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Cheuaapu

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How much money (in all) did it cost for your first chinchilla with all of the starting supplies and the cage and the actual chin? And how much should I save for emergency vet funds?
 
Oh that one can vary...depends where you get the chin, how picky you are how fancy you want the cage to be etc. Also if you want one right now vs being able to wait and shop around for a good deal...Do you insist on a baby or are you willing to take in a re-homed chin..? I have paid anywhere from 50 - 350 for my guys from breeders although once I was able to get a mom dad and 2 offspring for 70 with a ferret nation cage off hoobly. Deals like that are not common though. My advice since chins have such a long life is to find the chin that is "the one" and don't settle just because one may be cheaper. Get what you like otherwise you may not be happy for just "settling"
 
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When I got my boys Terrance and Phillip they were $160, $170 each. They were from a breeder. The cage and supplies were another $400-500.

When I got my girl Mira she was technically free from craigslist, but supplies ran another $400-500. Plus the cost of supplies for her unexpected kits.

I would say save at least $500, if not more for a vet fund. My chin just ran up $500 in a day and a half, but ended up passing away anyway.
 
I just became a new owner a few months ago so can give some insight. My cage I bought off Craigslist for 50$ but nice cages can cost anywhere from 50-100$ and up. Extra supplies including a water bottle, a food bin and hay holder, a hidey house, first batch of food, wood and toys was about another 100$. Depending on where you get your chin from, you may also want to consider getting a wheel (my boys were adopted and never showed interest in a wheel). Good wheels are also around 55 and up. Basically what I did was prepared for my chinchillas slowly over 2 months. Set up the cage and it's accessories which included a hiding house, a hammock and a soft house. The fleece items I made myself but online they cost average 10-15$. After I knew exactly when I was getting my chinchillas, I went on a pet store shopping spree. Buying alfalfa cubes, hay, chewing sticks, the hiding house, food holder, water bottle, tubes etc. which like I said before, depending how much you are willing to spend, may cost upwards of 100$. Finally after I got my chins, even though they had plenty I ordered healthy treats, chews and pumice for them for around 30$.

Now I actually ended up adopting my chins for free. But since I did a lot of research, I can tell you average prices. From rescues and classifieds, they are usually around 50-75$. In pet stores they are usually priced at 150$ but are usually always only standard grays. From breeders, they will sell older chins but the lowest price seems to be 100$. The ones that are in better shape or are show worry are usually 150-200$ but usually not more than that. On average, to get started. As an over estimate I can imagine counting around 100-150$ for the cage (usually from online, eBay amazon) depending how elaborate you want them to be, can come over 200$. For the first amount of supplies and cage accessories, probably 100$-150$ also depending if you get the wheel which is probably one of the most expensive items for chins. The chin itself will most likely be on average between 100-200$ unless you adopt. Basically I would have to say you can be spending anywhere from 300-500$.

People might disagree with me but I would try and find used cages and definitely adopt if you're up to it.
 
Vet bills can also vary widely from region to region, so take that into account for your emergency fund. Vets in a major metropolitan area or even in the suburbs are most likely going to be way more expensive than vets in a rural area. Actually, I know this to be true, having switched from a suburban vet to a rural one.

I would say with vet care, you don't necessarily get what you pay for. My suburban vet charged me through he nose and handled my chin's case of malo terribly. My rural vet? Me and my chins have both been treated extremely well, and the quality of care they receive there is great.

Just something to keep in mind when you are looking for a vet (do your research and have a vet lined up before you get the chin).
 
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Supplies alone are roughly $400+ and that's with being on a budget. If you are purchasing an animal, then expect to pay $70-300, depending if you are picky about color.
 
I'd strongly suggest if its just for a pet, check craigslist. If you watch everything within say 100 miles of you it won't take long for you to find someone who is needing to rehome a pet they are incapable of caring for anymore and more than likely will come with a cage and a whole bunch of supplies for anywhere from $50-$200 for everything. Just don't believe the owner when they say what color or gender the chin is. Most everyone on craigslist gets the colors wrong unless they are a breeder. But if your on a budget that would be a great way to get started.
 
3 level Ferret Nation cage, used on Craig's List, $200
6 month supply of Tradition food from breeder, $25
Water bottle from pet store, $8
Food bowl from Dr. Foster and Smiths, $6
Wooden shelves and hardware from Lowes, $50
Rainbow tropical fiddlesticks, $10
8 fleece liners and fleece hammock, hand made with fabric from JoAnn, $200 (?)
Bass pans for cage, $100
Two fleece hidey houses and a fleece tube, brought from a chin vendor, $75
Hay, Huge bag of Oxbow orchard grass, $40
Sticks, $20
Wheel, $75
Two chinchillas: $100
Dust: $20
Total cost: $909
Their love: Priceless

My-oh-my, those chins are expensive! :)
 
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oh gods. i payed 85 for my standard 165 for my white violet. (both were breeding quality chins that i fell in love with and will never breed them) my first cage was $150 but i since have upgraded to a critternation ($300)

i spent at least 100 on supplies. in the begining

ive been lucky and havent racked up much in vet bills but i have a special credit card just for vet emergency's . so im not a good judge on how much you should have handy.

when i started i think i spend about 500-600. (i definitely over bought though)

in total so far i think ive reached the 1500 range of spending on them.
but i love them so much and i dont regret my choice to get them at all.
 
