and horses) but reptiles are such a passion!!
I wish you all the success!
@@WickensWickedReptiles Thank you so much!!!
I’m using your crested gecko care guide for a school project about how to care for a crested gecko. I cited the video lol 😝.
That is awesome!
Great idea, I think I will make a video how to lose money in the reptile hobby!!!! Haa! I’m a literal expert!
Good idea Adam I’ve thought about building / crafting basking platforms from wood and all those materials so thank you 🙏🏼 when I get done with them I’d like to show you what you think of them
Go for it!
I'm personally glad that you stuck with it ,love your content and your personally.
thank you!
As a Vet tech I wanna say thank you for the shout out. Has its hard days but I love it thank you.
Great video. So many people think that breeding is a money maker but it's hard.
As an educator I don't make a ton of money but the business does really well, and I am comfortable. But it's a hard grind.
No one gets rich working with animals.
I love watching your babies weave in and out of the dollas!! Adorbs!!
they sure are
The part I love most about this video is how you said that some animals are worth more money but lives are of the same value
Well done and informative list. I’m currently a veterinarian assistant and begin veterinary school in the fall with hopes to become board certified in reptile medicine. With an ever growing hobby, I hope to positively contribute to the welfare of these amazing animals.
I can tell you really appreciate being able turn this into your full-time job. Abit of it might of been luck, but you’re definitely creating quality content. Your “comedic” background does come through your videos!
Luck for sure plays a part, but I will say, the harder I work, the luckier I get
The super genius option is combining these. A Vet tech tik tok channel. I could continue, but i don't want to admit all my secret plans
Right on hahaha
For me, I wish I could do a little bit of everything. Work in a Reptile Store ( a good one) breed some rare lizards, which I hope to do this year and continue making some videos for education and entertainment
You can do it!
As a fellow vet tech love the support!!!
you are awesome!
I just started a small business primarily focusing on like artwork, decor, apparel and jewelry etc my first few products have been reptile themed like stickers and shirts but so far really enjoy it! The hardest part is getting the name out there
Started designing and building my own supplies for 4 months now, plus my breeding project is probably 2 years away from being fully realised, im starting to take a crack at social but i can honestly say everything is going to take time, echo that message loud and clear patience is key.
Love your channel, Adam. You have really great advice, info, and are authentic. When it comes to being an influencer on YT, it's like trying to be an actor - chances are small you can give up your day job. If you think about it, the average reptile enthusiast can only watch so many channels - maybe a half a dozen regularly - that's it. Chances of making into the top 15 or 20 Tubers is pretty small unless you have such great charisma, are the real deal, and perhaps have something unique to offer that really stands out. Congrats for making it! You've checked those boxes. Reach out to me if you want to discuss some things from the last category ... offering something unique in the segment. Not trying to sell services or anything, I'm just a creative thinker. Thanks again for continuing to make great vids.
thanks so much for the kind words!
i’m digging the background here! video quality just keeps going up. 🦎🐍💚
Great ideas! Thank you. I live an hour + away from the closest supply stores. I was just thinking I should do something about that. This video must be a sign!
Go for it!
This is awesome. After months of wanting to start doing this I finally started my TH-cam channel last month. Learning to edit is HARD. But I’m learning with each new video and even when I started I made 5 videos and that means I only need to make 1 video a week, kinda tried to be smart with it. Hopefully this will take me somewhere 😃
You can do it!
As a veterinarian with an interest in exotics and long time herp owner, exotics are not money makers typically. People are just not typically willing to spend money on $50-100 gecko or snake.
So true! I'm still working on it but i wanna cover the supply area , i already did 4 custom enclosures (6'x4'x4') and i sold them in $1,000 each with that money thankfully buy my own house and now i'm just saving money for Buy more and better material to keep doing enclosures
There is such a huge shortage of veterinarians right now in the US. Let alone ones that know much about reptiles. So I definitely hope there's some future veterinarians out there.
There will continue to be because of horrible pay, I unfortunately don't see it getting any better
@@suicidalanderson2500 I knew somebody who wanted to be a veterinarian. So she did some shadowing at vet clinics. It changed her mind completely. Not because of the animals, the animals were great even if sometimes it was sad. It was the owners that she couldn't handle. People have such terrible attitudes towards their pets sometimes, treat them like they are disposable objects and not living beings.
