question about the cost of owning a rodent?

Question

I'm getting a job soon (I'm 17) and after I save up some money for more important things I was hoping to buy a pet rat or maybe a hamster. I've had pet rats before when I was younger so I wanted to do that again (a hamster would be ok too). The thing is my mom thinks I wont take care of it on my own (even though I've proven I can by owning other pets in the past) so I want to pay for everything but I don't know how much it will cost a month, or a week. I know of all the items I'll be needing to get started but how much do you guys spend on the bedding and food for your rodents a month, or every two months, how ever often?

I already own some hermit crabs and I'm very dedicated to them. I know that I can handle the responsibility and care so don't worry about that I've even done research on top of already owning some rats and Guinea pigs in the past.

Answer 1

Ok, let's break this down a little bit--

Initial costs:
Cage - $25-$45 (depending on how fancy you get)
Ceramic Food Dish - $2
Water Bottle - $3
Metal Guard - $6 (This is a good investment b/c rodent will chew on just about anything including their water bottles. The guard will help prevent spills and leaks)
Food - $5 or less for most 5lb bags
Bedding - $10 (that's for a med. sized bag of Carefresh which should last you about two months)
Wheel - $5
Chew sticks/toys - $5
Hiding Hut - $4
Animal - $10 (that's pretty much true for either a rat or hamster--unless you get a fancier one)

Total Initial Cost: $75

Monthly Costs -
Food - $5
Bedding - $10
Chews/Toys - $5

Total Monthly Cost: $20 (Sometimes less b/c if you get a large enough bag, you don't need to buy bedding every month

Weekly Costs:
Chew Sticks - $2 or less (You can get a 4-pack of "minnie stick munchies" at Wal-Mart for 88 cents)

I think that should cover it!

Answer 2

The start up cost is of course the most. After that the cost is minimal, except for emergency vet care which can cost a few hundred dollars for respiratory infections, tumors, etc. I ave never had a rat that didn't have to go to the vet for one thing or another.

Cage: Around 60+
A wire cage is best. Tanks can be dangerous to rats. They have very strong urine and the ammonia builds in the cage, since there is no circulation in the tank. I found wire to be easier to clean, nothing worse than trying to dump a 20 gal tank. One rat needs at least 2 cubic feet of space.
Great place for cages:
http://www.martinscages.com/products/cages/rat/

Food: Around $5 monthly
Pellets are best if you are not going to feed homemade diets. Seed is not nutritionally complete as rats pick and choose what they like to eat, and leave the rest.

Bedding: $20 for a large carefresh pack, which will last for a few months, especially if you have a wire cage, you don't need as much bedding

Toys: $30
My rats love ferret "funels", another choice is the pvc piping from the hardware store(its cheaper, but not as appealing to the eye). Jingle balls(cat balls) hammocks

Accessories: $30
Heavy ceramic or metal food bowl, water bottle, igloo(for hiding), treats

Answer 3

the ongoing cost is not very much at all probably only a few dollars a month at the most a lot less than you would pay to keep a dog or cat. The initial cost is a lot as you need to buy a good cage and an exercise wheel. It depends on what you pick as the prices vary. You do need to shop around as you would for most things. It is also quiet fun to make your own cage and probably better and more cost effective (cheaper) but you may need a bit of help and the use of wood working tools.( a saw hammer nails screws drill hinges and staples for attatching wire mesh) Re choice of pet a couple of rats female would be the way to go. They are more responsive to people than hamsters and their diet is closer to ours also. So what you learn about their daily requirements is also something that is important in your diet re vitamins minerals and protein. so good luck and have fun

Answer 4

Once you buy the cage, food bowl and water bottle, keeping a rodent is pretty cheap. Rodent block (aka lab blocks) are the best food. That and a good hamster mix for a treat are fine. A bag of each will last quite a while. Also, bedding like carefresh or aspen should be changed weekly. I would figure on spending about $10.00 a month for these items. Toys and treats would be extra of course.

