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Quoth Saydrah
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Nate-
Breeders who make money are what we in the rat fancy call 'bad breeders,' backyard breeders' 'feeder breeders' 'petstore breeders' and 'jerks.' The point is, you can't raise rats, treat them well, get the best stock available, provide them with a nutritious diet and appropriate caging, and produce loving, healthy pets without:
1. A lot of research and at least a year of getting to know people in the hobby and learning from them before you start breeding.
2. Spending a LOT of money. I drove 16 hours one way for my foundation stock and drive the same distance to the only show with respectable quarantine practices in the fancy in order to exhibit my rats before trained judges. That's just the beginning. I have spent more on my rats in the past year than I have on food and entertainment for myself, by a factor of about five.
3. Spending a LOT of time. You can't make money when you have one litter a month, which is the MAX I think most breeders can handle, with a couple exceptions. Babies need DAILY socializing, no exceptions.
4. VET BILLS. No matter how great your caretaking skills are, you will have VET BILLS and the caps are there for a reason.
If you want a business venture, I suggest that you look outside animal breeding. People who breed animals and do it right tend to lose money or MAYBE break even. A great rat is around $30-$50 at the MOST. That doesn't even cover one tank of gas for my 16 hour drives, and mine do not sell for that much- only one breeder I know commands that price for his rats, and it's for good reason. Other animals are much the same, though the numbers are different. The costs of doing it right are high, and the rewards are, at most, covering the food bill for the month. I do this because I love rats and I want to produce healthy, sweet rats that will improve the fancy overall. I love having babies around and I love being proud of the fact that my foundation rats are among the best in the Western United States. This is what a 'hobby breeder' is- someone who breeds because they love the animals and as a HOBBY- something you SPEND money on, not something you get money FROM.
Breeders who make money are what we in the rat fancy call 'bad breeders,' backyard breeders' 'feeder breeders' 'petstore breeders' and 'jerks.' The point is, you can't raise rats, treat them well, get the best stock available, provide them with a nutritious diet and appropriate caging, and produce loving, healthy pets without:
1. A lot of research and at least a year of getting to know people in the hobby and learning from them before you start breeding.
2. Spending a LOT of money. I drove 16 hours one way for my foundation stock and drive the same distance to the only show with respectable quarantine practices in the fancy in order to exhibit my rats before trained judges. That's just the beginning. I have spent more on my rats in the past year than I have on food and entertainment for myself, by a factor of about five.
3. Spending a LOT of time. You can't make money when you have one litter a month, which is the MAX I think most breeders can handle, with a couple exceptions. Babies need DAILY socializing, no exceptions.
4. VET BILLS. No matter how great your caretaking skills are, you will have VET BILLS and the caps are there for a reason.
If you want a business venture, I suggest that you look outside animal breeding. People who breed animals and do it right tend to lose money or MAYBE break even. A great rat is around $30-$50 at the MOST. That doesn't even cover one tank of gas for my 16 hour drives, and mine do not sell for that much- only one breeder I know commands that price for his rats, and it's for good reason. Other animals are much the same, though the numbers are different. The costs of doing it right are high, and the rewards are, at most, covering the food bill for the month. I do this because I love rats and I want to produce healthy, sweet rats that will improve the fancy overall. I love having babies around and I love being proud of the fact that my foundation rats are among the best in the Western United States. This is what a 'hobby breeder' is- someone who breeds because they love the animals and as a HOBBY- something you SPEND money on, not something you get money FROM.
It was funny tho, especially with the uninitiated; one very large boobed woman actually screamed when she looked down and saw the snake's tail disappearing up her sleeve. XD We just stood there and told her to wait, and that he'd come out when he was ready. She stood like a statue, and then he came out her other sleeve. 
for little Pablo. He's been mistaken for a bunny before...a snake might think he's just a big mouse...
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