Monday, December 26, 2016

End of the Year 2016

Well ... quite the year ....

So far things have been moving ahead, but winter temperatures make for some frustrating down-time ... but it also gives me a chance to get some other stuff taken care of ... like some art projects and such.

I am planning to get new photos and new data for each crested gecko weight before the end of the year, so I can then update the website. Angel will be going back up for sale, but Hayden will be my hold-back based on potential health issues with his/her sheds. Once he/she has gotten this cleared up, I may list him/her up for sale again. My other choices as hold-back are Fang and Syd ... but I can only keep one... LOL

We are heading to the Peterborough Expo again at the end of April, but I am really hoping to hit up one of the GTA expos prior ... so I can get an idea on crowds and prices before signing up for a table there.

I decided to pair up 2 sets of geckos early this year, ultimately so I will have some specialized babies available for the April expo and onward. I have already got 2 eggs in the incubator from Cosmo x Rex pairing, and 2 eggs from Lana x Sam which should help with the dark babies... fingers crossed! The waiting is fun (as always) while I wait for them to hatch ...

I am always working on a better set-up of the geckos and gear, so I am looking to edit the shelf unit a bit to make it smoother for the baby tanks and for the bin of gear underneath (and all the stuff on top) but that depends on the available space. Might need to get creative for new babies soon if some of the ones from last season don't sell soon!


Well back to stuff ....



Katt

Monday, November 7, 2016

UPDATES!

Hey folks .... long time huh? Sorry ....

Since the last post, we have gotten the first small loan ... and it has gone to great things. It helped cover the Peterborough expo, and get some more big tanks and some wee babies for selling too! I sold both Sylvest'r and Lady M at the expo, and sold a baby (Justice) via a contest I help. I hear the little one is doing well and being a trouble maker .... sounds about right! LOL

I have paired up the geckos, but only Sam and Lana were able to be paired for the dark boys, and Cosmo had some time with Rex. They have now all been separated, and now we wait for the eggs.

I did find one of the babies from the eggs I bought early this spring hatched out a dark colored baby, with a flame. So even though sales have been slow, things are looking up. I have joined about 20million (insert sarcasm here) different crested gecko facebook groups, and have posted Piper as available to about half of those. I am going to wait on the response to those before I post more of the babies.

The GECKO GURU is still going, albeit not daily. I am working on that, but there is so much stuff to get done too .... I am adding a GECKO OF THE WEEK thing ... 5 days of pictures and info about one gecko a week ... see if that helps ... both of these things get shared to Twitter and Instagram ...

I am trying to find things to get more out there ... so the groups and a couple forums ... I try to hit them up often ...

New cards and logos on shirts already done for next expo in April ....


Back to it all ....

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Changes and more changes still

Ok ... again, I am sorry for slacking on daily posts. There is a LOT going on.

I have been working on getting the names to match across google with the registeted business name. Google seems to be having issues with the change .... too recently changed .... dumb typo ... oh well, it will get sorted yet.

More meetings have gone on .... and hopefully that means we are getting closer to the needed funding. We have been told to submit fpr the smaller amount aka "event funding" so we can be covered for immediate needs, like the 2 needed terrariums and stuff for them, lighting, and the upcoming expo, as well as gecko food and supplies and more. It involves a lot of paperwork, and a lot of time. Hopefully it will pan out and Katt's Kritters can be one more step closer to reality.

The fun (so to speak) right now is budgeting ... bills .... and finding a larger space to live in that we can afford. Now thats the trick .... I need to find a way to pull in more revenue so we can do that.

Well fans, errands and more paperwork tomorrow .... watch for the GECKO GURU posts and pics .... check the sales ... enter the contest .... and watch for a survey soon too!

Monday, September 19, 2016

September 19 2016

Once again, I failed to keep up the daily blogs. I will get better ... promise!

Lets see .... so far I have gotten 3 females for the upcoming breeding season, assuming the males are ready too. I do still want to get a dark chocolate colored female but that will wait. Once I get a full and complete weight check of all the cresties, I can start to plan who gets paired with who. Of course I do still need 2 more full sized tanks ... Ruby and Lily are in desperate need of proper space.

On the paperwork for the biz side of things, that is takimg its toll on me. I am getting stressed out over trying to get it all done, which then triggers my anxiety and negative self-talk.  I will get through it though .... am too stubborn and determined to make this a reality.

I am not expecting it to be my main income, but I am not gettimg the time I need to get Poser projects done. That too will happen when things get sorted. We have 2 meetings tomorrow, so hopefully some funding will come soon ....

Sweet dreams!

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

September 13 2016

Wow ... sorry ... dropped the ball on the daily posts ... but things HAVE been crazy.

Well the start-up funding came in, and enabled the business to become a  fully registered business, and get female geckos for the upcoming breeding season.

