# Raising small rodents or soap and candles?



## critterluv (Jan 17, 2008)

Does anyone do this here? I was thinking of raising rats, mice, and other small critters for pet stores and such. Im just woundering just how profitable this can be? 

I have been tring to think of different things I can do from home and I have a few Ideas. I am also interested in making homemade soaps using the melt and poor soap bases and lotion bars and Also candles. I dabled in making the soaps last year and everyone loved them but that could just be freinds and family being nice. 

What of these 2 do you think could be a better home buisness? How would one get started raising rodents and finding markets? any ideas appretiated. Any other ideas? We just bought 15 acres but most is used for the horses so I was looking for something that does not take a lot of room and that would be a faster to get started.


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## kasilofhome (Feb 10, 2005)

We did it and the income greatly speed up buying real land.

Freedom breeders is where we got the cages. It is spendy but is was an investment.
It was cute to get health cert for the breeding stock. white swiss mice is what we breed for one market but the real buck was in getting a contract with a rapter non profit.
The rapters could not use white mice so we had another breed (mutts really). 

Be prepared to kill by the hundreds. Freeze first and then vacume seal. Note the teeth and claws can damage the seal we use lots of different what to solve the problem.

Frozen was a great way to sell. Live was sort "extra" and we did not start out that way.
Market

pet stores live and frozen all sizes
bait shops find out for your area what the demand is
rapter places and check with zoos and vets.

AIR sanitizer, be prepared to CLEAN Have a double wash sink 

I would never do it again.


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## laughaha (Mar 4, 2008)

I raise rats and mice on a VERY small scale for my own reptiles. Be prepared, THEY STINK!!!!!!!!!!!!! You need to have someplace WAY AWAY from your home. I am having alot of good luck right now with raising rats in a 6' stock tank. I am using the large sterilite totes for the mice. 

Building larger harems has always worked for me. 

In winter, keeping the waterers from freezing is a pain in the butt. Right now I am giving them alot of dropped apples and this is cutting down ALOT on the amount of water they are drinking.


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## 6e (Sep 10, 2005)

I've heard there's quite a bit of money to be made in rodents especially if you kill them and freeze them. 
I've had rats and mice and unless I had a building separate from the house I wouldn't raise them again. STINKY!!! But if you have a nice climate controlled shed, you might find a nice little market there.


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## dunroven (Dec 6, 2004)

Probably dumb questions, but you never know till you ask, right? 

Where do you get your breeder mice/rats

What should you expect to pay for them

Where do you find buyers for the little things

How much do you sell them for

How do you kill them?

As far as for the freezing, what if after you killed them, you were to wrap them in a bit of plastic wrap before placing them in a bag? Wouldn't that save the wear and tear on the bags?

I have thought about doing this but haven't talked to anyone who has done it before, so your knowledge would be greatly appreciated.


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## Beaners (Feb 23, 2005)

Well, there is profit in breeding and selling feeders. There is not much profit in breeding and selling pet rats, trust me. You can make slightly more than enough to cover your costs, but that's it. The fact that you say "and other small critters" makes me think you are talking about pets, including stuff like gerbils and hamsters.

I'm surprised so many people say that rats smell bad, we have between thirty and sixty at a time and don't have any trouble with that. For a while, we were doing some remodeling at our old house and the rats were in the same room as my daughter's nursery. So when I say that they weren't smelly...I mean it!

Other people can give good advice on feeder breeding, if you are looking to go for the pet market, you need to find some of the fancier breeds. I have blues, minks, rexes (and double rexes), hairless, dumbo, etc. A pet store will usually pay more for the blues, rexes, hairless and dumbo, and if you are selling directly to pet owners, they will prefer certain markings too.

Whether you are doing pets or feeders, you are going to make the bulk of your sales through places where you sell them at a wholesale price. You can make more money selling to individuals who pay you the pet store prices, and cut out the middleman, but you won't make as many of these sales. Try to make contacts in both realms to guarantee that you will have a constant buyer, and that you will also occasionally get the higher prices for selling directly to the end buyer.

