What's the monthly cost of owning a guineapig?

Question

and having to buy all the materials. how much does that add up to every month?

Answer 1

it varies..if you get a decent sized cage for him or her brand new that'll run you about 50-100 dollars, give or take. But once thats bought, you never have to buy it again..also you'll need a water bottle and a food bowl so you're looking at another 10 dollars or so for that..You'll also need some animal nail clippers, Im not sure how much those go for, but I got some bunny nail clippers from preferred pets for 5 dollars.


As far as monthly maintanence, if you go to walmart you can get the BIG bags of litter, which will save you money. they're about 5 dollars a bag, and one big bag should last the entire month, maybe even longer. Food varies but you can get a big bag of plain guinea big food for another 5 dollars. , add on treats and what not..If you're a smart shopper you can probably own a guinea pig for about 20 dollars per month, maybe 25.. After the cage and everything is bought. Maybe less but its always good to over estimate. If you get the small bags of litter, they'll cost more and you'll have to buy them more frequently. they're probably about 3-4 dollars a bag and you'll have to buy about 2 or 3 a month..which is why I say go for the big bags.

Dont forget something might come up and you could end up having to take your guinea pig to the vet, so you should always be prepared for that.

Answer 2

I owned guinea pigs for a while - they are actually quite cheap to maintain as you can feed them most of your vegetable table scrap matter. The only things I bought for my guineas was some no-name food products to supplement their diet. The big question to ask yourself is -- can I really stand cleaning up their mess they make (and they do make a mess quickly) and do I really want to have that smell in my home all the time (because believe me they do stink!). And what about all the noises they seem to make all the time? Don't they all ever sleep at the same time? And be careful because they breed faster than rabbits or cockroaches ever could!! I started with two pigs, and within a 2 month span had over 25 pigs!!!!

Answer 3

Cages are cheap, you can build one like at guineapigcages.com for around $30. The main cost is upkeep.

I have six guinea pigs, and I spend ~$20 a week in veggies (you can't just feed them "table scraps" as someone else suggested, they need a varied, balanced diet), ~$20 a month on Oxbow pellets (one of the few healthy brands out there, not junk like Hartz or Kaytee), and then hay, which I spend about $20 a month on as well.

The most expensive cost is vet care. Most guinea pig vet visits will run you a minimum of $100, and they do tend to get sick, so you need to plan on at least 1 visit per year, per pig. More if one of your pigs ends up with something contagious.

Answer 4

Another inexpensive thing you can buy for it, is carrots. When I had a guineapig, she really loved them. Every time I went near the fridge she would squeal to let me know she wanted a carrot. Guinea pigs are not that expensive. You just have to clean their cages out often.