# Do I need a License(s) for starting a breeding buisness sort of thing?



## scalestosnails (Jul 26, 2009)

Me, my neigbour and my Couisn have started a buisness selling reptiles and invertebrates.

We suddenly remebered that we might need a license, so we have shut it down until we have all the licences we need.

The only thing we know license-wise is that we dont need a DWA license, because non of our animals that we are selling reqire DWA. We dont have a pet shop, we breed these animals in our own homes (I breed snakes, my cousin breeds lizards and my neigbour breeds invertibrates). 

I thought that you would be able to enlighten us on the subject.

PLease also bear in mind that we are also all 13, I dont know if that changes anything.

PLease Reply if you know anything about the subject, so we can start the buiness again in time for christmas.

Thanks

Scalestosnails


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## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

As you are 13 I think it's unlikely that you would need a license, but if you DO need a license, you will need to be over 18 to get it, so you your parents would have to get it.

You will need a license if you are running a business.

There is a big difference between breeding one or two animals for your pleasure, and to make a bit of cash back that you spend on housing, feeding them, etc. and being a business that breeds hundreds - or thousands - of animals a year, and makes a profit. 

It does not matter if you have a shop or are running a business from home - a pet shop means a business profiting from the sale of animals, if you do actually run a business rather than being a private breeder, you will need a license even if it's run from your own home. You'd also need to register for taxes, get business insurance, etc. If you are buying animals to sell for a profit this is also a profit based action. 

I suspect though, that you are a private breeder and not a business, in which case you don't need to worry.


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## scalestosnails (Jul 26, 2009)

OK, 

sorry im going to sound like such a noob, but whats the difference between a private breeder and a buisness then?


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## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

It's about whether you make a profit and are breeding as to the intent to make a profit. Or whether you are breeding to cover your costs and improve your enjoyment of the hobby. You would need to be producing hundreds of animals a year usually to start turning much of a profit.


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## Issa (Oct 13, 2006)

Edited


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## scalestosnails (Jul 26, 2009)

So, if I wanted to make a profit, I would need a pet shop license, and if I didnt, we wouldnt neede anything? am I correct?


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## bubba31 (Apr 19, 2009)

yes that sounds bout rite :2thumb:


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## richie.b (Oct 27, 2008)

this is a good question, i got a licence early in the year but this then meant i couldnt do shows, so how do breeders do the shows :hmm:


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## ian14 (Jan 2, 2008)

You do not need a licence if you are only selling your own surplus stock in other words hatchlings which you have bred yourself.
It has nothing to do with profit, as you are making a profit from selling your own surplus animals.
There was a thread a while back on this, I'll try to find it.


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## ian14 (Jan 2, 2008)

Here you go..

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/breeding/373438-licence.html


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## fishboy (Aug 7, 2007)

It's not easy to make a profit from breeding snakes so i am told. In the last 2 years i have spend somewhere in the region of £5-6000 on animals and equipment and have yet to make a penny back from selling. I hope to breed something this year but i will very unlikely make back more than the cost of feeding them, let alone the money i spend on electricity and driving to breeders meetings to purchase new snakes. There is no question therefore that i would be classed as a hobbyist with an interest in breeding to subsidise my hobby and would not require a petshop license. : victory:

To make any sort of profit and be classed as a business you would need to make a huge outlay in the beginning, either on huge numbers of lower end stock, housing and warehouse space, and sell wholesale at a low price, or you would spend a huge amount on new morphs which would have a higher return for lower numberof animals. Either would cost a lot to start and i think you would need to either be, or predict to be earning over a minimum threshold, to be considered a business. I'd imagine to do this and get a business loan, business accounts, be VAT registered, have business insurance and so on, you would be considered a business and would need to have a PSL. This would also mean you would not be allowed to sell animals at shows as this is restricted to hobbyists only. 

I am in no way an expert and i'm sure someone will correct me on some of these point. This is literally just what i've learnt of this forum :lol2:


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