If you love animals, here is an opportunity to make it your full-time business
The word exotic has a mystical charm. Exotic means “anything of foreign origin or character”. In a nation where everything with a phoren tag sells like hot cakes, the business of breeding exotic pets can be lucrative.
But the biggest problem is that breeding exotic pets is not recognised as a business in India. World-over there’s a huge market for exotic pets, and services supporting it. According to Business Week, Americans spend a whopping $41 billion a year on their pets! Ashok Pratap Rai, bird and dog breeder, says, “Importing and exporting pets is done worldwide. In India, certain NGOs headed by some powerful people have made an issue out of animal right activism.”
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Despite this, some animal lovers-cum-entrepreneurs are successfully making a fortune out of this business. However, before venturing into this business, one should evaluate one’s genuine passion for animals. A research on the demand and the market for exotic pets in India would come handy. There are a lot of breeds that have just arrived in India and the market is growing. Apart from cats and dogs, there are birds and fishes that have a lot of potential. So, once you have identified your love for a particular animal, here’s a guide on how to get started.
How to get started?
Before starting any venture, there are bound to be some investments. For breeding pets, a thorough research should be done about the nature and likings of the pet, so that appropriate environment can be provided.
Dogs: A sizeable chunk of startup capital goes into land. An ideal setup would be a farm of around 1000 yards with high boundary and a large lawn of short trimmed grass and a 100-yard kennel to give them privacy. Apart from that, understanding the temperament of dogs is very important. They just can’t bear humid weather, so having coolers and air conditioners is a must. As far as livestock is concerned, dog breeding can be started by just buying one adult female dog who has had prior litters or who belongs to a good line of blood or both. The next part is to find a male dog that is a proven stud.
Birds: Most of the popular exotic birds like African lovebirds, finches, macaws are happy living in dense forests with a lot of fruits and greenery around. So, creating shacks makes for a good alternative. You have to create an environment for breeding birds and to keep them happy. So plants and a garden make for good ambience. Then of course there is the investment on cages. When it comes to livestock, again prior knowledge comes handy. Starting off with three pairs of pure breed birds is the usual way.
Fish: Area is not a consideration for breeding fish. However, constructing aquariums and aquarium racks consumes the major portion of capital. A fresh water aquarium can cost anywhere between Rs 5,000-15,000. Then there are accessories to go with it. Pumps, filters, heaters, gravels, pebbles, plants and other decorative accessories could be used. Again, having electricity backup is essential.
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Other Requirements
Labor: Once the business gains momentum and the livestock increases, employing helpers becomes necessary. It’s important that they should have prior knowledge of handling pets or else should be trained.
Reliable Source: Having a source for exotic pets is obvious. But a lot of consideration should be taken before deciding upon the source. Goodwill and reputation speaks volumes in this industry. Of course you don’t want to be conned into buying cheap livestock in the name of pure breed.
Knowledge/Education: There’s just no point starting this business without breeding knowledge. According to Himesh, a breeder should possess an in-depth knowledge about diseases, cures, mating season, and most importantly about the breeding styles of pets. He explains with an example, “There are a few fish that lay eggs below the pebbles of the aquarium, then there are breeds that lay only on plant leaves. Now, suppose you don’t have plants in your aquarium and you are thinking of breeding. Your business is over”.
Financial Backing: Dealing in livestock is always risky as they are perishable items. A disease may take away all your livestock at one go. So, one should have financial backing to meet these unforeseen damages.
Veterinary Clinic: Avoiding a disease is next to impossible, but having a sincere vet is all that you need to cure that disease and save your livestock. Abdul Gulab Wahab, bird and fish breeder of Bangalore has a vet-on-call who charges Rs 300 per visit.
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written by Dr kshitij, July 12, 2009
thanks regards
Dr kshitij mumbai
written by Raj, January 15, 2009
I love to breed exotic birds but not able to find any guide lines from Govt of India, can some one help me on this ?
is there any update on breeding exotic birds in India ? Which birds are allowed to breed in India? Is aviculture is happening here in India ?
Thanks
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thanks very much. i search the information for a long time. good luck for you.
I was wondering about the audiobook. Having guest stars would help break up any non-fiction audiobook, that's a good idea.