Something interesting I noted today

[smy_749]

This is to do with varanids, but applies to everything. For those calculating how much the animal costs, and for a "start up" enclosure and just barely make that minimum and go ahead with the purchase, this is for you.

I started off in summer with a light fixture, 10 $ for my trough. It broke. Got another one: 10$. My bulbs didn't fit because the neck was too short, used the housing, bought a ceramic zoomed one to insert inside: 10$. 2 x 38 watt bulbs for summer, 10 dollars. Got too hot (no way to tell till you try), so I bought 48 watt bulb. 7 dollars. Now my 48 watt isn't enough for winter to keep ambients up for some reason, so I just bought 2 x 60 watts since they only come in packs of two.....10 dollars. I had to give my sister money for while I was on vacation for 2 weeks to get petco crickets...30 dollars. Now that I'm back and need feeders, I ordered a roach colony of adult breeders/nymphs...75$.

This is just for lighting trial and error/adjustments and food expenses in a month or two?

Total? 160 ish dollars

Just found it interesting when I realized how much I spent on those two simple things lol

[Mikoh4792]

your trough broke? How?

I can't comment on the bulbs since I only needed ones to create a basking spot of 90f. Haven't had that problem.

[smy_749]

Not the trough haha, I guess I worded that stupid. 10 $ light fixture for my trough, not 10$ trough. I'm trying to get 140 basking high 80s low 90's hot side and low 70's cool side with just one bulb. Its hectic.

[Zoo Nanny]

Most people don't stop to think about the cost of keeping animals. I see so many folks get "hooked" and start buying multiple animals without considering the cost factor. The biggest expense of all that most people overlook is vet bills. With exotic vets you're not talking $30 or $40 for a visit but in the hundreds. Tack on testing for a sick animal and can run you over a thousand. Enclosure, lighting and heating equipment, food, subtrate, electric and vet bills you end up talking a great deal of money per year.

[LadyWraith]

Wow, that puts it into perspective. Totally true though. Definitely applies with any animal you decide to own. I've spent more than my fair share of cash in ignorance when I could have gotten quality stuff to begin woth and avoided problems entirely.

[maroongrad]

Heck, the biggest reason I waited so long to get a snake is the cost. Snakes are cheap. But a good setup is a few hundred bucks! And, of course, we've had about $200 in vet bills on top of that. But, the good news is...you only have to buy it once!!!!! My students (I teach Biology) often talk about how they want a snake. And then we talk about how big it will get, how long it will live, and how, yeah, the ball python is only $40, but the cage will be $140 or more. And I encourage them, if they DO get a snake, to get a native North American species. It should be a hardier animal with a wider temperature tolerance, and if it gets loose, it won't be an invasive species (another discussion we have).

Snakes are cheap. It's everything else that is pricey!!!

[smy_749]

Heck, the biggest reason I waited so long to get a snake is the cost. Snakes are cheap. But a good setup is a few hundred bucks! And, of course, we've had about $200 in vet bills on top of that. But, the good news is...you only have to buy it once!!!!! My students (I teach Biology) often talk about how they want a snake. And then we talk about how big it will get, how long it will live, and how, yeah, the ball python is only $40, but the cage will be $140 or more. And I encourage them, if they DO get a snake, to get a native North American species. It should be a hardier animal with a wider temperature tolerance, and if it gets loose, it won't be an invasive species (another discussion we have).

Snakes are cheap. It's everything else that is pricey!!!

Snakes are cheap, unless your buying the expensive ones :P I can think of a decent sized list of 1000 dollar + snakes..

But for students/ beginner hobbyists, I absolutely agree, the cost of the animal isn't the deal breaker.

[KORBIN5895]

Three of my five boas cost over 1k.........

Hey smy, how are you set up for dubia now?

[smy_749]

Three of my five boas cost over 1k.........

Hey smy, how are you set up for dubia now?

I just bought another colony since I got since of ordering crickets. The little brats don't want to eat them though, I have to gut the dubia so they can smell the insides before they realize they are food. Pretty annoying.

I'm keeping them in a smaller sized tub and I just have heat cable wrapped around the outside and down the bottom on an on/off stat. Having trouble getting the temps above 80 though so I'm planning to switch to UTH. Trying different food items still, so far the one they liked the best was bell pepper. Put a whole pepper in and this morning it was gone completely.

[KORBIN5895]

Try apples, bananas, pumpkin and Orange.