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Average cost?

StrangeKat

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jun 30, 2005
Messages
86
What is the average cost to keep two pigs per week? Im planning on using fleece and newspaper as a liner so the cost of bedding isn't really an issue, and we always have ample fresh veggies & fruits so no need to buy any more. So about how much will I need to spend every week?
 
sense you aren't going to use bedding, then not alot. All you'll spend money on is hay and feed, which you probably can get away with getting ever 2 weeks.
 
I spend 10-15 dollars a week on bedding. About 10 dollars on oxbow hay everyweek. I buy pellets about once a month for 10 dollars. I use fleece bedding. I have four boars. For the hay, I suggest you figure out how much hay they eat in a week then buy in bulk from (broken link removed)(broken link removed) or (broken link removed) or (broken link removed).
 
Of course, don't forget to put a little away every week for emergency/necessary vet visits. :)
 
My biggest expense, by far, is for fresh veggies. I'm sure produce is way more expensive here than where you are. A small head of romaine is about $2.00, and that lasts for two-three days for my two piggies. Red bell pepper is $5.99 a pound, but the girls don't like it. Cilantro is $1.29 for a bunch (the stems would make a circle about a nickle in diameter). You're lucky to have ample free veggies!

A 2-lb bag of Oxbow Cavy Performance pellets costs $7.00 and lasts about three-four weeks. Hay is cheap, I can't remember how much, though.
I use fleece, too, but use Carefresh in their litterbox. Wal-mart sells a version called Critter Care that costs $4.00 for a 10 liter bag that will last about two weeks. $7.00 for a pack of 32 puppy pads (a month's worth).

The biggest expense was setting up their cage in the beginning. $14.00 for a pack of cubes from Costco. I spent at least $50 trying different kinds of bedding/fleeces. Hayracks, water bottles, nail clippers, food dishes, litterboxes, hand-vac (for sucking up poos), shampoo, hidey-houses, brushes and combs all came out to be about another $100.

A sleepy pig (or two) snuggling on your lap while you're reading piggie newsgroups = priceless! (She even has the "sexy leg"!)

The most important thing to remember: Make sure you have an emergency fund for medical care. It breaks my heart when pig-parents post for advice about medical problems and tell us they can't afford to take their babies to the vet. It's a crappy situation to be in, and I hope it it never happens to you. It can range anywhere from $50 for an office visit to hundreds (or more) for surgical procedures, so be prepared. This isn't so bad if you're a grown-up, but some of the younger members of this group encounter resistance from the folks who have to pay the bill, their parents.

--Smoot,
Peanut and Domino's mum
 
Yea, the vet isn't a huge issue either as my boyfriends mom is a groomer at a vets office and if I had a serious problem she could get me in for a discount, or get me medicine for free or a reduced price. I have a cat who is likely to develop liver problems within her lifetime and she has offered whatever help she can give. And if I do ever need advice for a small problem she went to vet school for a year and has MANY animals so she could always offer advice.
 
Oh and thanks for the information everyone, it looks as if this isn't going to be as expensive as I had anticipated. Not that the money matters as much as having a happy healthy animal does, I just want to make sure that I won't end up in the poorhouse!
 
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