@@suicidalanderson2500 I have a friend who was a vet tech (with an associates degree) for 15 years and I was paid more in my entry level IT job with no degree no certifications. Awful awful.
That $80-125 grand mentioned for vets is maybe $3000 in certs and two years experience away.
I don’t know how reform happens but the veterinary trade is going to die under these conditions save the overworked passionate people who feel called to the field more than they feel called to thrive personally.
Today I started volunteering at my local reptile zoo and I’m so excited amazing video keep up the good work
This is what I have wanted to do MY
ENTIRE LIFE, seriously!!!! Reptiles didn’t become “mainstream” until recently for me. (Also, I am a Vet Tech & I was surprised that he hit the nail on the head with salary-we make about $40 in the Midwest!! It is ALSO very rare to find any where you can actually work ON reptiles.
Also, most of our Zoo Keepers & folks who educate kids etc. are usually ALL volunteers. It is also VERY competitive for those positions.
I love that clip from your old video imma dig em all up now 😂
(Not a reptile owner myself, just have a fascination with them) But I could see someone doing two of these jobs at the same time to supplement the cost of the other!
For example, you’re studying to be a vet/vet tech and you do programs on the side! Or you’re an educator at a zoo/reptarium and you’re starting out a TH-cam channel! It’d be so cool to see more people in the hobby become professionals in it as well. Anyone who’s studying/aspiring to be in any of these professions, good luck to you and your scaly babies! The world could always use more people like you!
Being a vet student and hopefully a future veterinarian i can agree that being a vet isn't for everyone. Other than the cost of schooling, the sheer amount of stuff you have to study is amazing. You are essentially a doctor for all animals from birds and reptiles to livestock and small animals (dogs & cats) until you decide what you want to focus on after getting your license to practice.
“I’m only half kidding” LOL 😂
for real though
Thx for this video, i really needed this
enjoy!
Again with another great video! Keep up the great work!you’ll be #1 before you know it!
Wow, thanks!
"They got a lot of people and like statistics." 🤣 This is the most accurate thing I've ever heard.
Adam i love how diamond was just sleeping the whole time my beardie would be all over me XD Great video
he's hilarious
@@WickensWickedReptiles When i put my beardie on me and try to film a video he poops on me lol
Python on a Bruins hat, two of my favorite things.
bro i love the work you are dioing you are my favorite reptile youtuber i love your job keep up
Perfect video man great job, definitely a topic that I would like to learn more about
Awesome, thank you!
Here in my city theres a wonderful mini zoo with a mini beast house. They keep spiders and butterflys and snakes mainly and do ace presentations for kids. Ive started myself on an open course for reptile welfare and Im hoping to get a job there next time they have an opening! Im a cleaner atm and its ok money but it absolutely sucks. Id love to have the chance to teach people not be afraid of animals they might find scary or gross. I was terrified of spiders as a youngster till a guy brought a huge tarantula (A salmon pink birdeater I think) to my science class and ive been head over heels ever since. Especially considering I cant keep anything where Im living currently it would fulfill me alot. So Im starting on the path to hopefully become a zoo staff member/educator. This video has re asured me Im making a good choice for myself and not to settle for my current lot in life and dream a little bigger so thank you adam youre awesome
This is just what I needed, I was already thinking about doing this and this is a great video to help me out, thank you so much!
Hello brother. I am watching this video just after you left us and you are now in Thailand. I wish I watched this before you arrived in Bali. I tried avoiding saying anything like came or come to Bali. Lets do a great, once in a life time collaboration. Singapore/Sumatra bring it on.
I'm studying in college right now to become a zoologist! Hopefully I can make a career out of being with reptiles. I'm also starting to breed leos and sell them on the side as pets to neighborhood kids and such
good luck!
I really wanna be a zoologist but thats 4 years away wish you luck
Vet tech student here, with a plan to specialize in exotics. Hoping to eventually start a reptile rescue as well.
Another thing to consider for prospective vets/vet techs that often gets overlooked: you are going to be working with pets, but you're also going to be working with pet *owners*. Meaning you are going to have people ignore your advice, apply treatments incorrectly, refuse to admit they're wrong, refuse to pay, accuse you of malpractice, and call you a long list of very, very hurtful names. Ask *any* vet and they will tell you how often this happens.
