How many rat breeders raiising both food and pets?

I love pet rats! No longer have the need to raise feeders myself but recently found it VERY difficult to find a couple rat babies as pets. I'm wondering how many people that are raising rat feeders also keep them as pets? The pet breeders are getting what...... maybe 2-4 litters a year and I know the feeder breeders are producing a heck of a lot more than that so am thinking that the feeder breeders are probably winding up with a lot more unusual colors and markings.

I'm considering setting up some rats to breed pets with leftovers being frozen for food. How do you find starting colorful rats for your breeding groups?

I used to breed quite a few rats, and none of them were pets. Some of the babies were pretty cute though. Occasionally I would get some with some pretty cool colors / patters.

Your best bet is probably go to a large rat breeder, and pick out specific ones.

I sold 2 pet rats this week. double rex velveteen dumbos. Paid for 1.5 months of rat food!

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Originally Posted by womsterr

I sold 2 pet rats this week. double rex velveteen dumbos. Paid for 1.5 months of rat food!

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Im starting breeding rats this weekend!! My question is where are you finding your rat feed? I heard that Mazuri 6f is best!!:cool:

I recently started breeding my own rats, and I tell my daughters that they are food. That is how they should look at them, not as pets. It's difficult for them since the babies are so cute. But they have a good understanding. Well, my 6 year old has a better understanding than the 13 year old does.

We had a pet rat once. Only because my oldest bp refused to eat. He lived 3 1/2 years. Wife made me bury it in the back yard in a box. Never again.

I started breeding for food but lately I'm producing some that we will keep and sell as pets, but the keepers will continue to breed.

I produce food as my number one priority but my breeders are all pet friendly and my food gets treated fantastically while they are here. I started with rattery quality rats. I also sell some fancy rats on the side which pretty much pays for my cost of raising rodents. At that point time is all I am into my snake food which makes it easy to feed a large collection.

Regards,

B

Where are you guys selling your pets? Do you advertise that you have them available? Are you going to local pet stores? How much are you charging?

I want in.

The best money is on Craigslist if you have nice rats. Rat people will flock to them but they can be weird fickle opinionated people so careful with the whole breeding as snake feed angle. The pet store works in an overproduction crunch but expect to get 1/3 or less than Craiglist since the pet shop has overhead.

Regards,

B

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Originally Posted by Simple Man

The best money is on Craigslist if you have nice rats. Rat people will flock to them but they can be weird fickle opinionated people so careful with the whole breeding as snake feed angle. The pet store works in an overproduction crunch but expect to get 1/3 or less than Craiglist since the pet shop has overhead.

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I never see pet rats for sale on CL. I only see people giving them away with cages. Sometimes there's a rehoming fee. It must be the area I'm in. It seems like there's a lot more interest in rats as pets on the west coast.

Petsmart is the only place near me that sells "fancy" rodents. Each store limits their stock to all males or all females. They will not buy rats from a local breeder.

How much is "pet" going for on CL? Can you "sell" pets on CL or must it be listed as an adoption with a rehoming fee?

Craigslist states "no animal sales or breeding" but the loophole is rehoming with an adoptionfee. I've been selling rexes, double rexes, beige/blacks/blues, for $10-$15 on Seattle craigslist. I've gota couple multi-gene/color males that breed around 20 girls, and I just keep an add up advertizing different varieties. If I have one of what somebody wants, great, if not, they get fed.

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Originally Posted by Anatopism

Craigslist states "no animal sales or breeding" but the loophole is rehoming with an adoptionfee. I've been selling rexes, double rexes, beige/blacks/blues, for $10-$15 on Seattle craigslist. I've gota couple multi-gene/color males that breed around 20 girls, and I just keep an add up advertizing different varieties. If I have one of what somebody wants, great, if not, they get fed.

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Do you list the adoption fee in the ad? If they come empty handed do you send the rat home in a cardboard box? Do you give a discount for more than 1?

Good info. Thanks.

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Originally Posted by Johnny84

Im starting breeding rats this weekend!! My question is where are you finding your rat feed? I heard that Mazuri 6f is best!!:cool:

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Any Tack or Feed shop that carries Purina products. I use 6F too.

I sell mainly feeders, but I do sell them as pets in my store. And, I advertise online as well. Difference is, a pet rat, usually just a fancy hooded or dumbo, etc, you get $10 for, feeders are a lot cheaper, becuase they are usually buying them in huge numbers...
9 times out of 10, people off the street come in for a pet rat, and just end up taking a feeder from me for half the cost.... doesn't matter to me, I raise all different types, and they all either end up in the freezer or on the rare occasion, as a pet...

I do that exact thing. My breeders are pets, and they get treats and I play with them once in a while. The babies are food unless I hold them back because of markings or because the parent has good genetics.

I started out by adopting pet rats that were free in classified ads. True to my word I never feed off pets that I adopt. They become breeders, and are treated pretty well.

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Originally Posted by womsterr

Any Tack or Feed shop that carries Purina products. I use 6F too.

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Awesome...Thanks!!:D

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Originally Posted by JohnNJ

Do you list the adoption fee in the ad? If they come empty handed do you send the rat home in a cardboard box? Do you give a discount for more than 1?

Good info. Thanks.

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Yes I list the adoption fee in the add. If they are going as pets, I try to send them home with a buddy unless the person already has a rat at home. If selling more than 1, I will discount each by a couple dollars.

For us it's been about connections. We supply and demand for several reptile shops when they need it. Were the emergency back up. On the other hand we deliver frozen or live. With handling charges and gas charges of course. Local pet shops are few to none and if they aren't a Petco or Petsmart they have their own rats in the back breeding.

We breed both and sometimes come across favourites that we adopt out to friends. But at the end of the line they end up as food more often.