Cats and dogs are the most common, and perhaps, the most popular pets we could ever have. But with the numerous types of animals all over the world, some people have deviated from the overrated trends as they pick other kinds of creatures to take care of. And apparently, other individuals have been influenced as they start to accept these kinds animals as pets. One of them is a guinea pig, which belongs to the family of rodents. If you want to own one, then how much does a guinea pig cost?
The guinea pig price ranges from $10 to $35, depending on the color of the guinea pig you have chosen. However, the costs can go higher when you buy other items such as cage and toys as well as spending on its daily or monthly maintenance. You can get these cute and cuddly animals either from pet stores, breeders, humane organization or animal rescue centers.
Costs of a Guinea Pig According to Physical Attributes
*If you have selected a guinea pig that has short, black, cream and white hair or that comes with common markings, then you need to spend around $10 to $33.
*But if you want to have a more distinct type of guinea pig that has multicolored patterns in either gold and white or black and white, then it would cost you about $29.
*How much does a guinea pig cost if it is a Himalayan or the Peruvian? The most expensive price would be these two types of rodents that have long, curly hair. Each of this type has guinea pig price around $30 to $35.
Extra Costs
Of course, when you take care of an animal, whatever it may be, you should be able to provide its needs to make it live longer. Just like us humans, your pets are also living things that need all forms of care and attentions. With that being said, guinea pigs have also their specific necessities that you have to provide.
These are the items you need in caring for a guinea pig as presented by Abyssinian Guinea Pig Tips.
*Cage or Enclosure
In choosing a cage or an enclosure for your pet guinea pig, make sure it has a space of, at least, 3 inches by 2.5 inches for one rodent. If you have two guinea pigs (which is recommended), then the minimum space requirement is 30 inches by 50 inches. When it comes to its price, it may be between $25 to $300, depending the on the cage’s size and what its made of. This clearly increases the amount you will be spending on guinea pig price.
*Items for Feeding
Evidently, your pet needs to eat food and drink water and it would be better to have containers where you can place their food and water.
So, you need a feed bowl that can either be made of ceramic or metal, costing around $6 to $15. If you want to have a more sophisticated food feeder, than you can buy the hanging feeder, which you can hang on the sides, for $8 to $20.
You also need a hanging water bottle to ensure that the water will not be spilled. This item costs about $10 to $25. How much does a guinea pig cost with these things? You will be able to spend a maximum of $80.
*Bedding and Hiding Space
As a general reference, guinea pigs sleep and love to hide, hence a bedding and a hiding space would be necessary. For the bedding, you can start with less expensive type, which is made of wood shavings (except cedar shavings since they are allergic to them). Its price ranges from $7 to $50.
For its hiding space, you can actually make your own using either fabric, metal, wood or wicker materials. But if you want the ready-made item, then you can purchase a plastic-made hiding space that costs between $6 to $25.
*Supply of Hay
Hay is a grass that has been cut and dried to make it as food for animals. It is important to have this item since guinea pigs love to eat hay, comprising of up to 75 percent of their daily food diet. Because of this dried grass, the rodents’ teeth slowly grow, remain blunted, and are provided with more fiber and other essential nutrients. To have a steady supply of hay, you need to spend about $5 to $35 for every 32-ounce bag of hay.
*Food Consumption
Aside from hay, guinea pigs also love to eat fresh fruits and vegetables as well as pellet food.
If you can spare enough budget for fresh vegetables, then you need to feed you pet guinea pig with one cup of fresh fruits and vegetables every day. Such food items provide nutrients for the animal. Some of the fruits and vegetable it likes to eat are:
Fruits
– apricot – blueberries
– cherries – kiwi
– mango – orange
– papaya – raisins
– strawberries – watermelon
Vegetables
– asparagus – bib lettuce
– carrot – green or red pepper
– kale – peas
– romaine lettuce – spinach
– turnips – watercress
As much as possible, do NOT feed it with these food items:
– Buttercups – Daffodils
– Dairy products – Meat
– Nuts – Poppies
– Rabbit Pellets – Rhubarb
– Seeds – Tulip
– White Potatoes
You must also feed your guinea pig with pellet food since it is rich in Vitamin C, which is highly needed for the development of the fury animal. However, NEVER feed it with pellets for rabbits or other animals. You can spend around $8 to $25 for a 5-pound bag of guinea pig pellets.
*a Bottle of Vitamin C
Since your guinea pig or pigs need Vitamin C, you can supplement its food consumption with this dietary supplement that comes in drops or tablets. You should know that it needs 30 to 50 mg or two pounds of vit. C daily, but never go beyond what it needed to avoid overdosing the tiny animal.
If for instance, you need to cut your budget, then you may not purchase Vitamin C supplements as long as you provide the guinea pig with fruits and vegetable rich in that particular nutrient.
Adding every cost for each item will give you a rough total cost of $199. But how much does a guinea pig cost if you combine the guinea pig price and the total extra costs? It will give you $234, which is the least amount you need to spend if you have plans in taking care of a guinea pig.