What do you spend on supplies?

[Myia09]

So today I found a GREAT place for produce for the rabbits. Its called Sunflower Market..I got Parlsey for 2 bunches for $1, Cilantro 2 for $1, Green Leaf for $1, Romaine for $1...

And 1lb of rolled oats for $1. All organic!

So that put my total of produce (Not counting the oats) at 4.12 including tax, I WAS spending about $10 a week!

Its exceptional because Sheriff eats like a darn cow!

Well I decided for the past month to calculate how much I spend a month on the rabbits, which is hard considering most of my food budget is split becaue the rabbits share the same food as the chinchillas.

So, for 2 rabbits and 3 chinchillas in a 1 month period:

2 large bags of Timothy Hay: $10

I buy 50lb bag of Purina Show at $17..I use about 1/3, so $6.70 a month

With the new produce about 12.50 a month

50lb bag of bedding at $15..I use about 1/4 or less so $3.75 a month

So that is about <B>$33 amonth</b> on my rabbits and Chins.

I didn't include toys, because I just bought in bulk and it cost around $50, but I am not sure how long it will last me since the chinchillas chew so much, and the rabbits barley use toys.

I then calculated:

I spend ABOUT (roughly) $20 a month on crickets for my geckos

I get my hamster food for free, but the bedding I spend about $6 a month

I got my parakeet food for free, but after I run out it will be aprox $4 a month (I have about 2 months worth left)

The toys again for the hammy and keets are including with the bulk items I bought.

And I am not sure about my fishtank as I have a lot of supplies in bulk and stuff and the tank is only housing a betta so I haven't been doing much to it.

So approx $63 a month I spend on the animals for SUPPLIES. Not including treats, special items, cages, ect.

What do you spend?

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Pellets: 1 10 pound bag of Oxbow is $22 and lasts about 2 months. The 50 pound bag for the angoras cost about $17, but I don't know how long it will last, but I probably go though about 4-5 pounds a month, so about $2. A total of about $12 a month on pellets.

Hay: I buy bales for $4 each, and they last about 3 months, so about $1.25 per month for 3 buns.

Veggies: Parlesy is 58 cents per bunch, and I use 3-4 a week. Cilantro is the same. Lettuce varies, but I will estimate $1 per head and I use 1 a week for the buns. Other veggies are probably $3 a week. So that is about $8-10 per week, or $35-40 per month. I am trying to grow some parsley and cilantro, so that should cut some of the costs in the future.

Litter: A 35 pound bag is $6 and I use a bag about every 2 months.

I don't buy toys as my buns don't really like them. The mostly get cardboard to chew.

I probably spend about $50 a month for the buns.
For the dogs, a bag costs about $55 and lasts about 6 weeks. My mom and I split the cost of it. They don't get treats, but do get bones once in a while.

 

[katt]

well, we buy a 25 pound bag of purina rabbit chow at about $15, and it last our 3 rabbits about 2 months (all rabbits are on free feed pellets, although none of them eat tons)

and right now i am buying bags of hay as i lost my last hay person and i am yet to find another (although i am looking). so that is about $15 a week (terrible i know, but what can you do?)

and as for veggies, now that chaucer is 5 months old he is almost up to par on the amount of veggies he gets daily to match the other 2. and i spend about $10 a week on that. and i buy them all organic stuff (as i try to eat all organic greens) this is also a temp price as it is winter so i can't by stuff at the farmer's market. during the late spring/summer/early fall i spend at the most $5 a week. most vendors are willing to give me a discounted price on veggies that are not up to 'human standards' but still perfectly fine, or like the beet greens that fall off the bunch and stuff like that. i have even had them just give them to me before.

so far that is about $100 (just over) a month on food.

i also use yesterday's news bedding and we go thru a bag of that about a month for around $15

so for me, right now, i am spending about $115 a month just on the three rabbits.

ones i find a new source of hay (for around $5 a bale here, that last me about a month), and the farmers market is open up i will be spending about 1/2 that.

and that isn't including toys, and i am ALWAYS buying chaucer toys.

so yeah, i spend a lot on my rabbits per month, more then i spend on my own food it seems!

