Raise small animals for profit

[Lynn]

I would like to raise small animals for profit, preferably mammels. I have done right much research but am having trouble coming up with which animal to raise! The main question is which animals bring profit. Can anyone give me their wisdom?

[aweiganddowdell]

I can tell you right now that the only small animals that will bring you a reasonable profit margin are dogs. It is true that there are some people who wil also pay top dollar for cats, but the client base is much more limited. One thing that sells well everywhere is dogs. If you were thinking more along the lines of even smaller animals, I have to say that the profit margin is just not there. As for rodents, pet shops will be you 10 cents to 50 cents apiece for adults, and roughly a nickel for most babies, since they all tend to get dumped into "feeder bins" for snakes and the like. If you are interested, there is a small market for mink and other animals for the fur trade, bu this is a costly an fairly unenjoyable business, and if you are choosing this profession out of a love of animals, I highly doubt you want to go into fur production.

There is some profit to be had in the raising of exotic birds, but breeding and tending to eggs and hatchlings is tremendously difficult, and the market for birds in your area may be a small one.

If you want to make a real living in small animal breeding, you simply must go with dogs. The hottest breed nationwide (most sought-after currently) is the Yorkshire Terrier (Yorkie). Smaller "toy" breeds are considered extremely desirable right now, with teacup chihuahuas also seeing a resurgence. It is important that your dam and sire be AKC registered; other registries exist, but the AKC is the most well-known and respected, and people pay much more for papers!!! Purebred dogs always always sell. Also, do not make the mistake of assuming that the most "popular" breeds are the best breeds to sell for profit, because often the market is flooded. Labrador Retrievers are one of the most popular breeds in the country, but there are so many that it is not uncommom to see purebreds listed for free in newspapers. Extremely unusual breeds are not a safe bet either, because your market is very very limited. For a profit, the most profitable breeds are English bulldogs, Yorkshire Terriers, shih tzus, teacup chihuhuas, and Maltese, although it should be noted that English bulldogs require much more medical care during and after pregnancy, as they MUST deliver via cesarean section, and they also produce fewer puppies. Best of luck to you!

[klm4dlm]

Small pets for profit. I have bred small pets for years and unless you do this on a large scale you will seem to just break even. If you would like more info repost i do bred exotic birds and a small bred of dogs