Small Animal Breeder Agricultural Careers By: Dr. Frank Flanders and Asha Wise Georgia Agricultural Education Curriculum Office Georgia Department of Education April 2006

Job Duties & Responsibilities Select animals to breed Inspect animals for injuries or illness Make sure animals are watered and fed Maintain animal pens, cages or living area

Qualities and Skills Small animal breeders should enjoy working with animals They should have a vast knowledge of the animals they breed They should also have an understanding of genetics, biology and genealogy Having social and verbal communication skills will be helpful when dealing with customers

Salary Earnings vary widely among small animal breeders The size of the operation, the type of animal produced, and the efficiency, of the business will influence the earnings Some breeders earn modest profits Others make fairly large amounts of money Workers will earn about $9,000 to $16,000 per year and generally receive benefits such as paid holidays and vacation

Work Environment Self employed breeders work every day of the week Owners of large operations may work long, regular hours and have employees who care for the animals at other times May do heavy lifting May be exposed to unpleasant odors Photo by Jesper Clausen

Other Careers You Might Want to Explore Animal Scientist Alternate Animal Producer Artificial Inseminator Fish Hatchery Manager Game Animal Farmer Marine Biologist Veterinarian Zoologist

Career Resources American Animal Hospital Association P.O. Box 15899 Denver, CO 80215-0899 http://www.healthypet.com American Association for Laboratory Animal Science 70 Timber Creek Drive Cordova, TN 38018 http://www.aalas.org National Association of Animal Breeders P.O. Box 1033 Columbia, MO 65205 http://www.naab-css.org The Fur Commission U.S.A http://www.furcommission.com