Expensive pets!

[Gforcepiggies]

@Agrimony
My bedding is shredded phone books, coming from a town near me. Hay comes from a friend so it's totally free. It's all the extra they have after making a bale, and it really adds up, fast too. Pellets are Oxbow, like normal!!!!!! I give them veggie scraps from our salads every night, and it's usually between 1 and 2 cups. Darwynn's vet visit was only 20 dollars.

 

[LifeAsItMayBe]

After lurking on this site for a while, I had previously estimated I could take care of two pigs for $250 to start, plus about $425 per year (not including vet bills). I've been keeping a spreadsheet on my computer since I got my pigs and so far I've spent $859.19 in 8 1/2 months. I'll probably have spent over $1000 by the end of the year.

Some of the expenses I figured wrong for my situation:
+got three guinea pigs instead of two
+using disposable bedding instead of fleece
+shipping on hay (effectively doubles the price)
+all the "extras" I didn't think I'd want: table to put the cage on, plastic carrier, pet nail clippers, etc.

I think I should also add that this is only money that I personally spent. My mom has a habit of buying them vegetables while at the store (she's spent at least as much on their veggies as I have, probably more) and she also paid for part of the table. So, yeah, they are pretty expensive, even compared to what I had thought after a little bit of research. But, I wouldn't give 'em back!

 

[MissJean]

Guinea pigs definitely have an initial expense. Let's see, for my last two pigs the initial buys were:

Adoption fee ($30)
C&C cage ($30)
2 changes of fleece liners ($120)
4 fleece tidy mats ($24)
Pellet dish ($4)
water bottle ($8)

216 US dollars. My memory could be a bit flaky on these prices, fyi. I have two pairs of pigs and the other cage has the same approximate cost.

To feed four pigs I spend approximately 5 dollars a week on veggies, 50 bucks on hay every other month (I just looked it up on KMS. Holy cow!), 10 pounds of pellets every two months for 25 dollars. *I could be wrong*, as my purchase history does not look consistent.

Then you have vet bills. So far my pigs have been blessed with great health and have not needed many vet trips. I keep a 500 dollar vet fund handy, though it used to be a bit more. We adjust to to our evolving financial situations.

 

[mamattorney]

I just did this - here are my costs:

cage: $49.22
Uhaul: $39.75, but I over ordered
Joann fabric (enough for 4 set fleece; overbought a bit): $64.10
hideys, water bottle, food dish, hay rack, nail scissors, brush: $55.66
Table to put cage on $38.14
small dustpan/broom and hair remover: $12.75
guinea pigs; 2 at $15 each = $30
initial vet visit = free because we adopted

lettuce (otherwise we use family veggies): $4/wk
KM: 10 TC BKT/9 2nd Timothy: $54.81
additional supplies (new waterbottle because mine leaked, hay and food because KM hadn't arrived): $37.58

Still need:
air purifier: @$120
table cloth/skirt for table: @$45

So that's $289.62 in start up costs with $165 remaining to be bought and about $100 on initial foodstuff. Plus if I had bought from a breeder or petstore, I'd probably be in for another $80 or $100 in vet costs.

 

[Inle_Rabbit]

I have had between 1 and 4 pigs for a year and a half now and I have spent around 2K for them.

 

[couchon]

I wish everyone would realize how serious of a financial commitment they are. One of my girls got sick last week, and our total for vet bills just for that week is over $1500. It's a very serious commitment, because you may very well need to spend a lot of money to do right by them.

 

[Agrimony]

I wish everyone would realize how serious of a financial commitment they are. One of my girls got sick last week, and our total for vet bills just for that week is over $1500. It's a very serious commitment, because you may very well need to spend a lot of money to do right by them.

Exactly! My boy Pickle had vet bills around that amount I am still working to pay off. Everyone thought I was crazy for spending that and not just putting him down. I would reply well would you get the surgery for your dog? And my answers were always yes but that's not a dog it is just a guinea pig. It still amazes me sometimes how they are not thought of as real pets, but if you care for them right it can take a lot of maintenance and possibly a lot of money as well.

 

[piggi_zone]

Exactly! My boy Pickle had vet bills around that amount I am still working to pay off. Everyone thought I was crazy for spending that and not just putting him down. I would reply well would you get the surgery for your dog? And my answers were always yes but that's not a dog it is just a guinea pig. It still amazes me sometimes how they are not thought of as real pets, but if you care for them right it can take a lot of maintenance and possibly a lot of money as well.

somebody ealier in this post mentioned pet insurance, I htink they only have that in the uk. I looked it up in the us and I think all they have is
cat and dog insurance. sucks it seems like nobody ( outside of piggie owners themselves) thinks of piggie owners

 

[mufasa]

Exactly! My boy Pickle had vet bills around that amount I am still working to pay off. Everyone thought I was crazy for spending that and not just putting him down. I would reply well would you get the surgery for your dog? And my answers were always yes but that's not a dog it is just a guinea pig. It still amazes me sometimes how they are not thought of as real pets, but if you care for them right it can take a lot of maintenance and possibly a lot of money as well.