Also, you are going to have a very hard time being JUST a reptile vet. The hobby isn't big enough in most places for that to be viable, so if you don't also want to work with cats and dogs and other exotics, you might want to reconsider
for sure
Im a breeder and bluid custom enclosure and it's really hard but love what I do.
anyone can become great in a hobby if they care enough about it! I'm primarily on facebook for now because I still work fulltime; however the page is finally starting to take off :)
This is what I’ve been trying to figure out for a while now
hope this helps!
Its really funny that u made this video cuz as of lastnight I decided I wanted a viper boa an my mother was like u should breed them sell them around Washington the fact she said I should do this shocked me hahah 😂 😅 I won't say no tho lol
Thats crazy that a vet tech's salary is only $36,000 a year or $17/hour. I literally make more than that as an undergraduate business student working part time at a consulting company. They deserve to be paid way more.
it's criminally low
I love the closeups of Big D ! What a handsome lizard 🦎 ! Who's a good boy Big D ?? That's right , you are !!
he's a stud!
Just got a blue tongue skink. She arrives tomorrow afternoon. Took the day off to get everything set up
WOOOOOOOOOOOOO
@@WickensWickedReptiles yep. Bought her in part also to teach my cousin who has autism how to take care of something.
About 8yrs ago my parents adopted 2 puppy brothers from a local (Wichita, KS) rescue. A wonderful woman in Oklahoma fostered the pups before my parents adopted them. She fostered them because they came from a very large litter & mom wasn't able to support all of the puppies. So these 2 were nursed and raised by the foster Moms Boston Terrier who had just had a litter of her own. Well 1 of the 2 pups has ice blue husky eyes, but they obviously look like Pitbulls. So she had them DNA tested and they came back as husky, pitbull, American bulldog and boxer lol. The pups were named Harley & Hunter. Harley was a good 4 inches taller than Hunter and they both got huge very fast. They had all of their shots, proper vet care. Unfortunately, although he was vaccinated, Harley got Parvo. Your girlfriend, I'm sure, unfortunately knows how evil that illness is. Our vet office tried so hard for 4 days, he seemed to slowly be getting better. Then day 5 came, he declined very very fast. We made the decision to let him go, get him out of pain. Our vets office was incredible and let us take all of the time we needed with him first. It was by far 1 of the hardest things my family has ever had to do. There was a vet tech named Lexie who had only started a week before this, fresh out of school. That day, she got into her truck, called her husband & completely broke down. She cried for 20 minutes in the parking lot, uncertain she could continue. It was much harder than she had anticipated. I spoke with her online and encouraged her to stay, that she had been so incredibly helpful for us. Knowing how much it hurt her too, it broke my heart even more. I still talk to her, still see her at the vet office. Her heart is so pure!!! They go through so much!!!
I love how pikachu just fell in the intro background
hehe he's silly
I love WWR 🐍🦎🐢
thanks so much!
Fabulous video! I definitely wanted to sell products and plants, but that is on hold for now. Hopefully I will be able to do it in the near future.
1. Teach it how to dance...
Lol, I actually have yet to watch this but I am excited to, I just wanted to address something else first.
I am sure you know about the proposed American pet import ban that Clint has been posting about. Well I had an idea. I told both he and All Canadian Reptile Girl about and wanted to run it by you too.
Idea:
Get all the HerpTubers (I just came up with that name now, feel free to use it lol) to make a short part of a video where they talk about how this could affect them, their loved ones, their family members (heck, get as many kids in the thing as possible) their viewers, the communities as a whole, the planet for pete's sake! Then, send them to the person who wants to head this thing and get them to put all the footage together to make one mega animal positive video with everyone. Then post it in everyone's channel. At the same time if you can. I really feel like that would make a massive impact! I also say don't stop at reptiles. Get people like Emzotic on, I know Clint at least has access to her. Get the tiktok pet people in on it too, heck, put the famous pets on. Have them sad that as a dog they can travel, but that their turtle sister and bird brother have to be left behind! I have a lot of ideas if anyone needs them for something like this and I'm unwell but willing to help to the extent of my ability.
I bursted out laughing at "colder than a mother in laws heart"
I currently lack the resources and time, but I'd love to be a feeder breeder one day (crickets, roaches, mealworms, isopods, etc). Everyone's gotta eat, including our pets. It wouldn't be just the money for me, I would take some pride knowing that I am producing quality and safe food for my customers.
