what is the cost of owning a guinea pig?

Answer 1

This estimate is based upon ONE pig.

Your initial investment, including the piggie, will be about $150 if you don't go overboard. This includes C&C cage, water bottle, food dish, bedding, pellets, hay, pigloo & one piggie.

Plan to spend about $25 or more per month, depending on how well you take care of your piggie. You will need to purchase fresh veggies on a bi-weekly basis (unless you have a garden & grow your own). Pellets, bedding, hay, & Vitamin C tablets can be purchased in bulk on a monthly basis to make things easier. Plan to have at least $300 in emergency vet funds should you need it.

Please consider adopting from a local shelter or rescue!

Answer 2

My friends Pinky and Joxer are living with me for more than two years.

There are initial costs and maintenance cost (but not fixed).

Initial costs (I constructed the cage my self):
1) Chloroplast $10.00
2) Grids $16.00
3) Aspen (big bag) $8.50
4) Dish plate $4.50 (I bought a dog dish made from hard plastic)
5) Water tray $4.00
6) Some toys $15.00
7) Sprayer $3.50 (to mix and spray the water and vinegar solution)

Total $61.50

Maintenance costs per month:
1) Aspen $8.50 (this bag can last more than one month depending on the size of the cage and how often you clean it)
2) Dry food $6.75
3) Fresh food $20.00
4) Vinegar $2.00 rounded
5) Hay $3.5

Total $40.75a month

Your furry friends Will cost you more or less like this if you take a good care on them. Of course it will depend on the state you live in, taxes, etc. Don't buy those too expensive toys. They will have a lot of fun if you let them play and discover out of the cage, a paper bag is good too. Give them fresh hay if possible and a lot of love.

Answer 3

Your greatest expense will be your cage, which run about $69.99 Cdn., at PJ Pets in Toronto, ON (Size: 24 inches x 15 inches x 6 inches deep). When calculating your costs, don't forget to add approximately $5.00 to your grocery bill, to include fruit and vegetables for your new pet.

I currently have seven guinea pigs, which I estimate cost me roughly $50 per month. I do however, clean all cages FULLY, twice-a-week, which means I spend more on bedding. Even when I had one piggy in one cage, I still cleaned it 2-3 times weekly, as I like them to be clean, dry, and happy :)

Another option to lower the costs for a cage, is by creating your own "Cube Cage". This is a unique, simple method, using Coroplast and wire grids, where you can customize your cage to pretty well fit in any area, to any number of guinea pigs. I have two cube cages that house four of my piggies, and even have a ramp that leads to a second level. [Cube Cage link: http://www.guineapigcages.com/cubes.htm]

Please check your local animal shelter regarding adopting one of their guinea pigs. Or a lot of the larger pet stores offer a discount and/or a free guinea pig with the purchase of your cage. That could save you approx. $25 on your initial purchase.

Enjoy your new Critter :)

Answer 4

about 30 maybe less or more to buy one. About 70 to make a cage more if you buy a petstore one. Food is about 5 dollars. Good bedding is about 15 dollars for a good big bag thats lasts about a month. Veggies that can cost about 10 dollars or more a week. So around 150 dollars to get the piggy and its accesseries. Then about 30 dollars or more a month.

Answer 5

Justified gave you a good estimate above. I just want to stress that you will need money available for vet bills. Periodlically, you'll need to take your pig to a vet that knows guinea pigs and that might be an exotic vet.

If possible, you shoudl adopt 2 piggies. They are herd animals and need at least one friend. The extra pig may increase your expenses by about 5% from one pig.

Addition: No cedar shavings!

Answer 6

Cage, food dish, water bottle. Weekly bedding changes (use care fresh or aspen, about $5.00 a bag). Hay (timothy is best) about $4.00 a bag. A bag of guinea pig pellets about $5-6 a bag. Vitamin C supplement, about $7.00 but a bottle will last a long time. You might spend about $20.-$25.00 a month on supplies.

Answer 7

I think all in all to get may daughter started with her pigs we spend around $150 to $200. Now that we have had them for a while it costs maybe $20 a month to maintain a healthy diet and living enviroment for them.

Answer 8

Including the food and shavings for the cage about 20$ to 30$.

Answer 9

I don't know, but if you know how to properly car for a guinea pig, list all the supplys you would need, and note aproximately how much each one will cost, then how often each will have to be replaced. Then calculate a yearly total.

Answer 10

$40-$100 for the pig
$20-the cage
$5-the hay -weekly
$5- food- weekly
$15-toys