Working out food cost

[Dipperoni]

Hello! I plan on getting two piggies this summer and am trying to determine food quality, cost, and how often I need to buy more food. I've heard that the oxbow garden select pellets along with unlimited timothy hay and veggies are popular, but does anyone here know how much and how often you buy your piggies' food? Just trying to budget it all. Thanks!

One last note, my home has an RO system for water. Is that recommended, or should I just use the tap?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Their diet is unlimited hay first and foremost.
They can then have one cup of veggies per pig per day.
Then it’s just one tablespoon of pellets per pig per day.

(Being in the uk, my prices are in pounds)
Cost if hay is going to vary depending on what you buy. Some people only buy and store smaller bags (which can work out more expensive).
It doesn’t have to be Timothy hay, any grass hay is fine.
I buy hay in bulk but I have five animals . I buy bales of meadow hay from a local farm and a bale lasts around six weeks. That costs £7.
I also buy a smaller bale of orchard hay online which lasts five weeks and costs £30.

Veggies are just part and parcel is what I buy with our own veg and salad. I estimate it to be around £10 a week for their part.

Pellets - well I hardly feed any (they only get pellets 2-3 times a week and even then it is less than the recommended amounts) so a 1.5-2kg bag of pellets lasts me around six months. For others who do use pellets daily then a bag will last a couple of months.

The biggest expense is going to be vet fees. It’s best to save up a vet fund so you can get them help promptly whenever an issue arises. I like to have between £500-1000 per animal put aside for any emergency.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

 

[Dipperoni]

Their diet is unlimited hay first and foremost.
They can then have one cup of veggies per pig per day.
Then it’s just one tablespoon of pellets per pig per day.

(Being in the uk, my prices are in pounds)
Cost if hay is going to vary depending on what you buy. Some people only buy and store smaller bags (which can work out more expensive).
It doesn’t have to be Timothy hay, any grass hay is fine.
I buy hay in bulk but I have five animals . I buy bales of meadow hay from a local farm and a bale lasts around six weeks. That costs £7.
I also buy a smaller bale of orchard hay online which lasts five weeks and costs £30.

Veggies are just part and parcel is what I buy with our own veg and salad. I estimate it to be around £10 a week for their part.

Pellets - well I hardly feed any (they only get pellets 2-3 times a week and even then it is less than the recommended amounts) so a 1.5-2kg bag of pellets lasts me around six months. For others who do use pellets daily then a bag will last a couple of months.

The biggest expense is going to be vet fees. It’s best to save up a vet fund so you can get them help promptly whenever an issue arises. I like to have between £500-1000 per animal put aside for any emergency.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

Thank you so much for this! I'm able to translate the prices easily so no worries on that.

 

[weepweeps]

I buy :

1 lettuce (usually romaine)
1 bag of salad leaves
I bag of green beans
1 bag of baby corn
1 green Pepper
1 cucumber
Bunch of coriander

Every week. So under £10 a week.

I give them 3 pea flakes a day (Pet Select £10 for a KG) and 1 tablespoon of pellets (Hay Box £6 for 1.5KG) each a day.

Lots of Timothy hay and meadow hay for them to eat and sleep on.

Costs about £10 for half a meadow hay bale from a local pet shop.
Costs about £25 for 10kg of Timothy hale from Haybox.

 

[rp1993]

I think it’s worth noting that food is generally much cheaper here in the UK so you can probably add 50-100% more vs what we spend, the same goes for vet fees I see people on Instagram quoting some wild numbers for vet care in the US vs what we pay over here.

For example in a week I can go through
2 little gem lettuces cost me £1
1 celery bunch costs 69p
A bell pepper 59p
A bunch of coriander £1.50
A mixed veggies bag £1.50

It’s probably worth costing this up at your local supermarket

 

[Betsy]

Don't forget that as well as the ongoing costs of keeping guinea pigs for anything up to 7+ years (my eldest is Thea and she was 7 in January but that is very old for a piggie) there are the start up costs to factor in too. I know this sounds obvious, but it is always more than you think it'll be. Where will you keep them? Are they going to be boys or girls? Boys need more room than girls as they tend to be more territorial. You will need at least 2 of everything eg 2 water bottles, 2 food bowls (if you aren't going to scatter feed their food) at least 4 fleece snuggle sacks and tunnels so you can have 2 in the cage and 2 in the wash, 2 hideys etc. What substrate will you be using? Will you choose fleece liners (at least 2 needed), wood shavings or something else? You will find that as time goes on you'll want to spend more on these furry potatoes.

 

[fluffysal]

As @Betsy said you will want to buy them things they don't need, a more expensive cuddle cup/fleece because it has a cute design etc!
I moved house two months ago and when all the piggy stuff was in one place I was amazed at how much they have accumulated.
Also you can never know when vet care will be needed. I get my boys nails trimmed at the vets for various reasons (another expense) and a hay poke was noticed on Dignified Sir George while there. I didn't expect that cost but I used the piggy account to pay for it.