What are the responsibilities and considerations of breeding animals for profit?

[NeoDevin]

Just curious, does anyone here do any animal breeding and make a profit from it (or at least make enough to cover expenses for the hobby)?

What sorts of animals have you bred? How much fun is it? How much work is it? How much of a profit can you make with different animals?

 

[Danger]

After my last arrest, one of the conditions of release is that I am no longer allowed to breed animals. It certainly was fun, but I've never heard of anyone doing it for money.

 

[sas3]

A friend I know has been breeding "chinchillas" I think he is going to be breeding them for shows and not for pelts. but I am not sure, he started about a year ago, I will ask him how he is doing and if he has made any money yet and post a reply back.

 

[binzing]

I think its stupid, even if they are purebred, its still just like a puppy mill (or whatever other animal you are breeding), when there are so many that need saving out in the world.

 

[wolram]

A friend I know has been breeding "chinchillas" I think he is going to be breeding them for shows and not for pelts. but I am not sure, he started about a year ago, I will ask him how he is doing and if he has made any money yet and post a reply back.

Coats made out of Chinchilla pelts, yuck.

 

[sas3]

Coats made out of Chinchilla pelts, yuck.

They look very nice.

http://www.peterpalms.com/chinchilla2/

 

[dontdisturbmycircles]

I beg to differ...

On a moral level I don't really have an oppinion but on a purely aesthetic level fur coats = :yuck:

I did have a gf whos mother bred rare dogs(on a small harmless scale) and presumably made money doing it. Was it worth all the yapping though? Probably not.

 

[Moonbear]

On a moral level I don't really have an oppinion but on a purely aesthetic level fur coats = :yuck:

I agree on that. I don't like the look of fur coats at all. It looks old-fashioned to me. I'd much rather see them all turned inside out, so the fur is used as a lining to add real warmth, not on the outside just for appearance.

The problem with people breeding animals as a "hobby" is that they often don't know enough to have any business in doing it. They just get a breeding pair without knowing much about their background and let them go at it. A responsible breeder is carefully considering the genetics of the pair they are breeding, will have some potential buyers lined up before they breed (never a guarantee, but helps to make sure they will find homes for all the animals), will be thoroughly educated about health, husbandry and nutrient requirements for a pregnant animal, as well as a lactating animal and litter, will provide all the vaccinations, won't let the offspring go until they are properly weaned, etc. It's not about "Oh, puppies are cute, I want to have some!"