Kayleigh


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## critterluv (Jan 17, 2008)

thanks for asking those questions dunroven. I do have a seperet building I can keep them in and I have 2 8ftX2ft stock tanks that I can use to start with. I was thinking feeders but then also some of the hairless and rex and dumbos for pets. How many rats can I keep in a tank? how many mice? what would be the best way to start? all mice? all rats? or some of each? Also can u sell feeders online? can they be shiped already dead of course? Where can you get starter stock?

Thanks


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## Cheryl aka JM (Aug 7, 2007)

I just stumbled on this post. I breed feeder rats and mice. Currently I'm running 25 colonies of rats, 10 colonies of mice and a couple colonies of African Soft furs. I feed my snakes (about 40 breeders and about 40 neonates and future breeders BPs and Corns) as well as selling about $100 worth a week to a local pet store. I use about $50 to $70 in supplies (2-3 bags of pine at $5 a bale and 2-3 bags of Mazuri rodent chow at $20 a bag). I don't make a ton of money off of the rodents but I make enough to pay for my costs to feed the rodents I feed my snakes~ a little pocket change as well and I also breed my snakes and sell neonates to the pet store at whole sale prices and retail some. (you can check out my website and buy some of my snakes! It IS a business!

http://www.thereddragonsden.com/

I breed fancy colors because I like them~ but my current buyer has asked me to consider switching to more of the white rats because his customers do not like to bring home a cute dumbo blue rex pup for thier reptiles to eat! 

I sell most of my rodents Frozen. I use CO2 to humanely euthanize the rodents (another shameless plug to my website~ here is some instructions to build a small CO2 chamber

http://www.thereddragonsden.com/co2.htm

then I bag up in those nifty Glad brand suction bags and vacuum them. I sell them for 0.75 cents each live or frozen. The pet store I sell them to marks them up considerably~ especially the live Fancy ones he sells as pets. I charge the same if my buyer is expecting to breed the rats or not~ but I usually will not sell small quantities unless I know you~ and I won't sex the rats for you unless you bring me lunch or beer! Some seller charge considerably more for breeders~ some won't sell to you at all if they are afraid you are going to be competition to them. I don't really worry about competition~ I sell top quality animals at a fair price. Rats are a LOT of work when you turn it into a larger operation~ and they are not cheap to feed or care for well enough to maintain top quality. If someone I sell to actually steals my business~ well then they were doing it better than I was and I need to improve my business rather than trying to keep them from giving it a try.

Good luck! It's a LOT of work. Rain or shine~ healthy or 103F fever. The rats have to be cleaned EVERY WEEK. They have to be fed. Some water line will leak and flood a colony will get flooded and another will go dry. You'll try to cheap out and use dog food and you'll get nasty, greasy rats that are unhealthy for your buyers reptiles (Dog food makes the rats greasy and the red food dye in most brands is very bad for snakes) and have to switch back (I think we all try it at least once!). You'll get rodent mites~ myco~ or wild rodents killing and eating your feeder rodents through the cages. You can't go on vacation~ you have to beg, borrow and beg some more to go to your grandmothers funeral (whose gonna care for a couple hundred rats for you~ and who can you trust to take care of the water lines and know what to do?....... Granny's funeral is Friday~ I'm already counting up how many rats I figure I'll lose)

It can be rewarding. But it is a LOT of work~ for not a lot of money. With the numbers I breed I could probably sell $200 a week worth of rats easily with no more supplies and work than I'm using now if I wasn't feeding my own snakes.........
But that would mean finding another pet store to buy from me. And don't be fooled~ even though it is a lot of work~ there are a lot of us doing it and doing it well. You'd better have top quality stock if you expect to get good reliable sales EVERY week.


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## Jade1096 (Jan 2, 2008)

I guess it depends on how much money you are wanting to make, and what is in greater demand for your particular area.

I have made money making soaps and candles for boutique shops, and it's fairly easy to do. 
How big is the area you are in?
Is there a bigger market for mice or for soaps/candles?
Which would you prefer to do?