 

[fuzz16]

Rabbits:
Brome Hay- free
Purina Show- free
Toys- Most are homemade
Equine Fresh- 16$ a month

Cats:
Dry food: free
Wet Food: 10$ a month for wellness or holistic select or felidae
Cat litter: 10$ a month

I'm lucky I work where I do, so I can get free hay and food. Or else I'm sure I'd spend a lot more money on them

 

[bunnylove817]

Pellets- 10$ (oxbow)
Hay-20$ (currently kleenmama)
Litter- 2$ (wood pellets)
Veggies-50$

So total would be around 85$ without toys and other things

 

[undergunfire]

$60 for 50lbs of Oxbow BBT lasts me 5 months, so $10 per month to feed 4 rabbits pellets.
$15 for a 100+lbs bale of timothy/orchard grass hay lasts me about 6 months, so $2.50 per month.
$10 for 80lbs of wood stove pellets lasts me 1 month, so $10 per month.
$15 or so per month on veggies in the winter (hitting up the farmers market this spring to see what I can get for cheaper).
$0 on toys because I can't see spending tons of money on the toys and shipping cost online....so the buns get baby toys and whatever else I can find that I think they'd like.
I spend about $27 per month on the 4 bunnies.


$28 for a 14lbs bag of Innova EVO lasts my dog about 3 months.
$0 on toys because he just destroys them.
$1 per month on rawhides ($10 for a 12 piece bag).
I spend about $11 per month on my 1 dog.


$46 for 20lbs of NB Green Pea & Duck (no grain) dry food.
$40 for 60 cans of Authority wet food (that's mainly what we feed).
$20 for 84lbs of cat litter.
I spend about $100 per month on my 3 cats & 1 foster cat shock.
....we are looking into switching the cats over onto a different dry food, so our monthly cost will go down some.


$20 for my rat's homemade & mostly organic dry food mix.
I spend about $20 per month on my 4 rats.


Grand total per month: About $160.

:run: *runs off because she is in denial that she spends that much and hopes her husband isn't ever smart enough to total it all up*

 

[Mrs. PBJ]

For Storm
I buy a 50 pound bag of food. AT 17.99That will last him one year
Purina Fibre 3

I buy Horse stall bedding at 8.99 I figure 4 months of that.

And a bale of hay should last 6 months at 10 bucks


1.50 food
2.25 on littter
1.50 on hay
5.00 on toys

total 10.25 a month on Storm my bun

Phoenix
one bag of a for 45 last three months

2 bags of raw last 3 months at $20

one toy for 5 bucks

Frontline 45 for a year

Heartguard 65 for a year.

Total 42 a month for phoenix my dog

Boss

25 bucks on a bag of food for three months.

24 on a case of evo

5 on toys

got his flea stuff for free for a year.

22 a month on boss my cat

Total for all pets 75 bucks a month for all three pets

 

[pocketsizedrhino]

I think I calculated about $25 a month on Kirby alone but that seems high now that I've read others... Hmm.

As for the 4 rats and 1 mouse... I buy and make their food mix in a large bulk so it lasts about 6 months. They all probably total something like $15 a month. They use the same litter box substrate as Kirby and I bought my mouse's bedding ages ago and the huge bags will probably last me through her lifetime (she is 2 in April which is kinda old).

Fish... Hm, I really don't buy much for them except my filter in my 5 gallon broke AGAIN and I had to drop $35 for a nicer Fluval filter last night. I do buy plants every now and then... let's just say $5 a month to spread out the food/filter costs.

So I probably spend about $45 a month on 1 rabbit, 4 rats, 1 mouse and 2 fish tanks. I guess that isn't so bad.

But that doesn't consider buying hammocks from people and buying fabric to make my own... hah.

