# Allowing buyers into your home?



## genevie (Mar 11, 2012)

I breed mice as pets, and earlier today I started thinking about the prospect of letting buyers into my home. Naturally, a lot of people like to see the parents of an animal before they buy. So far, I haven't had any people request that, but I'm sure I will at some point. For obvious reasons, I'm not particularly comfortable having strangers in my home. Is there any compromise to this? I fear that people will become suspicious if I tell them they can't meet the parents ... I am very active with updates on many social networking sites, so perhaps I'll be less likely to encounter people wanting to visit (seeing as they get a pretty good inside view of what's going on with my mousery), but I'm just not sure what to do if the problem arises.


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## ThatCertainGlow (Jun 23, 2012)

I don't really think pet buyers need to be going into the homes. Unless they are very particular, and/or had a bad prior experience with the health, or temperament, of small pets. But those would be likely the ones who had been talking your ear off for sometime, so less (sort of) like a stranger. Potential breeders... I really think those must come into breeders mouseries/studs, if possible. If that is the home, then that is where they should visit.

Makes me uncomfortable too, as I'm not terribly social anymore, but hopefully there is no good reason for my discomfort. I suppose you have less to worry about there, or more... Not sure what your laws are for owning 'too many' animals, or how they define that.

I'm still trying to work all this out for myself too, so I understand your concern. Those two things are where I'm at on this so far. Granted, I intend to swerve the pet buyer situation as much as I can in good conscience. 

Good luck with your decision.


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## WoodWitch (Oct 18, 2009)

I've always allowed those who've had mice from me into my home and usually had a good chat and a coffee as they often want to ask all kinds of questions, which is good I think!


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## Fantasia Mousery (Jul 16, 2011)

When people come here to pick up a mouse, I always let them in. I've never heard of anyone (here in Denmark) who doesn't. It might be because we're a small country, and most of the breeders know each other more or less. 
I don't have a problem letting people into my home at all. I wouldn't let in a total stranger, but prior to selling mice I usually have good, long conversations with the potential buyers. I like to "judge" people before I sell them "my" lovely offspring. Also, most people like to see all the mice I have. Mind you, I don't have a hundred like some show breeders do. I have somewhere between 20 and 50, depending.


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## genevie (Mar 11, 2012)

I breed on a very small scale and converse with the people I'm selling to fairly extensively, so I suppose I shouldn't be so worried, but I do have fairly severe social anxiety problems and though I'm working through the, having strangers in my house in something that just makes me feel uncomfortable.

I'm thinking now, perhaps in the case that someone wants to see my mice, I could meet them in a public place so I can get a feel for them before going back to my home. Which is sort of what happened with the breeder I got my first mice from, we met at a station and I felt fairly comfortable with her by the time we reached her house.


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## Fantasia Mousery (Jul 16, 2011)

That sounds like a good option.


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## PPVallhunds (Jul 26, 2010)

When I've sold mice I've either met at shows or met people in public places, like you I don't really like giving out my adress as there's too many nut jobs out there. I've never had anyone ask to see parents, parent so guess with smaller pets most don't really care about it unlike with something like dogs where most know it's best to see at least mum.

If I got to know someone then it would be diffrent, after a few emails from Paul he came to my house to pick up his mice and mice I had picked up from others for him.


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## pauly (Feb 21, 2013)

I never thought about that. My wife says it's because I'm not female. Sorry J.

Certainly here in Ireland , if you're selling ferrets or lurcher pups, lads don't give out their address, they'll meet in a pub car park or similar. It's because of Travellers, there's been a lot of thefts of hunting dogs.


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## PPVallhunds (Jul 26, 2010)

Lol your all right Paul, your not a nutter so your fine and you came baring gifts, that all ways helps lol.

I've Hurd of people having problems in the bird fancy, two I've Hurd of where people have been winning to one day come home to find someone had broken into there averiy and stolen and killed birds. Also Hurd it with puppies, people advertise a litter then come home to the house broken into and pups stolen. Never Hurd of it in mice but you never know.