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## chris30523 (Jun 11, 2005)

Some tried this in our area and were closed down .Didn't get the proper permits(so i would check) when they applied everyone found out and pitched a fit so they closed down and moved.I think they just turned some of the fancy rats loose cause in my chicken houses we had a rat population explosion right after that. Now we have huge rats,white rats,painted rats,and some siamese looking ones.Go figure.
anyway I either would keep it real quiet or make sure you can get the proper permits.These people had an expensive set up.They had to be raised in certain conditions for certain markets. I think they did it all though,for labs,pets,and food for pets it was a big place.(It did stink but no worse than our chicken houses)


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## DQ (Aug 4, 2006)

contact your local herpatology organization and that might get you a direct market. I have always been curious about raising the lab rats and mice. such as ones that are predisposed to cancer diabetes etc....


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## AprilW (Nov 25, 2007)

I have four pet rats and I've considered raising them for pets. I doubt the market in my area would be any good though. My rats live in a large wire cage that I built myself (I also raise rabbits and build their cages so the rat cage was modelled after a rabbit cage). This cage cost approx $30 to build. My rats came from pet store that carries "fancy" rats (rats in pretty colors basically, they don't have dumbos or rex coats) for pets and feeders. Each rat cost $5-$7 depending on size. I found a breeder in Atlanta with the fancy varieties but she wants $20 a rat and makes you sign a contract so you don't breed them.


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## Cheryl aka JM (Aug 7, 2007)

April
I don't know where in Georgia you are~ I'm in North Alabama. I don't usually do small orders~ but for pets I'm generally a little nicer (It's nice sometimes to see some of the really cute ones go as pets~ rats really are cute, smart little critters!) . If you want a fancy rat as a pet I'll sell you a couple at my normal price~ 0.75 a rat no matter what color you want or what you plan to do with it. I've got blues, dumbo's, sealpoint, rex and double rex (mock hairless~ ugliest rats I've ever seen but a lot of pet people love them!) You'd better bring me a soda or a beer if you want me to stand around for more than just a couple minuites on a small transaction!


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## AprilW (Nov 25, 2007)

I'm in north Georgia, a few miles outside Dalton. About how far away is that from you? I don't suppose there's a way to ship live rats is there? I'd be happy to pay you a bit more per rat to make it more worth your time.


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## Cheryl aka JM (Aug 7, 2007)

I'm in Falkville~ just about 40 miles South of Huntsville. Mapquest says there are two Dalton's so I don't know which one you are. Shipping live rats can be done~ but it's a serious pain to do it and must be done Delta Dash. I've let my Delta Cert expire and am not really interested in renewing it. I can ship live reptiles Fedex so I keep that Cert up to date~ but the Delta cert is mostly just a pain in the neck.

Don't worry~ I don't see myself stopping breeding rats any time in the forseeable future (though I may cut down my reptile breeding considerably if anyone is interested in some nice breeding stock of BPs and Corns!). And even though my buyer would prefer I provide lab rats rather than the fancies.......I'm the best price for my quality in the area so I don't see me switching to lab rats either! One of these days you'll have a reason to drive this way and when you do~ let me know. I'll hook you up with a couple cuties. If you have young kids that will want a tour of the snake room that will definately cost you TWO beers though! LOL!


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## AprilW (Nov 25, 2007)

I'll keep you in mind, thanks! Oh and don't worry - no kids for me! I checked MapQuest and you're about 3 hours away. We may just make a little road trip one day. I'll allow my current rats to have a litter and see what the local market would be like.


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## Cheryl aka JM (Aug 7, 2007)

Just PM or email me when your ready. 
[email protected]

I don't always check all the boards here and just stumbled on this thread the first time meaning to go to the barter board!

Good luck finding pet homes for your rats. There CAN be a market for it~ and certainly I do sell some as pets (NO BITERS in my colonies~ I cull seriously~ so young rats from my colonies are easily turned into pets). But at least 3 or 4 times a year I'll get a call from a frantic person who thought they were going to breed pet rats and discovered themselves with dozens of unwanted rats they consider "pets". They always want me to take them as breeders for my colonies so they don't have to feel like they sold them as feeders~ but I can't bring new rats into my mouse house without risking disease. I hate to do it~ but I always tell them that the best I can do is take the rats off thier hands and promice a quick, painless euthanization before I use them as feeders. Everyone refuses~ but usually within another 3 weeks (rats gestation is 3 weeks) they call back begging me just to take the rats and not tell anyone.