Personally I think it's from my bloodline since I do have some farmers down my lineage and I've always loved nature from the cute to the grotesque (I used to freak out my family by showing them neat creatures like nightcrawlers and millipedes when I was a young child around 4 or so). It may be a pipe dream of mine, but I feel it's a noble one.
Ready to make my first million here we go!
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching!
Great video. I wish I could talk to the camera like you
Hey Adam, just started watching your videos because i have been helping a friend of mine open a reptile, insect and animal food shop here in a small town in germany. love your videos and I'm learning a lot. if you want to take a look and maybe give us some tips thats would be awesome! at the moment we have 2 boas, 4 bearded Dragons (jung ones), 5 baby corn snakes and a bunch of different insects, from centipedes to roaches. sry for the broken english an writing mate :D
Also another thing that may have been overlooked. Veterinarians are also responsible for all the animal products we consume on a daily basis. They are responsible for certifying and making sure that the animal products would not cause any disease or illnesses to human customers.
Got here through discord lol
Gang Gang!
Dicord gang man!
Animal breeder.Rare poultry and small parrots. Mostly poultry.I spend 1800-2k a month and even during the pandemic I still had to feed my animals.I wouldn’t risk too much shipping and I have higher priced animals( keep your prices!!),so sales were low.It is rewarding. It is also devastating at times. I love all my animals. Terribly sad to lose them. Also, no days off, ever! I had heart attack and Covid. They need cared for no matter weather and how bad you feel
6:25 I've kept snakes for years and never seen their muscles do that
You actually post videos on the same days of the week that my celeb crush posts his podcast he has one about food on Monday and one just random talking about random b******* on Thursday that would be sal vulcano I've had a crush on him for about 5 years and I'm finally going to one of his shows next weekend
awesome!Q
A great tip with breeding is that the more money you put in, the more you’ll get out of it. Don’t expect to make bank off of regular leopard geckos. You want to make money off of reptiles? Get into something rare but popular enough for it to sell. I personally see way too many ball pythons on morph market that have been posted for months and don’t have any recognition. Basically, don’t breed an animal with loads of competition. My father breeds mastiffs and they’re pretty rare and expensive. They’re also really popular too. We sell all of our pups before they’re three months old. High demand leads to good business. Just know what you’re getting into
That Cardi B bit had me rolling haha
hahhahahaa
I love your content latelty!
Gonna have some cholla wood decor and hides for sale soon
Hey, just so you know, one of the dollar bills your tort was on is a star note. They can be worth a little to a lot more than face value. I couldn’t catch the year on the bill to look it up so I’m not sure in your case which one it is.
My dream was to be an exotic vet a few years ago. Not sure what other countries are like, but in the US it’s a super long uphill battle and I dropped out of vet tech classes my freshman year. The pay is absolute ass, you work absolutely ridiculous hours like it’s not uncommon to work 12 hour shifts. Be in a vet tech is often likened to being a nurse and we were informed about a debate in the vet field about titles and whether or not vet techs should be called nurses. I would argue being a vet tech is worse than being a nurse for human because if you are nurse for humans, you will have a better understanding of different illnesses you may contract as well as the fact that there is much more oversight for healthcare workers than vet workers. OSHA has more laws to protect healthcare workers than vet workers. Additionally, people put more faith in human doctors than vets, so it’s more social acceptance to become belligerent with a vet or vet tech because of your own ignorance than to become belligerent with a human doctor. Additionally, if pediatric patients are being mistreated by their guardians and you feel that the life of the child is in danger you can report the parents to CYS. As a vet tech, you can technically call certain hotlines to report animal cruelty, but often nothing happens to these people. If anything they get a slap on the wrist, their animals die and they get new ones and move on. Then when those animals inevitably die from neglect, they get new ones, rinse and repeat. It’s also super annoying that people don’t get the distinction between pets and people. If you have a strong bond with your pet and treat them as your child, that’s wonderful. I do too, but you have to recognize that your pet is not a human and that their care is different than the care of a human child. My dad used to argue with me about feeding our reptiles. I explained to him that they are not endothermic and therefore save energy by not having to constantly maintain their body temperature which means they don’t need to eat as much as a person or as often. When I left our lizards alone in his care for an extended period of time I came back to find our one lizard had become obese. I had to explain multiple times before