Money... How about a little survey?

[MetallicatTim]

Hello everyone,

I'm seeing a lot of posts like "when I get some money I'm going to xxx" "As soon as my paycheck arrives I can buy xxx"
That makes me wonder, do people really know how much a beardie costs every month?
I'm not saying people don't take good care of their beardies here!! But I think some people really underestimate what e.g. feeders cost or how about all those necessary but costly lights?!?

Maybe it's a good idea to post how much YOU spend each month/year. If enough people will do this, I can calculate an average expenditure, wich could really help to determine wether you can afford a beardie or not ( to give it the proper care ).

Does this sound like a good idea? I think the costs for the initial setup should not be taken into account, because these are only once, this thread is intended to calculate the costs to keep your beardie fed and overall healthy

I'll start with a standard list to fill in, please comment if I forgot something or you have a different opinion on like the frequency of things!

You can copy this bit here and fill in the numbers:

- UVB bulb (twice a year ) $..... per year
- Light/Heat bulb ( twice a year ) $..... per year
( if you have a MVB, please mention this as a single expenditure )
- Vet visits ( e.g. annual feces check-up ) $..... per year
- Vitamins $..... per year ( or month? )
- Minerals $..... per year ( or month? )
- Feeders $..... per month ( or week? )

Please keep in mind there will be costly months and "cheaper" months. I want to get an average number! I think at least 20 entries should be neccesary for an representing average.
I'll convert all the numbers to the biggest denominator ( probably a year ) and will divide the numbers so that we'll know what a beardie will cost on average every month or week.

If you have multiple beardies, try to calculate it to 1 single beardie to not make this any more complicated

I hope you people like my idea and will fill in the numbers Offcourse a PM is also possible and all data wil remain anonymous!

Thx!

Grtz Tim

 

[SkeptiBee]

Don't always think it's a matter of people not knowing how much it costs but rather whether they have the money available right then and there. Some live on extremely limited budgets even with their pets factored in there, so they might need to wait for their next paycheck to arrive to get something new. I know I cannot drop $400 dollars for a new viv right now, but in a few months I should once my bills are paid off.

That said, it would be interesting seeing what people pay on average. Considering I haven't had my beardie for a full week yet I've already spent about $250 on feeders plus the beardie, the UVB bulbs, and I still need to adjust some things to improve the set up. I can at least contribute what I've spent for that.

UVB bulb - $27.99 on Amazon (ReptiSun)
CHE - $19.68 on Amazon (I'm also a Prime member so I did not pay for shipping on this or the UVB bulb)
Live feeders - $25.00 (big variety of worms and crickets from local pet shops)
Greens - $15 for mustard and collard greens and parsley and peppers (on sale) These should last until this weekend.

 

[Lindz0518]

I am interested to see what everyone spends

- UVB bulb (twice a year ) $23+ shipping on petmountain.com (reptisun 10.0 tube)
- Light/Heat bulb ( twice a year ) $9.00 halogen flood light
( if you have a MVB, please mention this as a single expenditure )
- Vet visits ( e.g. annual feces check-up ) $25 exam fee + $20-fecal (normally $50-$75 total) (Haven't taken Spyro yet, but this is based on my leos)
- Vitamins $20 a year
- Feeders $20 per month-greens (yellow squash, mustard greens, collard greens, zucchini , red and green bell peppers and carrots)
$70 per month(live feeders)- just started a dubia colony so I am estimating my cost for feeders to go down to about $30 per month to add other feeders for variety and food for the colony

 

[021414]

- UVB bulb (twice a year) $60.00 per year Reptisun 10.0 tube
- Light/Heat bulb ( twice a year ) $10.00 per year 125watt flood light
( if you have a MVB, please mention this as a single expenditure ) no MVB
- Vet visits ( e.g. annual feces check-up ) $350.00 in my beardies two and a half years of life. ($43.00 for office visit, $50.00 for fecal float, $100.00 x-rays, $30.00 for a culture)
- Vitamins $8.00 per year
- Minerals $8.00 per year
- Feeders $25.00 per year to restock Dubia colony and $10.00 per year on worms
- Greens $15.00 per month

 

[LemonyFresh]

I've only had my beardie just over a month...but here goes:

- UVB bulb - ReptiSun 10.0 tube (twice a year ) $57.50(28.75 per tube on Amazon) per year
- Light/Heat bulb ( twice a year ) $15 per year
- Vet visits $90 per year (based on 1 visit for one exam).
- Vitamins $15 per year ( Reptivite don't see myself using more than 2 packs of the stuff)
- Minerals $14 per year (ReptiCal Calcium + D3 don't see myself using more than 2 packs of the stuff)
- Feeders $50 per month - $45 (1000x Dubia Roaches) + $5 Misc. Greens.

 

[MetallicatTim]

Thx for replying! Please keep this up and when we reach 20 entries, I will start some calculations

@Skeptibee, I understand what you're saying! But it's mostly not about the big expenditures, but the mandatory stuff like lightbulbs or good feeders. At least that's what I read here en there.
If we can provide some usefull information with this survey, people can maybe make a better decision wether to purchase a beardie or not. Especially the people who live on a tight budget!

Please don't think I'm trying to withhold people from getting a beardie! But I believe that when you get a pet, you should make sure it can live the best life we can give to them and not just only the bare minimum requirements

 

[lillylizard]

UVB bulb $120ish per year
- Light/Heat bulb $20 per year
- Vet visits $60 per year
- Vitamins $15 per year
- Minerals $15 per year
- Feeders $80-100 per month
yes some months are better then some. i also think you should consiter how maky people take in rescues each year. because i was not planning on getting another dragon for a while then about a month ago i saw an ad for my new girl and all the sudden i have a dragon in my arms who has parasites and has never seen a veggie in her life. so you kinda should consiter that as well as your every day normal dragon purches. because i don't think really anyone plans on taking in a rescue. they just kinda end up with us. kinda like they choose us.