Answer 5

Rodent cage: $30- $149 Water bottle: $5 Food: $8 for a fairly large bad that will last a while. Bedding: depends on what you get: cedar, recycled paper, chlorophil anyhow, about $ 12 month Rodent: pet stores sell them $10-$20 each. Wood chew toys/ wood houses to hide inside, tunnels etc $20 Or you can use any old food boxes.. they love to chew and shred card board boxes, plus they will make their little nests inside of them. Liquid vitamin supplement add a few drops to their water bottle $ 5- $7, should last a while. Hamsters, mice, gerbils are prone to getting pneumonia... even young ones. Look for lethargic activity, AND hard labored breathing. They need to see a vet. call around and find a vet who will treat rodents for their ailments. Most clinics will charge less to see rodents. They can take antibiotics just like cats and dogs do. When they get pneumonia, if left untreated, they will die, and its a slow .. long death. Make sure you have a vet they can see if needed.

Answer 6

Well once you get the initial start up fee of cage, wheel, water bottle food bowl etc. its fairly cheap. Food is like $3 every few months and bedding $5 every few weeks. The bedding needs to be changed every day or every two days. Also you will need a hampster/rat ok container to use while cleaning the cage.

However it is a MUST that you have money in case of emergency and need a vet.

Answer 7

I know I'm not the foremost authority on rats here, but I can give my 2 cents. =)

Rats are GREAT pets and overall, not too expensive to take care of. You'll want to shop around for a vet first, one that's cost effective for you as well as has the best interest of the animal in mind. You don't *have* to have a vet, but it really helps if something unexpected pops up, like a cyst or a tumor (rats are VERY prone to tumors).

As far as cages go, you have a few options. Some like to put their rats in fish tanks (be sure you have a weighted lid), I like to use an actual cage (rats love to climb on bars), and I recently came across these beauties, that look large *and* cost effective: http://www.dapper.com.au/grotto.htm. You just have to get your hands a little dirty.

Our vet said paper bedding is ideal and that they really don't need any more than that. Do look up rat diets. I mix my own rat food, but I really need to be getting them more nutritious things, like the renowned Green Mush and Lab Blocks. If you eat *healthy*, they can eat pretty much anything you do. My girls love banannas and chicken bones and just about any scraps I give them. They're great little garbage disposals at times. If your diet isn't the best and you share it with your ratties, it'll show. When I was very young and didn't know any better, I watched my parents give fries and other fast food scraps to our first set of rats. They developed horrible tumors and died prematurely.

Female rats stink less than the males. Spend lots of time with your rattie. I find that a single rat is more sociable with humans than keeping two or more. To me, they seem to stay more rat-like. However, if you're going to be gone for long periods of time, a friend helps a lot.

I'm sure there's tons I've forgotten to include, but overall, rats really are wonderful pets. http://www.ratfanclub.org/ is a WONDERFUL site, the Rat Lady is so sweet and helpful and her links answer any question I have.

Answer 8

i see that you've considered the cost of food, a cage, water bottles (2 in case one breaks) dishes and what not, but have you thought about the vet bills if your future rats get sick???

i just recently spent 200$ on one of my rats. she had a sebaceous cyst on her face that needed to be removed. i paid for anesthetics, antibiotics and the general cost of seeing the vet. also i had to clean it 2x a day with peroxide and a topical cream. i had to clean the cage 2x a day until it had healed as well.
the only reason i'm bothering to tell you this is so that your aware of the cost. i never thought that it would be that much, however i couldn't watch my girl suffer either.
and yes i would spend it all over again if i had too.

plus i noticed that you said that you were going to buy a rat, for social reasons its always best to by in pairs. especially if you aren't going to be able to play with them as often because of that job that you have.
if this sounds rude or snarky in anyway its not meant to be. i just think that when people get pets and are really consider the cost they should go in with eyes wide open.
so good luck to you with whatever you decide to get.

Answer 9

the initial set up (use a fishtank!) is about 60 dollars plus the hamster

then in a month it will probably need new litter and food (7 dollar litter and 5 dollar food kept mine alive for 6 years) ill cost you 12 dollars plus tax

1 vet check a year cost 30 dollars (mine never went to the vet)

NEVER buy bulk litter it makes a mess if you trip over it at night.

Answer 10

cage 24.99 beding 10.00 food 6.00 rodent 7.00 to 11.00 dollers hope it helps.