getting through to him that it’s not cute or okay to make your pets obese. Humans have autonomy over what they eat and can choose what and how much they eat generally, whereas lizards cannot. Therefore, they will typically scarf down whatever is offered to them. Humans also have significantly longer lifespans so if I die at 70 of heart failure it’s like okay, I died about 10 years earlier than the average American life expectancy, but I still had a good run I guess. Blue tongue skinks average about only 20 years. So if I lose 10 years it’s not as big of a deal comparatively to him losing literally half of his life expectancy. So far I’ve made the argument about why not be a vet tech. Okay, what if you make it through all 8 years and get your doctorate? Is it still worth going through a minimum of 8 years of bullshit? In my personal opinion, no. You cannot focus solely on reptiles as I wanted, and it was very difficult for me to put in the energy to learn about domestic and farm animals as I don’t have the same passion for them that I do reptiles. As far as I know you can still choose to see exotics if you have the correct licensing, but in order to become a board certified exotic veterinarian you must put in an additional 4-6 years and this is only for the initial board certification which my exotics professor said wasn’t worth maintaining in her opinion as she is no longer board certified because you must pay for continuing education you are mandated to go to in order to not have your certification revoked. I live in Pennsylvania and there are 2 board certified exotic vets last time I checked. According to veterinary practice news .com I found that only 10 percent of veterinarians maintain AVMA board certification in at least one specialization or more and there are multiple categories such as equine or oncology so if you looked at exclusively veterinarians AVMA board certified in the care of avians and exotics it would be fairly low. I will never take my animals to a different vet unless I take on the care for a domestic animal, or I relocate and find another exotic vet. It is not uncommon for people to drive across the country just to see her. That title matters because if you don’t have it I’m assuming you vaguely remembered just enough from one exotics class enough to pass which you may have taken years before finally earning your doctorate. I took my first lizard to a vet that mentioned nothing about his MBD, the fact he wasn’t fed enough, the fact his diet was inappropriate and how I could get him to eat more greens, the fact that he was underweight, all that happened was she tested for parasites, but she only told me about his coccidia, and did not test for cryptospiridosis which he was positive for and resulted in him having to be euthanized. I was too attached to let go, but when he got the additional cancer diagnosis that affected his ability to breathe, it was time to let him go. R.I.P. Ricky you were my everything and I will always love you.
If you plan to be an animal educator LIBRARIES, MEUSUEMS, SCHOOLS AND PARTIES libraries look for educators duing the summer every year
I love you always find a way to throw shade at the U.S. is your videos. lol.
I really want to breed GTP's and Asian water moniters to make them more locally available here in anchorage alaska
that is awesome!
When I started to read the title, I thought “he just means chump money, I want a real career” but then I saw the addition “not chump money, a real career!” (Humorous sarcasm)
hahaha
Any chance you could make a video about how to become a herpetologist? That would be my dream job to study animals in their natural habitat! Thanks
I've been largely discouraged by my mainly failed attempts at breeding fancy guppies and selling my floating aquatic plants. I'm great at breeding these fish and have had pretty solid luck with my floaters especially water lettuce but it's hard to market it and find buyers whether it be private, commercial for stores or otherwise. I still want to do something related some day full time though
I can only imagine what it's like to pay for the number of animals you have. Our power bill went up significantly in the last three months since getting our ball python, Morty and then our leopard gecko, Azure. Our power bill went from around $80 during the winter months on a subsidised power program to $140. Part of that probably because we had below 0°F at night for a few weeks. Normally we would have kept it just warm enough to keep the pipes from freezing, but with two scaly babies that's not gonna cut it. 😆 So yeah, I can't imagine how much your paying for the setup you have, especially being up in Canada.
it's a lot for sure
Awesome video
Thanks for the visit!!
Omg at 3:39 it looks like diamond is smoking lol🦎
hahahahhaa
Yeah I did a online course in veterinary assistant and got no where everyone wanted hands on experience so I got screwed they would not even train me to get hands on training
Art!!!! Reptile art!!!
for sure
I think that any kind of work that requires any kind of post secondary education should have an entry point annual of at least 45k
We need to squash this Lacey bill
agreed!
Life is hard especially trying to make ypur dream job I tried TH-cam but gave up as I wasn't hardly getting views hopefully one day I can work with animals/reptiles maybe start breeding one day just something cool.
the first year is rough for sure