 

[LadyMeridius]

UVB bulb $60 per year
- Light/Heat bulb $25 per year (depends on if any blow out that year)
- Vet visits $49 per year if one visit. If I have a second one, I usually only get charged a recheck fee at $35
- Vitamins $0 per year
- Minerals $0 per year
I buy feeders already with calcium loaded
- Feeders and veggies - $45/month. I get hornworms and supers. Zucchini, squashes, blueberries. Everything else gets snubbed and flung

 

[jamma2342]

Our juvie costs 45.00 in feeders a month plus about $5 for his veggies (sometimes 10-15 when we spoil him )..
We spend about $60 in lights a year
About $20 for calcium a year and $20 for vitamins
About another $5 monthly for feeder food
beardie love : priceless

I haven't had an adult yet but since I hear they eat feeders about 2-4 times a week I imagine the cost will drop quite a bit... I would also suggest having $200 saved for emergency like a light fixture breaks or an emergency vet visit... or job loss and you still need to get feeders...

 

[MetallicatTim]

Thx! Keep'em coming! 8)

 

[fancybearded]

I'm new to baby beardie raising so this zubject is appreciated. By the way bigapple pet supply is having a sale on lights. WAnted to share with everyone.

http://www.bigappleherp.com/TWO-PACK-Reptisun-10-0-18-Bulbs-17-49-Per-Bulb-Thats-30-OFF

 

[pulpz]

w0w, from the different posts a lot of people to me got off on the cheap when it came to feeding...I wanted to get 1 Beardie but for whatever reason I ended up getting 2 of them. Both were roughly 1.5 months old, I have only 1 of them remaining as the costs of feeding 2 was insane, so I ended up gifting one to a friend! A week of heavy eating and on a schedule of live food (dubia) x3 per day as much as they could eat over a 10-15 minute period (they just kept eating!), for 2 Beardies I was dropping right around $50-$60/week ($10 per 65 sm dubia). I was aware that Beardies were eating machines when babies, but was not at all prepared to raise 2 reptilian garbage disposals! Sure some weeks I got off on the cheap, but all in all feeders were my main expense.

That was the amount of $$$'s I was dropping for roughly 3 months, today food costs are only for his salad goods and the occasional order of horn worms and supers, thanks to how easily 2000 mixed dubia *eventually* became x2 50gal rubbermaid bins packed w/ feeders. What I'm hoping to be able to do in the coming months is to sell off a good amount of them and possibly make back what money I did spend in the earlier months of having them...who knows!

All the other expenses like lights, calcium, vitamins and vet were and I doubt will ever be anything compared to the cost of food early on. The 4x2x2 viv I built myself so there was a little bit of savings doing it that way.

And I do not regret having to spend the $$$'s at all...he's more or less become my roommate! Comparing the ex-gf to the silence of this roommate (other than the occasional glass dancing noise)...sorry but there is no comparison! hehe

Sorry I didn't follow the little survey thing! =)

 

[CamoLover]

i have 3 dragons so multiply everything by 3 if you want my total lol

- UVB bulb (twice a year ) $70 per year
- Light/Heat bulb ( twice a year ) $30 per year
No MVB
- Vet visits ( e.g. annual feces check-up ) $85 per year
(for just the basic exam. not including if anything is wrong)
- Vitamins $8 per year
- Minerals $8 per year
- Feeders $40 on crickets/worms about $40 on greens/fruit per month
(my dragons are fatty's lol.. no just spoiled)

 

[Melody12]

My costs for Melody is: One beardie.

UVB every six months: 20.29 x 6 months replaced: Total money spent 121.74

Herptivite Vitamins 9.78. (I haven't replaced this yet because I just opened it not long ago.
Calcium with D3 5.87 (Recently opened.)
Calcium without D3: 5.67 (Recently Opened.)

Feeders: Crickets: 8.00 x 12 months = 96 or 9.00 x 12= 108 depending on how much I order. Usually 100 crickets to 200 to last me the whole month. It's between 8-9 a month.
Superworms: I don't buy them all the time so they're an estimated 3.99
Greens: 1.49 for turnips greens, mustard greens. 1.49 x 12= 17.88 or Collard Greens: 2.99 x 6 =17.94
Halogen Bulbs 7.49 x 2 = 14.98

So: 121.74
9.78
5.87
5.67
96.00
3.99
17.88
14.98

totaled out: 275.91 without the collard greens and the extra crickets. If it were: it'd be estimated as 401.85

275.91
108.00
17.94

Without vet visits and yearly check ups listed above. All in all I spend close to 500 or more with the vet visits included. Not all at once. Lights are replaced once or twice a month or whenever they go out. I've got back up lights too so if one goes out, she'll be warm. Melody's worth every dollar I spend on her. Sometimes, there are sales on greens for .99 cents. I didn't include that because they'd only be 99 cents around the holidays or are going out of date. (The ones at Wallyworld are 99 cents and I'll buy those every now then if Kroger's out.)

 

[AmberC]

- UVB bulb (twice a year ) $30.00 (per bulb twice a year)
- Light/Heat bulb ( twice a year ) $ 15.00 (x2 bulbs a year)
- Vet visits ( e.g. annual feces check-up ) $250.00(In one year of owning Sasha)
- Vitamins $15.00 a year
- Minerals $15.00 a year
- Feeders $20.00 (this varies on what kinds of feeders my store has) Plus $50.00 a year for feeding the feeders
-Vegetables (not mentioned) I actually spend $20-30.00 a week on this as there is only one store I can buy daily veggies at and it's SUPER expensive