Hamster Business

heidi

heidi

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Hi, everyone. I've been sharing some of my favourite hamster etsy creations with my partner a lot the past year, and he's always talked about their pricing being too high. Recently, he's took it upon himself to start making some hamster supplies for me. We both enjoyed the process so much, we've decided to look into making it into an actual business.

I've noticed a severe lack of British based hamster supplies, as many beautiful designs come from Asia or Germany. This makes the shipping costs really high, alongside the cost of a hand-made, not mass produced item.

He is lucky enough to own a house in Wales that has its own protected forest & fields, with a very large garden on top of that. This means for certain supplies (i.e; pinecones), he can actually harvest them himself from an area we both know 100% hasn't been treated with pesticides/chemicals. We will be looking at sanitising these items at the house, so whilst it would be optional for the buyer to sanitise, they will be completely safe out of the box.


Current ideas:
- Pinecone boxes (instead of individual, like many etsy creators charging £3+ per pinecone!)
- See through hide
- Multi-chamber hide

Additionally, possibly a plastikoting service. I don't think we will do this for all items off the bat as it would increase costs, but as an additional cost for convenience, I think it would be a decent idea!

Alongside this, I have been working on a care guide. The care guide was intended to be for my rescue, but I have been thinking of spending more time and transforming it into a very hefty book, of modern hamster care. I've been doing so much research for a long time, but with each section I am just doing so much more. Regardless of if it turns out to be a printed book or not, I'd like the care guide to be publicly accessible eventually. It is still a long long way off despite being many thousands of words.

Not sure what I am really posting this for but I was just wondering what products you guys wanted to see more of? As of the moment, we are prototyping a tunnel/hide that allows you to see directly through it. This design has been done before, and I want to clarify at the moment we aren't looking at 'inventing' something. Just making things more accessible to the British market.

[ small edit: - As the forest is protected, trees won't be cut down to sustain this project as many trees cannot be cut down. However, some trees can. We will only use trees that we 100% know are safe for hamsters, and will list the types of woods used. For multi chamber hides or ones like the photo attached, we will most likely import it as the process of making planks to use would be very long and make the cost higher. We will try to source the wood as ethically as possible (just as we had done for this prototype) and I will add all information of its sourcing to any listing if we do open shop. All woods will be formeldahyde free.
For other products, we would utilise the forest! ]

*This isn't final at all, just one of the WIP photos ¬

- prototype see through hide.jpg
 
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Sounds like a great idea, it’s always good to be able to source more products from the UK &. knowing they were as sustainable as possible is a big bonus too.
Look forward to seeing more of your ideas take shape.
 
What a fantastic idea!

I will tell you what I think is lacking, bridges for robos. You can get a few ladder style that are better but most are too big for a robo.
 
A book like you are planning would be so necessary and helpful as there aren't any available.

I used to use the 50cm long bendy bridges a lot but had to stop using them because the quality deteriorated so much and bridges with gaps aren't acceptable.

I'd love to be able to buy long bendy bridges without gaps and shorter ones as well.
 
Thank you for your ideas!

-- @Beryl

You're so right about the bendy bridges, Beryl. I'm not sure exactly how we could ensure bendy bridges to be safe by making our own, but I'll speak about it to my partner! One option that wouldn't solve much, but would still get the 'Convenience' factor we're going for would be pre-gluing moss onto bendy bridges. I know some people are against moss, but many aren't so that could possibly benefit them? Otherwise, I would have to check if we have willow and work out a way to produce them whilst being a similar cost to those widely available.

The book was really just for my rescue. I wanted to make a few, containing different guides such as:
- General Hamster Care Guide
- Simple Hamster Care Guide (less info, quicker read)
- Robovroski Care Guide (mainly as their care needs are so different to many species, but large portions would be directly from the other care guides)
- Female Syrian Hamsters Care Guide

It will definitely take many more months to make anything even remotely readable, and then I'd be looking at getting individuals known in the community for care guides to give it a read and get feedback. Hamster care is unfortunately still so up and coming that so much information is opinion based. I am trying to just lay down the information, but I always include parts about the rescues opinion on something in separate sections (i.e; the rescue does not condone co-housing, but in the wild, dwarf species may intermingle).

-- @RainbowBrite

What kind of bridges were you thinking of? Would love to see some photos and see if we can scale anything down. I've been loving little wooden discs glued together for robovroskis as little steps. Trixie does some dreadful ones that have always broken on me, but I no longer use anything wooden trixie so can't find the link.

£7 + £8pp is insane! But these are some of the things I'd love to make more convenient and accessible. It's so hard to convince people of ethical care when bits like this cost so much (though I do love the designs this creator does!)

1691592710640.png

-- @elusive

Thank you! Me and my partner have been brainstorming for a while. It'll be weeks of making sure things are safe and testing it on my two boys first before the shop opens. I'd like to open with a bit of a selection so everyone has something they could use.