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## Seafolly (Mar 13, 2012)

I've let two pet buyers in happily. I get a good sense of them prior to meeting and if I was nervous about them at all I wouldn't be selling to them in the first place. I want to appear approachable, especially if they decide they need to offload the mice at a later time. It's also good for them to get an idea of how the mice are kept if they're new to it. I do move the tanks to a more accessible area (they're normally upstairs in a spare bedroom) but I make sure everything's there to be seen.

I did meet someone elsewhere but that was their preference.


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## ThatCertainGlow (Jun 23, 2012)

Seafolly said:


> ... I do move the tanks to a more accessible area (they're normally upstairs in a spare bedroom) but I make sure everything's there to be seen. ...


This, is never going to happen here! :lol: Not hauling all those downstairs. Or at least, not when I have my full amount of filled cages.

I'm beginning to think it's a question of how many you have, really. While I wouldn't offer these as pets to anyone, I doubt I'd get too many shocked people at the quantity. Only have 7 adults, and 7 young-adults, atm. However, for what I'm going to produce out of the foundation mice I'm getting in May, I will need a total of 115 adults. Pretty much year round, with varying amounts of young-adults or 'heir's'.

I think, at least here, if someone was turned down, they could decide to report that kind of number, and cause problems. Or worse, harm the mice somehow. Even if you have talked to someone, a number of times, they could have left out some really unexpected information that would make for a bad situation; where you would be denying them.

Like... 
"I know I said I would use blah blah bedding, but really I intend to use my uncles fresh sawdust from his cedar chest making company...Even though you said this will likely hurt them." and "I'm only going to feed them Fruit Loops, instead of what I told you, because I like Fruit Loops." 
or "I know you said they can't be let out to run around, like rats, and I agreed, but I want mine to be like rats. So I'm going to do it anyway."

I have run into some really odd last minute stuff from people before (mostly to do with chickens). Plus the backlash. Thankfully the person in charge of that sort of thing already knew me, and my chickens. It was all words, not direct harm actions. So I guess I just don't know how to predict such weirdness, beforehand. Maybe I think people are more reasonable than they are. :roll:

Perhaps pet breeders have little cause for concern, because mice numbers are low, and having long conversations, with each person? Long pre-visit conversations wouldn't be a problem, but I'd need active (working towards the standards) breeders, in a few hours travel, to only keep low numbers of mice for myself. Sounds to me like you should be fine though.


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## Seafolly (Mar 13, 2012)

Hahaha yeah I think tank cleaning alone has really set back my healing (disc injury at the young age of 27!).

I too have a small number: 9. Two 10 gallons with females, and two cages with my two bucks. Good point though - easy to be viewed as a hoarder. If the numbers are large I'd just make the parents available to be seen I think. At the moment I like being able to show four generations at once. 

I totally let one of my does run around like a rat.  Just one though - she seems more like a rat than a mouse. I agree though, I've only sold to people keeping only as pets so I'm not worried about the ones I've dealt with. One's gone above and beyond (she's here on the forum!). However, I don't think I'm going to likely sell more. Yet at least. IF the astrex manage to miraculously make it all the way back to Ontario where I live (I'm in Florida this week) I have a lot of inbreeding to do with recessives that are no good so this is a moot point for me now, unless the person is known to me and understands the risks. /random


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Nov 19, 2012)

I breed gerbils (I haven't started breeding mice yet) and I allow buyers to come into my home, but I do not let them come into my animal room. I bring the gerbils out to them in a carrier. I haven't had anyone want to see the parents yet, but I suppose if I did I would just bring them out in the carrier also unless they are with young pups.
I've only had one family ask me why they couldn't go in the room and I told them it was because I had newborns in the room and I didn't want them to be disturbed.

I don't have many animals, especially since I don't really breed gerbils as much anymore. I've had people tell me they were going to report me for hording when I don't have that many animals and all of my animals are well cared for. People just see the amount of tanks and cages that I have and assume they are all crammed with critters I suppose. They don't realize that about half of my tanks and cages are empty.

It kind of irritates me that hording has become such a big deal that someone who takes good care of their animals has to worry about being reported.


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