 

[RandomWiktor]

I... don't even want to know, lol.

I have trouble figuring out actual pet food bills because virtually all of my pets share my grocery bill; my parrots eat almost everything I do plus a bit of pellets, my rabbits eat the same greens and veggies as me, the rodents get the same grains and seeds as me, etc. I breed feeder insects for my insectivores but still need to buy nightcrawlers, fish, frozen foods, pinky mice, etc for the others. The cat is probably the most expensive; a case of his food is over $20.

Bedding is free for animals like rodents and birds but pricier for rabbits/chickens (hay), and moderate for reptiles & amphibians. If I had to PAY for water instead of having a well I'd be in major trouble.

The reptiles pose a problem... they all need heat lights and some need UVB lights. The UVB bulbs have to be changed every 6 months, minimum. And all of this, plus filters on fish tanks, take up electricity. So now just the supplies, but the electric, has to be considered.

Finally, though I make all of my pet toys at home, materials do add up even if not as quickly as they would with commerical toys. And *everything* has toys. Even my fish each have a ball to play with.

All I know is, it is very expensive for me to care for the number and type of critters in my home. That's why it is basically my only hobby, I have a lousy car, buy all used clothing, don't have any fancy new technology like ipods or dvd recorders, and can't afford to travel. Haha.

 

[emilyasb]

Okay, I'm going to try this:

Dogs:
-One 17.5lb bag of Iams Mini Chunks: about $22
-One 14.5lb bag of Rachel Ray Nutrish: about $17
32lbs of food, mixed together, lasts for about 3-4 months between 4 dogs.
-largest dose of Advantage split between 4 dogs: $45; One month supply
TOTAL PER MONTH FOR DOGS: $54.75 ($9.75 per month for food)

Cats:
-2 6lbs. bags of Halo Spot's Stew Indoor Formula:$33
12lbs of food which lasts for 2 months between 4 cats.
-largest dose of Advantage for cats split between 4 cats: $40; one month supply
TOTAL PER MONTH FOR CATS: $56.50

Rabbit:
-One 64oz bag of Timothy Hay: $10; will probably last for about 4 months.
- One 5lb bag of Kaytee Forti-Diet Pro Health Food for Juvenile Rabbits: $6; will last probably about 2 or 3 more months
-113 liter bag of Aspen bedding: $10; 5 month supply
-Variety of veggies in one month quantities: about $5
TOTAL PER MONTH FOR JACK: $11.50

Gerbils:
I don't really spend anything on these guys. I put some cardboard and printer paper in their tanks so they can make their own bedding, and I have about 20lbs of food that I mixed myself that will last them another 5 months for sure. The food was bought back in November, so I'd say $16 for an 8 month supply of food split between 4 gerbils.
TOTAL PER MONTH FOR GERBILS: $2

Betta Fish:
One bottle of Wardley Premium Betta Food: $2 for 1.2oz of food, which will last him about 6 more months since he only gets 2 pellets a day.
TOTAL PER MONTH FOR BETTA: About $0.33

GRAND TOTAL PER MONTH FOR All PETS: $125.08

That doesn't include the vet visits either. But I probably don't spend literally that much per month, it's just calculated over a monthly basis. Seems like a whole lot though!

My water bill is also only about $20 a month. But I didn't care to calculate that into everything since I probably use more water with my 45 minute showers than I do watering my animals in a whole month.

And, just like Ren, I can't afford many non-essential things for myself since I spend money on my pets. I go clothes shopping maybe once a year! But I do save up to buy me some nice things, like an ipod or getting my hair and nails done. I'd go absolutely INSANE if I didn't do anything nice for myself!!

 

[Myia09]

Yeah, Ren I figured you had a lot. I did rehabilitation with large amount of reptiles and it cost me a fortune.