[small edit- I also don't want to rip any creator off. We just want to make things that are overly expensive less expensive for those living in the UK. If you have any ideas of something that hasn't been done before, and you're not quite able to do it yourself, please let me know/send me a DM. Would love to really expand the hamster market on top of this!!]
 
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The downside to gluing moss on things is some people may be allergic. I personally find moss triggers my asthma.

I was thinking of some kind of steps, bridges etc that will enable a little robo to reach things such as a platform or sand bath. Sometimes it can be difficult to find something small enough for them. The little little wooden discs glued together look perfect for a robo. :)
 
Of course! I think the joy of making it as a 'small' business is everything can be customised. If we were to offer bendy bridges, we would want to make them. But for the convenience factor, we could sell pre-made bendy bridges that have already been glued. In which case, they would obviously state 'MOSS' on them, so those who are allergic know not to buy.

We are definitely looking at the wooden discs, which would be able to made with cut offs too! We are researching safe/unsafe woods to be 100% sure of everything. Thankfully, my partner has different woodworking hobbies, so any unsafe woods will still be used but NOT for any animals!

I will definitely be asking about bendy bridges tomorrow though. They would take more supplies, and we are just now buying each machine to do the wood working. It's coming out costly but definitely hoping it's worth it!

Possibly also looking into sand & other substrates too.
 
The little disc steps and ladders are something i've been looking for as well.

There are long bendy bridges available without gaps but they are different from the inexpensive Trixie ones. They aren't just wooden sticks joined together, they are smooth wooden sticks without bark, all of identical size joined together.

I don't think people would mind paying extra for safe items but may not like to pay extra on top of that for brand names like Niteangel or Rodipet.

I think there is a market for somewhere inbetween within the UK to avoid import or high shipping costs.

I wouldn't buy an inferior quality bendy bridge that has been made safe with moss for the simple reason that i could do that myself if i chose to use a bridge like that.
 
I don't think I've ever thought of buying pre-mossed bendy bridges either. Maybe you're right on that one, but I do think there is still a market for it. For example, you've owned hamsters for a while. You are knowledgeable and likely already have the supplies and desire to take the time to ensure everything is safe for your hamster.

I do think, however, people still pay for convenience. Perhaps not someone who has kept hamsters for a long time, and has those supplies, but individuals who are new to hamsterkeeping or simply do not have the time. I'd love to create a bendy bridge that is completely safe, and that would 100% be the goal. But as an initial prospect, I think maybe selling convenient items on top of high quality hand-made items would the way to go. Right now we're looking at multichamber hides and substrate boxes. I will be 100% transparent if anything isn't hand-made, please rest assured on that one.

I can't say the pricing yet, as we are still making designs and whatnot. This is in the veryyyy early stages, so I will try and keep this page updated as we go along.

Also, please if you have the time, could you show me those long bendy bridges you mentioned? That is something we could actually possibly do! Though personally, I love the bark look as it feels more natural. Definitely not worth it if it compromises any safety though, none of my boys have bendy bridges in their cages.
 
People will pay for convince. I think a lot of people will buy items already plastikoted if they can choose a colour. I have seen a few people who make guinea pig hides offering different colours.

There is something I have always wanted. A racetrack. I could only this available from Germany and it would have taken a few months to arrive so I did not order one. I looked into making one myself but I am hopeless at anything DIY. I think a racetrack for a robo is lovely as it gives them the opportunity to run without any hides in the way. I am thinking of racetracks with a little wall, not dowels. A little wall is more secure. I wish I had one for my past robo as I think he would have loved one.

Another idea for a robo is, substrate boxes with little steps leading inside. So the robo can climb up and down the steps.
 
heidi said:
Also, please if you have the time, could you show me those long bendy bridges you mentioned? That is something we could actually possibly do! Though personally, I love the bark look as it feels more natural. Definitely not worth it if it compromises any safety though, none of my boys have bendy bridges in their cages.
Click to expand...

I meant those on the left in comparison to the natural look ones.

Screenshot_20230809-184637_Samsung Internet.jpg
 
The smooth wood bendy bridges don’t have gaps. I’ve always got the coloured ones from ranch house cages on eBay but they don’t sell them singly any more - only as a set with two small shelves which makes them expensive. So plain smooth wood bendy bridges would be a good idea - they don’t have gaps. However I think they would be difficult to make perhaps and people use other types of bridges now like the niteangel ones made from smooth wood dowels glued together.
 
I've talked to my partner about it and it would be something to look at in the future.

Making fine holes for the wire to run through that is equal to each piece of wood would require more tools, and lots of time. We are thinking we'll make some bridges, perhaps even customisable ones, but they will not be able to bend as of the moment. Perhaps when the shop opens up we will be able to look at tools to make bendy bridges!
 
