In case anybody still thinks these are easy and cheap pets!

C Cole-Chakotay

Post   » Wed May 11, 2011 8:16 pm


My Tulip has been on heart meds for nearly three years now. The Lotensin tablets get filled about every three months for $10.00 at Meijer. I have the vet compound three tablets a month for $7.00. I buy a large bottle of liquid Lasix every three or four months. She goes to the vet twice yearly for checkups (approx. $40.00 each visit).

Buffy and Ginger have had one well-pig visit and so far they are doing well.

I feed my girls lots of KM's hay, KM's and Oxbow pellets, and fresh veggies (mostly green and red leaf lettuce). Tulip likes endive so I get that when it looks good in the store. Buffy and Ginger enjoy green bell peppers so I try to get them at least one every other week.

My girls are on fleece but have Sunseed Sunthing Special Clean World bedding in their kitchen/hay/litter area. They go through approximately 2 1/2 large bags a month at $20.00 a bag.

This doesn't include the 'extras' - cuddle cups, huts, cage liners, fleece, towels, etc.

They do run into some money, but I love them!

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CICSTEVE

Post   » Wed May 11, 2011 9:19 pm


The worst year we had, we spent over $30,000.00 on our kids.
This was for all of them though. Neuters, and everything else. Thank god it is not like that now.
But they are all worth it. They give me more then what I give them.
I think the most on any one kid was around $5000.00. But this made her live for over 2 years longer.

Debs4Pigs

Post   » Thu May 12, 2011 10:43 am


I was lucky when Baby had a hay poke. When I first saw her eye it looked like it was bulging out and because of her age I wouldn't do surgery on her. So I made an appointment to have her PTS and picked her up to put her in the carrier and the eye was better. I had made an appointment with my regular vet and he gave her drops and her eye is better.

So on the pigs just $29 this year so far.

But their food is about $100 a week between the pigs and buns. That's not the pellets. Just veggies.

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Webs
Cavies 'n Cobwebs

Post   » Thu May 12, 2011 8:07 pm


I haven't totalled up how much on food and bedding though, the vet stuff was scary enough and I'm sure that's not it all exactly. Couldn't have managed it without credit cards either.

I also think some pet owners assume only one pet will get seriously ill at a time. Even with only two and they both are down with something serious or long term, it's not only financially draining it can be emotionally and physically draining if you're up during the night for either or wake to the slightest noise in case one has decided it's 'time to check out'.

Also if you have one who's had serious surgery and the aftercare takes longer than you expect, you end up questioning your decisions so often.

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LainLockey

Post   » Fri May 13, 2011 1:26 am


I just went through a series of procedures and a surgery with my boy Bruce. It started with dental issues and then an abscess (or possibly vice versa). He needed to have his teeth trimmed, trimmed again and then trimmed again. Then he had a tooth pulled and the abscess he developed had to be removed surgically vs. drained. In two and a half months months my vet bills totaled approximately $1900.00. Fortunately he's made a full recovery and to me that's all that matters.

People assume that small animals are cheap and easy to care for but my piggies have cost me A LOT more than my cat ever has.
Guinea pigs are a lot of things - cute, affectionate and wonderful (just to name a few) but they are NOT inexpensive pets.

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GuineaPiggin

Post   » Fri May 13, 2011 4:40 am


Twizzler was my $650 pig, he had a gigantic cyst on the side of his face, right under his eye. $500 for the surgery to remove said cyst and trim his molars (vet noticed they were slightly overgrown and thought it best to work on them while he was already under for the surgery), that cost included the lab work to determine whether or not he was a good candidate for surgery. Another $100 was for a vet visit and the prescribed ABs when the cyst returned a year and a half later. The final $50 was having him PTS 2 weeks into the 3 weeks of ABs. The light was gone from his eyes, you could see he was just done. ='(

Most of my coworkers thought I was nuts spending this kind of money on a "stupid rat".

Oliver so far hasn't been that bad, about $320 for him with vet checks and a couple UTIs.

Percy is the next one at a mere $174, vet check and pain meds only to be diagnosed with "bad 'tude", which it actually says on his chart. =)

Bubba has been the "cheapest" as his first vet check was free via the Humane Society and the latest was a "well pet" check at my new vet.

I don't even want to think about how much it's cost me in terms of essential supplies (food and bedding), toys, beds and cage materials. Yet, I wouldn't trade them for the world!

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LainLockey

Post   » Fri May 13, 2011 1:21 pm


Yea, that's always the nicest thing to hear isn't it GuineaPiggin? I always get: "It's just a guinea pig, it's not like it's a dog or something.".

TwoWhitePiggies

Post   » Fri May 13, 2011 2:45 pm


Our local vet is wonderful and very reasonably priced. Still, with all of the bladder stones we've encountered, TWP_2 and I have found ourselves getting by with a lot less in order to make sure our boys get the healthcare they need.

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