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## kasilofhome (Feb 10, 2005)

All of our breed stock came shipped by the us post office. Just like chicks. I will tell you I would have to travel (4 miles to the air port as well the box was labled and the wanted them PICKED up ASAP.


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## Beaners (Feb 23, 2005)

kasilofhome said:


> All of our breed stock came shipped by the us post office. Just like chicks. I will tell you I would have to travel (4 miles to the air port as well the box was labled and the wanted them PICKED up ASAP.


Really? Last I checked, it was illegal to do that. Was this very recently or a very long time ago? I haven't known of any changes to the law since I started with rats about 7 years ago.

Kayleigh


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## kasilofhome (Feb 10, 2005)

1999 was the last year that they came in. I also had crickets and other blessings to pick up including a double crest green baslick. Much of what we get is mailed in. Years later when I got chicks it was the same. 

The boxes were clearly labled with health cert attached the boxed had a layer of wire mesh inside the box and the air holes had wire mesh glued in a strip around them. 

I was very nice a called ahead and only had delivers on days I could be to pick them up at a drop of a hat. This was done from 94 thru 99 we stopped when dh got injured.


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## Beaners (Feb 23, 2005)

kasilofhome said:


> 1999 was the last year that they came in. I also had crickets and other blessings to pick up including a double crest green baslick. Much of what we get is mailed in. Years later when I got chicks it was the same.
> 
> The boxes were clearly labled with health cert attached the boxed had a layer of wire mesh inside the box and the air holes had wire mesh glued in a strip around them.
> 
> I was very nice a called ahead and only had delivers on days I could be to pick them up at a drop of a hat. This was done from 94 thru 99 we stopped when dh got injured.


I wonder if it was different because of your location, or if they changed the law between when you stopped and when I started. Now I know that birds (and maybe reptiles, but I'm not sure) can still be shipped, but it is illegal to do rodents through the mail at least throughout the 48.

I can't tell you how jealous I am that you were able to ship through the mail. I have talked to some show breeders on the opposite coast, and we were going to trade some rats to do some test breedings and check out some new genetics that had shown up. There were three breeders near me and two out West who were going to split airline costs to do the shipping. One from out West dropped out, and one near me dropped out, so we had to cancel the whole deal due to cost.

Kayleigh


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## Cheryl aka JM (Aug 7, 2007)

******* said:


> I wonder if it was different because of your location, or if they changed the law between when you stopped and when I started. Now I know that birds (and maybe reptiles, but I'm not sure) can still be shipped, but it is illegal to do rodents through the mail at least throughout the 48.


I can't comment on laws from previous years~ but currently it is illegal to ship live rodents or snakes via US Postal. It's important to note the word ILLEGAL as in it's an actual crime that can be prosecuted and not just against policy. Insects and lizards are fine through US Postal. Even scorpians~ but no snakes or mammals of any kind. 

Until very recently it was against policy for any of the major carriers to ship snakes as well ~ but a few years ago Fedex established a program in which you can jump through a few hoops and become certified to ship live harmless reptiles including snakes (I'm a certified shipper with Fedex). The cert process has you sign a waiver that basically says you'll package the live harmless reptile in specific ways (insulated box, heat or cool pack as needed, labeling) AND that NO MATTER WHAT Fedex does to that box (Mangles it, loses it, delivers it late~ whatever) there is NO Re-imbusement of shipping fees OR contents of box no matter thier markey value. (You put that $3000 snake in that box and start to praying!)

UPS has recently realized how much Fedex is making from us certified reptile shippers with absolutely no garantees that they will even deliver the box and is now in negotiations to begin a certified reptile shipping program.

But no one ships live mammals~ that has to be done via the airlines.


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