Thank you so much!

We would definitely be starting off as a UK only business, and when we have our feet sorted, expanding to the rest of Europe. However, I do think long-term, focusing on the American market might also be beneficial!

I've written down quite a few ideas, and currently we are comparing prices from different sellers. We are going to be focusing on premium hand-made items so I've also been compiling reviews from popular creators. Using these reviews, we should hopefully be able to make some real high quality items whilst addressing & fixing common problems with the current hamster product market.

We will be starting off with an Etsy, but we may actually release a website at the same time/very soon after as to avoid etsy fees. The site would be cheaper than Etsy, too.

I think further into the future, we may look at putting these items on other retail sites like Amazon or Ebay. Albeit, these sites will not have the same customisation option.


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SOME QUESTIONS FOR EVERYONE!

1. How much would you expect to pay for a product to come that has already been sealed with CLEAR Plastikote?
From the research I've done, multi-chamber hides cost anywhere from £20-£50, depending on a variety of factors (if the chamber is cut, sourced from abroad, etc.). By plastikoting as the workshop, the product would take a few more days to ship. It would take up space within the workshop too. Working out a proper % to charge additionally for plastikoting is quite difficult, so I'd love your opinions on this one, to see if it's worth it for the business!

2. How much would you expect to pay for a product to come that has been sealed and customised with different Plastikote colours?
A slightly tougher one, as we would need to buy many Plastikote's at once to offer this.

3. Thoughts on any other paints & sealants!
I've very, very briefly looked over paints and sealants. We aren't quite ready to take it on yet, so the research is for the future on this one, but I just wanted your opinions on anything else. I've heard very briefly things about food grade/soy/milk/tempera paints.


----

Another thing, we may also try to offer substrates, chews, bamboo rings, etc. We do want our focus to be on high quality wooden products, however I think adding what many people buy monthly could help the business!
 
I'm conflicted about the Plastikote questions as I know how long it can take to paint things (I spent a couple of hours today painting a new house) and on the one hand I believe people should be paid fairly for their time but on the other hand, prices that take into account your time may be unaffordable for many people. I wouldn't want to pay more than a few pounds extra for a plastikoted item. More than that and I would rather paint it myself. Maybe if it was a nicely painted patterned or decorated item I might pay a bit more but those types of designs take so long to do and I think a genuinely fair price would be unaffordable. Simple stuff like shelves and platforms are probably feasible.

This is the big problem with selling handmade crafts - they take so much time to make compare to mass produced versions and many people are unable or unwilling to pay for that time.

Plastikote is one of the best sealants that I have tried so far, however it is very expensive and there are many other non-toxic gloss paints and sealants out there which are much cheaper. For Leo's multichamber house I actually used a Rustin's wood oil which I verified was non-toxic and it worked out really well. I look for the phrases "toy-safe" or "food-safe" on packaging.

You could have a look at FurryNatural on Etsy. I think they make similar types of things to what you are thinking of with wood from their own land. It might be interesting to compare what kinds of things they are selling at what prices.
 
Thank you so much for this insight! It is SO helpful that you took the time to write this!!

The cost of labour is what I am struggling with, however, we will always aim to provide real premium hamster products. I do not want to pump out items, but each item will be hand-crafted and looked over to ensure quality. No splinters, cracked or stained wood, excessive glue, etc. With that being said, the price for these items will unfortunately be higher than many popular brands (albeit notorious for poor quality items, such as Trixie).

I think we may try some cheaper options, such as wooden hides that slot together. I personally am not a huge fan of this style of hide, however it would make for a cheaper option. I do want cheaper options, as I want to be accessible for everyone especially those who are upgrading their current (and possibly improper) hamstercare.

The Plastikote will also be add-on only. All customers would have the option to have it, or just get the raw wooden hide. I was talking about the convenience factor earlier in this thread. I think many people would choose to plastikote it themselves, given they had the time & product. However, many people don't. Convenience does sell, and that is something I'd like to provide.

I want to provide add ons, as I think both the convenience and personalisation would be wonderful. We're looking at engraving hides with the hamsters names, which would be completely optional. I think things like that are really, really sweet.

I will be definitely getting in some cheaper items too. Bamboo rings, beech chips, etc. Long term, I would LOVE for this store to have enough products to cater to everyone. The wooden hides themselves are currently looking to be around the £30-£50 mark. I 100% understand that this is pricey, but I want to emphasise the quality.

Currently, items are being prototyped by me and soon those in my immediate circle (i.e; fosterers for my rescue).

I will definitely be looking more into child-safe/food-safe sealants in the future, when we are getting towards releasing the store. And thank you for that tip on FurryNatural. I have had a small look and they are some-what similar as to what we are doing, but a bit more basic in terms of hides. I will keep their prices in mind though!
 
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