On the trip to the Canadian Reptile Breeders Expo in Mississauga, I got to meet up with a few folks I had only talked with online, and Northern Gecko (my FAVE store for needed stuff and awesome geckos) was having a buy one get one .... so when I picked up the gecko they had been holding for me, I also got another. Looks like she also has a full pinstripe and dark coloring.  So there we go ... all set for the upcoming season, as long as we can control the heat and humidity better.

The next business meeting will be on Wed the 14th, so hopefully a bit more fundimg for covering the costs of getting a table at expos. We shall see ... more to post after...

Love to all from Katt's Kritters!

Saturday, September 3, 2016

Sept 3 2016

Well ... here we are again ....

I sold Alex today to a young woman who was seeking a red gecko. She had a loupe and was able to help ID the gender on a few of the babies, which was cool. I really need to get one of those loupes .... maybe at the CRBE next weekend.

Not a lot to post ... long day ... and back is hurting .... def going to be an early night .... company tomorrow before noon ....



Friday, September 2, 2016

September 2 2016

Looks like I missed a couple days .... sorry ....

Let's see .... today's biz fun was getting a separate account set up at the bank that will strictly be used for Katt's Kritters activity. Such fun being an adult ... right?

I updated a bunch of the pages with some progression pics for the babies. It was interesting to learn what photos I had in one place but not in the place I needed them to be in ... LOL That was quickly remedied. I will try to get to more of the pages tomorrow.

From now until the end of day on Sept 15th, all listed babies are $15 off ... so I will see if that helps get the ball rolling.

I will be picking up Lana (female) on the 10th ... and I am so excited. She should make for some nice babies.

Well it;s been a long day (again - might be why I missed posting a couple days there) ... so that's about all I got for this ...

Luv to all from the Kritter zoo!



Tuesday, August 30, 2016

August 30 2016

Wow ... look at me! Posting 3 days in a row!

Well, the news today is another great meeting was had, and it is a true pleasure having a meeting about a gecko business with people who understand and appreciate reptiles .... that are not grossed out by them. It was a nice change to be in that space.

It turns out that they are going to be able to help in some awesome ways .... like expo funding which will give me the chance to get space at the bigger GTA expos .... like Ajax and Downsview, for example. They will work with me in makimg my business plan the best it can be, to make it into a viable business.

They had other funding ideas, and the more we talked, the more I realized that maybe ..... just maybe .... my hard work, my hours I put into the geckos, the money I put in at the expense of other things ... it was finally going to become a reality. I actually started crying...

Yeah, I know .... pathetic ....

I will be sitting at the computer a lot over the next week (as much as I can .... with coffee and Skype, of course too) to make some headway on new paperwork. A new set of spreadsheets for expenses and such starting now, and get a bank account set up strickly for business use.

As soon as I get the initial funding, I will be making a gecko payment and registering the business name!

Its still frightening to see the progress that has happened in such a short window of time ....

Luv from me and the kritters!

Monday, August 29, 2016

August 29 2016

Hey fans!

Not really anything exciting to report on, just same old same old. Tonight is a watering night so we shall see. Some of the little ones are snapping / jumping at my fingers thru the sides of their keepers, so I guess they are ready to be re-homed for sure!

I have another meeting with the sponser/support company tomorrow, so hopefully I will have some news from that to share.

Well, off to water them so luv to all!




Sunday, August 28, 2016

August 28 2016

Ok .... I made it for a new post! Ya me!

So ..... it seems some of the zoo like the National Geographic fruit bits food .... so they can have an alternate food to mix things up. This will also give me the option to still feed them on a bad night, instead of making them wait until the next night.

When I got near done tonight's watering, I took the time to clean Morticia's old tank and upgraded Gomez into it, then cleaned his old one for Twink. Both seem happy .... so good all around.

I will clean Twink's old one for Angel tomorrow or so, and there is one more egg in the incubator from Cosmo. There should be more eggs soon but we shall see.

Have a great night all!

Saturday, August 27, 2016

AUGUST Update

Again ..... sorry for slacking and going so long between posts .... things have been and always will be crazy!

Let's see ....

My beautiful red princess Lucinda died a few weeks back. Actually it was a few months back, Jume 14. I am still not sure what happened, except that maybe it was due to a temperature change and she could not handle it.

All the eggs that I purchased hatched. I sold Kenzie II that I got with the eggs soon after, and a friend in the building bought Casey (hatched from those eggs). I am glad that I bought the eggs since it has been way too hot for Cosmo to give me many fertile eggs at all. Maybe next season will be better for her.

I did my first expo as a vendor August 14 .... didn't sell anything but did some great networking. They are doing another in October, so I will see of that goes any better. Peterborough is a big snake community it seems, so I am not sure on the long term plan for that expo. They will be doing 2 a year so ....

I lost Ghost on August 20 .... and not sure why there either. His health was great up until just after December just past. I got him from an expo in 2013 and had no issues. But since Dec weight check, he had dropped 10gr up to his passing.

