A teenager has made £2,000 from selling paintings done by her pet rats on Vinted and says she plans on keeping the side hustle going for ‘as long as they are alive’.
Ella Woodland, 18, from Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire, was curious to see whether her eight pet rodents had any artistic qualities and therefore let them play with paint in February.
The 18-year-old initially got the idea to explore their creative side after seeing a Facebook creator, TooGoods Tiny Paws, selling her rats’ artwork online.
To nurture their talent, Ella bought watercolour and kids’ paints and encouraged her rats to run through them, using their paws to ‘paint’ on mini canvases, and is thrilled at the colourful abstract results.
The student, who is currently waiting to start a degree in clinical psychology at the University of Worcester in September, now sells the prints on Vinted.
Prices started at £10 and demand has seen Ella increase her monthly sales from £80 to £500.
She has made £2,000 since March, describing her side hustle as ‘the best summer job in the world’.
While the majority of the money Ella has made from Vinted goes towards the rats’ care – including a £250 premium cage, tunnels and food mix with pasta, cereal and mealworms – she is also saving up for driving lessons.
Ella Woodland, 18, from Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire, was curious to see whether her eight rodents had any artistic qualities
Ella bought watercolour and kids’ paints and encouraged her rats to run through them, using their paws to ‘paint’ on mini canvases, and is thrilled at the colourful abstract results
Ella said: ‘I didn’t expect it to take off – I just posted a few pictures on Vinted and now it’s my summer job.
‘They just walk around [canvases] in kids’ paint – then I sell them for £10 each with a mini easel.
‘It just randomly blew up one day – it’s a win/win because I can save up for a car and lessons to drive, and the rats have so much fun running around and eating lots of baby food. I plan to keep it going as long as the rats are alive.’
Ella was gifted her first three rats – Gubler, Rumple and Reid – as an early Christmas present in September last year, by her parents.
In February, she was given newborns – Hotch, Morgan, Rossi, Luke and Gideon – to complete the set of eight and started joining Facebook groups to learn how to care for her furry pets.
In one of the groups, members kept posting content made by creator TooGoods Tiny Paws, in which she let her rats run around tiny canvases with paint on their paws.
Ella set up a ‘studio’ for her eight rodents – including a playpen, a set of watercolours and a jar of baby food to tempt them across an easel
One of Ella’s pets is pictured creating a painting by scurrying across an easel
The 18-year-old initially got the idea to explore their creative side after seeing a Facebook creator, TooGoods Tiny Paws, selling her rats’ artwork online
Ella was gifted her first three rats – Gubler, Rumple and Reid – as an early Christmas present in September last year, by her parents
Ella says a stranger posted a picture of her rats’ paintings on X, garnering seven million views which meant demand in Vinted increased by 500 per cent
Feeling inspired, Ella set up a ‘studio’ for her eight rodents – including a playpen, a set of watercolours and a jar of baby food to tempt them across an easel.
She said: ‘I started putting them in a little playpen I’d bought for them. They walk around in the paint, which is laid on the floor.
‘Sometimes I have to put my finger in a jar of baby food and let them follow it around, so they can walk around the canvas. The paint varies between watercolours and kids’ paint, like poster paint.’
In February this year, Ella began selling the mini-easels on Vinted for £10 each. Sales were slow for the first few weeks, with Ella only able to shift two to three easels per week – making £80 total in February.
But just one month later, Ella says a stranger posted a picture of her rats’ paintings on X, garnering seven million views.
Demand for the paintings on Vinted increased by 500 per cent, with Ella flogging them for ‘approximately’ £500 a month.
To date, the business has made £2,000 and Ella has even been able to turn it into a fruitful summer job.
‘I put 20 paintings on Vinted a week,’ she said. ‘They each sell straight away – people really love them.
Rat Rossi with one of his paintings in Worcestershire pictured in August
Demand for the paintings on Vinted increased by 500 per cent, with Ella flogging them for ‘approximately’ £500 a month
Rat Gideon with one of his paintings in Worcestershire pictured in August
In February this year, Ella began selling the mini-easels on Vinted for £10 each
One of the rats is pictured in their cage drinking from the water bottle
Rat Reid pictured with one of his paintings in Worcestershire in August
Ella said that she is using the money to buy rats equipment and also saving up for driving lessons
‘It’s become a summer job for me, and I’ll continue to have it as my part-time job when I start uni.
‘People are really positive – aside from a couple of people telling me how much rats scare them, I’ve only ever had good feedback. One of the reviews even said: ‘Gubler’s talent is unlimited’.’