Hey Kat, you know that most Purina food expries 6 months after the mill date? So if your using it for a year, your using expired food. Most bags are delieved to the store with a 6-8 month shelf life, but you have to check to mill date on the bag. Even freezing won't prolong the life for a year.

Lol Amy, those cats are expensive! It looks like 60-100 is the average a month though.

 

[TinysMom]

Well - I don't even think I dare to calculate (I'm a breeder) - but I will say that I'm going out this afternoon to buy this next paycheck's worth of feed....8 bags of 50 pounds each from 4 different brands that I mix. That's gonna run about $100.

I also add in oatmeal - probably about $20 for that since I buy it from the grocery store (I hate the oats from the feed store) and we don't have a Sam's around here where I could get it in bulk.

Hay....yeah...I get a bale at a time for around $10 or so. When I have babies - I also get small bags of hay that is softer and sweeter.

Oh - those totals? For a two week period.

Its a good thing I buy rabbit food BEFORE I buy our food.

 

[undergunfire]

Myia09 wrote:

Lol Amy, those cats are expensive!

I know...and it would cost me more if I fed them more wet food...which they really should be getting more, but I just can't afford to pretty much double the wet food bill.

 

[emilyasb]

I forgot to figure in the CAT LITTER!!
So cat litter is around $20 a month. So the new cat total is $76.50!

NEW GRAND TOTAL FOR All PETS: $145.08


Uhm, do I need to calculate our horses? That's well over $250 a month for 8 horses. Getting them shawed, vetted, feed, hay, medications andvarious leads and such.

THAT'S IT! I need to win the lottery :grumpy:

 

[Sabine]

I started writing down anything I spent on the pets (12 rabbits,2 guinea pigs,3 gerbils, two fish tanks) since the start of the year.
The result is that it's all written down neatly but I can't bring myself to add it up

 

[Boz]

When I had gerbils I seriously spent around at the most $5 a month for three of them between food and litter. But honestly I usually spent like $2-3 The most expensive thing was food.

I got 4 rabbits. One is a french lop too and eats about as much as my other three. I'd say each month...
$1.50 for hay
At max $3-4 for pellets
$4.50 for litter
And Veggies, well in the winter they get less so maybe $10 a month max.

So that's roughly $20 a month, if that?
I am a bargain hunter. hehehehe

 

[Mrs. PBJ]

Myia09 wrote:

Yeah, Ren I figured you had a lot. I did rehabilitation with large amount of reptiles and it cost me a fortune.

Hey Kat, you know that most Purina food expries 6 months after the mill date? So if your using it for a year, your using expired food. Most bags are delieved to the store with a 6-8 month shelf life, but you have to check to mill date on the bag. Even freezing won't prolong the life for a year.

Lol Amy, those cats are expensive! It looks like 60-100 is the average a month though.

It was special ordered for me by the feed store the life is exactly a year and 1 month from the date bought I dont have the bag anymore but I put a note on calender to throw away in Jan 2011

 

[Cutie Bunny62]

I know that on rabbits we spend a whole lot. But here are a few tips on what you can do:

Treats can be given to your bunnies when they behave well or do something special.

Use table scraps (cauliflower and broccolli stems, carrot and cucumber peel apple peel, lettuceetc.) for good dining.

I prefer to buy a big pack of food and not have to run to the store anytime small packs end. Saves a lot of time.

 

[countrybuns]

I get my hay free from the farmer across the street $0
a big bag of pellets is $8 but it lasts forever
veggies $5/week
toys I'll say about $5 per month sometimes nothing sometimes more
litter is like $20 for a 4 months worth although I think there is a sale at the hardware store for $5.50
SO that is like $32 per month

 

[PepnFluff]

Hmmmm lets see..

Hay $10 bale lasts 4 months so $2.50 per month

Pellets $26 for a 50lb bag lasts 4months so $6.50 per month

Veges Free from garden with occasional top ups with salad mix about 1 bag per month in winter. so $3.50

$12.50 per month, they're very cheap compared to others But lets not get vet bills in there...