I am now scared to do anything that may risk things. It makes me second guess this whole plan or idea ....

I plan to work through all the tanks (babies too) and do an in-depth cleaning .... new dirt and clean all the decorations too. Gomez will be rotated into Morticia's old tank, and Twink will go into Gomez's old one, and Angel will go into the one slightly bigger that Twink has been using.

I now have a chance to make this gecko biz a reality. With ODSP (disabilty gov income) they have self-employment support, which I am now hooked up with. I made a great connection with a sponser, so they will help make this a viable business. It will give me the chance to move ahead with things, like get the females I need for the dark breeding project.

Sadly I have yet to sell any of the 3 adults I have listed as available, nor any more of the babies. It is ok so far, but I had planned and hoped to rehome them. I will try to get the website updated with more progression type pics of them all to see if that helps.

Anyways .... time to post this ... and get some sleep. I will try to do better at posting ....

Luv from the zoo!

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

EXPO SOON!

... and babies .... lots of wee babies! I will be taking most of them to the expo on Aug 14 .... so we shall see who all comes home afterwards ...


ALEX (hatched June 11)


















ANGEL (hatched July 18)

BOBBI (hatched June 19)

CHANCE (hatched July 12)

DAKOTA (hatched July 1)


FANG (hatched July 14)

HAYDEN (hatched July 20)

JUSTICE (hatched June 7 - one of Red + Cosmo baby's)

LEE (hatched July 10)

MORGAN (hatched July 10)

PIPER (hatched May 30)

RUDY (now tail-less, hatched June 6 - one of Red + Cosmo baby's)

SYD (hatched July 7 - one of Red + Cosmo baby's)


Enjoy! I will update things after the expo .....


Thursday, June 9, 2016

June 2016

Wow ..... way too long .....

So far this year, I have sold the last 2 babies to hatch (Frankie and Spike) but I am definately keeping Twink.

I have signed up to be a vendor at my first expo, which will be held August 14 in Peterborough. I am excited and nervous. I am hoping since it is one of my passions that my anxiety will be out of sight, but I am at a booth that has a wall behind it so that should help. I am trying to get things sorted for the booth, like table cloths, signs, etc. I really am hoping (somehow) to be able to get the company name embroidered on a couple hats for the show for me and Trish to wear. I am debating getting it done to a jacket, but probably just the hats. I have a display board that I plan to get a bigger version of my biz card printed on, but I do also need more cards, and care sheets.

I did buy some gecko eggs, which I am glad for since Cosmo seems to be the only one giving me fertile eggs this year. That being said, I may take some of the adult geckos I have since they are not producing eggs. Like Sylvest'r, Max, and maybe Lady M since my breeding attempts have failed with them. It may be too soon for them, so I may try once more next year. The biz side says I need to get ready to breed females or it will hurt the point of the business. We will see....

So far both Cosmo's eggs from March have hatched after 10 weeks or so. One of the extra eggs have hatched, and there was a hatchling already in the one set of eggs I bought from Ajax. So that gives me 4 babies for the expo, and it is still 2 months away. With luck, all the eggs in the incubator will hatch and be ready for selling at the expo.

I have a dark-ish female on hold that I plan to pair with Sam, and a line on 2 big tanks I need. I just need to get the funds since I decided to buy groceries for the house instead. So .... that's $160 for the one tank and the gecko, not counting gas and coffee money. So I need about $200 from somewhere. It is times like this I could really use some financial backing ....

I am GOING to make this business become a reality .... I promise!!!

Sunday, May 1, 2016

Increase for Business!

Well ... again my apologies for the time between posts. Things have been crazy.

I have decided to take a big step and get a table at the upcoming Peterborough Reptile Expo set for mid-August. So in preparation of that, I have been working on getting a list of things for the display, like signage and such which still needs to get priced out.

I have also been looking at my "stock" for want of a better term. I have only been able to get fertile eggs from Cosmo so far, but I am hopeful for Lucinda still to produce good eggs. Anything that is laid by the end of May should be good by the time of the expo.

I also took advantage of some Kijiji ads and purchased 2 sets of eggs. One set is 5 eggs guaranteed to be fertile and from high end parents, and I also bought the week old hatchling. I got another set of 6 eggs from another vendor, so that adds 11 to the current 4 in the incubator. Some of the eggs I purchased are due to hatch any day as well so I will have plenty for the expo I expect.

I put a deposit on a nice dark female crestie that I will pick up at the next Downsview expo (June 26 2016). I am also hoping to get another female I spotted on the Northern Gecko website. It will cost but at least I will have good "stock" (really need to find a different term .... LOL)

The next challenge is getting 3 more big tanks, and where to put them. The room is getting full .... guess I better find a bigger apartment soon!

Until next time .... watch the website and facebook and this blog!