Which Pet Is The Cheapest?

Speaking of pets… Which one is the cheapest?

Do you have a dog? Or a cat, a canary, or a parakeet? Any of the above, or more than one perhaps? If you do, you must know that having a pet is not the cheapest thing in the world! OK, I know, you can’t put a price tag on love, but when it comes to pets, there are clear costs involved. Let’s take a brief look at these costs – and try to decide which pet is the cheapest to own.

Guinea pigs and hamsters

Little rodents can be very cute – although “little” can be a bit of a relative term when it comes to guinea pigs. These furry little critters are a great choice for your first pet. They are easy to handle, occupy small space, and given their size, don’t eat all that much.

Keeping a guinea pig or a hamster involves a series of costs, but compared to some other obvious choices, these are small. They need a cage to live in, which can be quite small, bedding (if you happen to have a friend or relative who works with wood you can save a buck by asking him for some shavings occasionally), food and toys, and fresh vegetables from time to time (your kitchen waste will do fine). All things considered, a pair of guinea pigs or hamsters (as they are social animals, doing best in pairs) will only cost you a few hundred dollars per year. Even less if you get creative with some of the ideas outlined above.

Swimmers

A goldfish is a classic choice for a pet – except if you prefer those you can actually play with – as it is an inexpensive one. What you need is a fish tank (a nice, big one, of at least 15 gallons), decorations, a water filter and food. Aside from the initial investment, a goldfish will cost you close to $100 a year.

For an even cheaper alternative you can go for a Betta fish – it has a life span of up to 2 years, it needs less space than a goldfish and it doesn’t even require a water filter. If you take good care of your betta, it will cost you much less – around $20-$30 a year.

Birds

There are so many bird species that can be owned as pets that one has a hard time choosing which type would make the best fit. There are expensive and sensitive ones (and more spectacular, of course), but there are many that are smaller and less sensitive which you can own for a cost of not more than $100 a year (aside from an initial investment for the cage).

For an inexpensive alternative (which may sound a bit surprising for most) you can keep a chicken as a pet. It’s cheap (a baby chick can cost somewhere around $5), it doesn’t have many special needs, and chicken feed is equally cheap. You’ll also need a bigger yard and some type of house to keep the chicken in. Definitely do your research before buying!! For more info – check out this awesome this awesome site: MyPetChicken. And for one more benefit – the eggs can bring you some cash. If you live down under, you can later use this to play at your favorite online casino australia.

Dogs

I have already written pretty extensively about the cost of dog ownership. Check out that article; the cost of a dog will run you about $750+ a year!

Cats

Cats are lovable creatures and are pretty self-sufficient. Because of this, beyond the initial investment of the cat and some toys, you are looking at a pretty low-cost pet compared to a dog. You will have to purchase cat food, toys, and kitty litter. Plan to budget $300 a year for a small cat.