I hear you! I think that even some of my friends think I'm nuts for all the vet visits and the specialist for Borat, and force feedings for nearly two months to keep him alive till we could find out what was wrong with him. Yes, the vet bills took a financial toll, but I'd do the same for any of my pets. Bo was no less important than my bird, cats, or horse. Regardless of species, he was a family member.

 

[BubuCandyBlue]

I have care credit for my guinea pigs, not sure if that is at all what you are talking about. It saved me when I got my four digit vet bill for my boy Pickle!

Yes thx. I started a new thread in the Medical area.

 

[porkchophamster]

I try not to think about how much I spend on the unnecessary things like more hideys that they don't even use or wooden chews that they don't chew on lol I have a Carecredit card for emergencies (for all 4 of my animals). My mom thought I was crazy to spend $40/month on dog food and $20/month on cat food. She now thinks I'm crazier for buying fresh veggies every week for the pigs! Lol! Not to mention the hay and pellets.....It's ok though. I love my pets They are worth it.

 

[MissJean]

I try not to think about how much I spend on the unnecessary things like more hideys that they don't even use or wooden chews that they don't chew on lol I have a Carecredit card for emergencies (for all 4 of my animals). My mom thought I was crazy to spend $40/month on dog food and $20/month on cat food. She now thinks I'm crazier for buying fresh veggies every week for the pigs! Lol! Not to mention the hay and pellets.....It's ok though. I love my pets They are worth it.

Oh boy, I forgot about all the unnecessary things! I recently purchased ONE 40 dollar fleece hut from the UK . Our currency is worth less and shipping was really high, but they love that thing to pieces! I'm always on Etsy drooling over new hiding houses for them.

Spoiled little devils!

 

[mufasa]

I love to buy things for the girls, too, but it seems like the things they love most are freebies and cheapies like boxes and paper bags. I did finally score a hit, though. I got them a willow twig hidey, and they go nuts for it.

I still have all sorts of tunnel pieces around the house. Borat loved his tunnels, so hubby and I were always finding new ones or getting pieces to add to his snap-together set whenever we were at the store. The girls use the tunnels a bit, but not with nearly as much passion as Bo.

 

[KaileighRussell]

Ah - I feel this so much.
My parents were like, "YOU SPENT WHAT ON GUINEA PIGS! WHY DOES A GUINEA PIG NEED TO GO TO A VET?!" Granted, my parents are really great pet people, they just have never had guinea pigs before. My mother adores them though, so does my dad - he's just too manly to admit it, but I've caught him snuggling when we visit.

I think any pet you have deserves the right to proper care - including vets. Which is why I honestly have been just tucking away money for the vet fund (like the 52 week challenge 1 day=1.00, day 2 = 2.00) because it helps to have a pet slush fund.

I recently had an apartment fire - which destroyed everything. My cat had a 600.00 vet bill for pneumonia/ smoke inhilation and the girls where checked out (and thankfully) completely healthy. But still - I could just imagine guinea pig vet bill x 3.

 

[Inle_Rabbit]

I recently had an apartment fire - which destroyed everything. My cat had a 600.00 vet bill for pneumonia/ smoke inhilation and the girls where checked out (and thankfully) completely healthy. But still - I could just imagine guinea pig vet bill x 3.

Does your renter's insurance cover some or all of the vet bills? I believe mine has a clause in it for the pets.

 

[Lucille]

Also (**I'm not familiar with your tax system so check with your tax people**) here, disaster losses not covered by insurance can sometimes be deductible.

 

[KaileighRussell]

@Inle_Rabbit They covered a little bit of the cat's one - but not the guinea pigs check up's. Mostly because I was picky about the vet - as it was outside of my "normal" vet (she's not an exotics vet - so she takes care of my cat).

I was lucky enough for the cat that Toronto Cat Rescue volunteers donated money to pay off Bo's bill - because I had lsot everything in the fire. The girls were in a large, raised C&C cage and apparently the cage sat right in between the two layers of smoke - so they didn't get the massive smoke inhilation the cat did.

My cat loves his girls (under strict supervision) - he likes to nap with them during floor time and so any amount of money was worth it to make sure they were all okay.

Since then i've always tucked money away for savings and vet bills.

****EDIT - The cat is only allowed with the girls on floor time when I'm right beside them in the room. They would never be allowed in the same room without supervision. Just wanted to make sure that was very very clear. If I leave the room - the cat leaves with me.

 

[Inle_Rabbit]

@KaileighRussell , I didn't say this earlier but I am so sorry about the fire and I am glad that you and your animals got out safely.

 

[KaileighRussell]

@Inle_Rabbit Thank you! Honestly you find the absolute good in people in a crisis. I had to laugh though - my three girls came out of the apartment in a cooler with a grumbly firefighter who said they absolutely would not let him touch them.

Thank goodness they were all okay - but definitely glad that I saved money for vet bills!

 

[CavyMama]

Still need:
air purifier: @$120

You can get an air purifier for MUCH less than that. I got mine at Target for $60 and it works great! Filter only needs to be changed every 4 months.