I was given a huge beautiful Boston Montana (parrot) cage which is all set up for chins as the lady had degus in it before.

If you want to choose the chins yourself....picking ones you feel are THE ONE you can save money by making your first cage. I got a huge metal dog carrier/kennel and bought some mesh at the pound shop.....UK equivelent of the dollar store A couple rolls of metal mesh covered the whole cage (attached on by thin wire from the hardware store, a pair of pliers and a morning.......) VOILA!!!!!!!! This was the first cage for my first degu but would work equally well for chins.

I put tiles on the mesh floor and covered this in cardboard so it doesn't rattle when they run around. Shelves can be added with wood or even cardboard carpet tubes fed through the metal bars and wired on at both ends.... you can get all the free cardboard tubes at the carpet store if you ask nice.....my chin house is a straw type one made for chins for under a fiver.......i make a lot of my own toys out of marble....climbing toys out of household items...play pen out of cardboard. I have a job a zillion other animals and kids too, but it is a labour of love. You can spend as much or as little as you want.

Certain essentials are obviously an expense, like the food (got an offer at the pet shop 3 bags for £7 which is about ten dollars.......marble tile for them to lay on when it is hot, water bottle, etc.....I love to make things and it saves a lot of money.

People often get rid of huge metal parrot cages in the UK because they are difficult to transport so you can pick them up quite cheap second hand and are ideal and roomy for rodents.

I would suggest the metal dog kennel for your first cage as they are cheap as chips and already have the hinges and doors made in them. I made my own cage next but it took aggggggeeeees and I regretted having started the project, although it fits perfectly into the alcove I designed it for.

Let us all know how you get on.

Mel x
 
For Chia, I paid $50 from a backyard breeder. My first cage was $150, and all the supplies i got cost me $50. Later I bought a CritterNation brand new for $337, and put at least $300 into the cage making it look as nice as it does with tile and etc... Abby was $100 from a breeder, but we didnt need to buy a cage or food or even a whole lot of toys because I had all of those things already. Now I just spend twice as much on food and toys and sticks with two chins.

And I wonder where all my money goes...
 
my start up cost was

125 for my chin
100 for my cage
50 to re modify and wire the cage for my own safety concerns
150 for supplies and ledges

I spend about 25 a week on my chin ( without food included) I do buy her chew sticks, new toys each week and other supplies if I run out hay, bedding, dust ,are factored into the 25 a week
and have credit card for chin emergency
 
My start up cost was about the same as everyone here.

150 for my Hetero Beige boy
150 for Homo Beige boy
100 for my adopted Mosaic boy
50 for my adopted Standard boy
10 for two month supply of food from local rescue
200 for a furnished used cage
40ish in miscellaneous sticks and dust items
30 for 6 month supply of bedding

Then comes the fact that they absolutely steal your heart and force you to spoil them.

190 to buy a double Ferret nation cage because though it was the same dimensions as their old cage the boys convinced me they needed it.
100+ in swings, balconies and ledges
100+ in toys, chews, and treats


I try to keep my vet fund at no less than 1000. But for me, with having 4 boys a vet visit is 200 just walking in the door, so I have to keep more should they need anything.
 
My girls were a $75 adoption fee. I got a double ferret nation on sale for $225. Then I went all out with ledges, Hidey houses, a wheel, fleece liners, hammocks and tunnels. I bought a couple fiddle sticks type bridges, a dust bath house, toys, wood chews, water bottle, 2 food dishes, treats (rose hips, cheerios, shredded wheat) pellets, hay, more toys... I would say at the beginning, I probably hit about $1000. I've had them for almost five months and I would say I have reached $1500 or so... And that's with no vet bills. They aren't the cheapest animals to keep. Their chewing habits alone keep me shelling out cash. But they're so worth it.

We don't have a vet fund, even with two dogs and two chins. We do, however, have plenty of credit cards that we keep paid off (hubby doesn't believe in paying interest.) and a general savings account. Should anything come up, we'd be fine.
 
depends what country you live aswell I guess, I live in Belgium - Europe

secondhand Ferret Nation cage on ebay: €100
2 chins from a respectable breeder: €75 each
(these were sold as pets-not ideal animals for breeding wich i don't intend to - hence the price)
2 kill 'n dried wooden planks 1inch thick and 200cm*60cm dimensions to make floors and platforms: €40 each
Sandbath (old round fishtank): €4
5 kg pellets from breeder: €16
20kg sand from breeder: €10
A normal vet appointment (check up) costs €25 here

I do buy lots of extra's and get lots of stuff from nature (chewing wood etc) so I can't count these in.
 
Cheuaapu said:
How much money (in all) did it cost for your first chinchilla with all of the starting supplies and the cage and the actual chin? And how much should I save for emergency vet funds?
Click to expand...

Ill spare you the long read of the details. But mine cost me a new fridge and two air conditioners. Gotta love those unexpected expenses'
 
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