# [HELP] Breeding rats for sale as food



## Ilarth (Oct 6, 2013)

Hello, I am posting here because I would like to know if I would be able to get money by breeding rats and selling them?
I don't know anything about breeding rats, and I'm not sure if I should do it.

I can give them a few hours of care every day, although I believe they don't require that much.

Would anyone like to tell me if it would be a good idea (money wise), and if so, what should I learn before starting and what should I setup.

Also, how would I find buyers and do I need a licence of any sort to breed, kill (CO2 chamber), freeze or sell rats?

P.S.
It's in this section because I'm not sure which thread to put it in and this seemed the most fitting (Do it Yourself home breeding/selling rats)


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## Freakish13 (Oct 6, 2013)

Unless your breeding mass amounts there isnt much money in breeding rats...its more hassle then what its worth...


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## =bECS= (Oct 6, 2013)

Just breed what you need, any excess sell for $5 each as pets to cover your food costs. 
That's how I did it before, we have just built some more racks and the first litter are weaning now with another lot ready to drop. 
Keep a few females from them as breeders then cull what you need, once those females start breeding you will be producing heaps, enough to keep your herps fed and sell off other babies at half pet shop prices to cover costs. 
Unless you are going to go commercial, there's not a lot of money to be made in rats, but enough to self sustain them and your reptile collection.


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## ingie (Oct 6, 2013)

I sell my pet rats for $25 each lol. Selling pets for $5 is definitely not worth the hassle. By the time you meet up with people and arrange it, you have already lost too much time for $5. 

I agree that it is not worth it if you only breed a few rats specifically to sell, although if you want to have 20 females or more, you could actually get a nice little profit. I like to sell in bulk for a cheaper price, as it saves me my time going and meeting individual people.


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## =bECS= (Oct 6, 2013)

This was about 5 years ago lol. I've only just started again but I used to do ok just selling a few when I had excess, alot of the time it was to other keepers who wanted fresh breeders so I was happy to do 5 for $25 and just meet anyone who wanted them at the local petty station or if I knew them they would just come and get them. I did notice that when I was looking for rats in my area it was very hard to find some, live ones anyway lol. There was only one petshop in my surrounding areas that had them so there may be a market again. I put a silvery grey (like a blue dog) and white male over a fully silver grey female (don't know the terms sorry) and she had some albinos and some silver ones with white undersides. The kids love them and are always playing with them so at least the females I keep will be very tame.


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## Bugsy (Oct 6, 2013)

You are not the first to think that there is good money in this. There really isnt unless like already said you go massively commercial...and even then uve already got several competitors...on the flip side...breeding enough rats for your own reptiles is much cheaper than buying them from the pet shop. I try to breed enough for myself...and a bit extra...sell the bit extra to buy more food for them.


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## wokka (Oct 6, 2013)

I think you would make a lot more growing corn and selling cornflakes. Have you seen how much corn flakes sell for? Maybe popcorn would be even better!


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## Sdaji (Oct 7, 2013)

ingie said:


> I sell my pet rats for $25 each lol. Selling pets for $5 is definitely not worth the hassle. By the time you meet up with people and arrange it, you have already lost too much time for $5.



You say that like it's worth it for $25  Selling to a pet shop for $5 would be much more profitable than selling to pet keepers if you value your time. If you put a value on people whinging to all their friends about deserving an immortal rat and 100 hours of customer service and consultancy for their $25, and calling for your blood if the rat dies when they forget to give it feed or water, that gets even more extreme


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## redbellybite (Oct 7, 2013)

I've had to go back to breed my own ....besides the fact finding the rats (frozen) was getting harder ...the cost to buy was getting even more ridiculous! So I bit the bullet ,bought some great stainless steal tops ,with water holders n food grates molded in them ,went to Big W got some great plastic, hard not that flimsy crap ,tubs and fitted my tops on perfect ...now just waiting to breed the girls with my pre mature no' nut dropped' male...girls are ready though


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## ingie (Oct 10, 2013)

Sdaji said:


> You say that like it's worth it for $25  Selling to a pet shop for $5 would be much more profitable than selling to pet keepers if you value your time. If you put a value on people whinging to all their friends about deserving an immortal rat and 100 hours of customer service and consultancy for their $25, and calling for your blood if the rat dies when they forget to give it feed or water, that gets even more extreme



Haha yeah this is why I don't really do it anymore. You get so much less for frozens, but you can do bulk sales and not have to worry about any of that nonsense  I do value my time!


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