# Thinking of setting up small animal boarding



## rodentsretreat (Apr 26, 2013)

Hello!

I am thinking about setting up a small animal boarding business.

I live in a flat, we have our own entrance but once inside the hallway there is a flight of stairs, do you think this may put people off as they would need to carry their cage up (not be a problem for smaller cages but I imagine the larger rat cages can be quite heavy!)
We have plenty of space in our kitchen/diner for about 6-8 cages (depending on the size of cage) - would this be an acceptable place for them or should they be more in the living area? We use the kitchen/diner throughout the day so they would have plenty of company and attention.
In the kitchen/diner I have laminate floor for ease of cleaning and could push the table back to provide room for a playpen/exercise area if required.
Some places I have looked at online seem to have cages on the floor and stacked on top of each other - is this acceptable? I was thinking of getting a large table to put cages on, one with a shelf under so a cage may fit under too.

I have experience owning hamsters and mice and I used to work in a cattery where we had rats board and so I have a little experience with them but not a great deal - how much experience with each species do you think is needed?

It is a mixture of my love for small animals and my experience of working in the cattery which has made me want to set-up this business. I know whenever we got small animals in (rats, rabbits, birds etc) they were fed and checked but they weren't really interacted with or given attention as the cats took priority. By specialising in small animals I could give them my full time and attention and be able to follow any routines for feeding/cleaning.

I was thinking of charging £3 per cage, per day. I know the cattery up the road from us charges £4.75 per day for all small animals. Other places seem to charge per animal such as £1.50 per mouse. Which would you as an owner prefer to pay - obviously if you have one mouse then it is cheaper to do it per animal but if you have a lot of rats then it would be more expensive.

I have looked into insurance and got a quote, as far as I am aware I don't need to register with the council but I may write to inform them anyway just to be sure.

In the future I'd like to move somewhere bigger and run a boarding and rescue establishment. But that is a bit of a pipe dream at the moment.

Sorry for the long read


----------



## Cherpi (Nov 19, 2010)

rodentsretreat said:


> Hello!
> 
> I am thinking about setting up a small animal boarding business.
> 
> ...


I don't really see a reason not to, although I don't have experience in stuff like this I think it would be an ok idea, you could always start off small and if you ever move to a bigger place you can grow and change and make it better! If you read up on the different animals you'd expect that would be good, get some knowledge. I think the per cage thing would be better as some people have loads of animals and it seems a bit unfair IMO.


----------



## polishrose (Oct 26, 2011)

TBH if I was wanting to board my rats I wouldn't be able to take their cage as it's huge so would be looking for somewhere with accomodation for them-even some hamster cages are rather big and could be very difficult to transport and take up the stairs.Would it not be easier for you to have cages set up for the animals unless it was a dwarf hamster cage which is smaller and therefore transportable?They would need to be thoroughly cleaned between visitors but that's normal.


----------



## Maltey (Nov 29, 2011)

All the rats I've ratsat have come with their own holiday cage which is usually one that flat packs and they build it here.


----------



## fatrat (May 14, 2012)

It sounds like a good idea, and if it's what you want to do then I say go for it 

But, like the others, I have to say it would be very difficult for people with a lot of animals like me to transport their cages. I have two huuuuuge cages. The cage thing might be an issue for some people, although you could start off small (hamsters, mice etc) and buy your own rat cages when you have the money to do so. Just an idea 

Good luck!!


----------



## rodentsretreat (Apr 26, 2013)

Thanks for the feedback, excellent idea, I could have a large rat cage and a few other cages set-up ready and then just ask that owners bring their smaller cages if possible but would be ready if not.


----------

