The price of being "owned"...

[AmyMyBlueFront]

...by a parrot,or two..or more :05: Don't let anyone try and tell you it's cheap! Hogwash!! Especially with people like me who are on a fixed budget. The Donald paid me today ( thanks bunches Mr Trump )v and supplies were getting low for the kids. Amy was clean out of Roudybush medium maintenance pellets and his nutraberrie supply was down to maybe 10 berries,Beebs fruity pellets had a couple cup's worth left and his millet stash was down to crumbs!
On top of that,Amy was almost out of his heart med,and I swear I will go without certain meds before I let him! It takes four to five days to receive the med so I asked if they could "expedite" for me..add $19.95 to an already $47.50 for his script.The girl said I will have it tomorrow
So today it was Roudybush and Fruity pellets,the big container of Berries..millet..a small bag of freeze dried fruit pieces for Beebs and a two-stick hanging honeynut thingies for Amy..$77.04 TYVM..oh,almost forgot..$67 and change for Amys meds I may try online shopping next time around.


Jim

 

[Sunnyclover]

This last month I've spend about $2100 on the fids. Four trips to the emergency vet, one toe surgery and a resupply on toys, treats and food. So yeah ...
To be fair they don't usually go to the vet that often but I wanted to illustrate that is CAN be that expensive in one month with multiple birds.

 

[Kiwibird]

They really are money pits, but you can’t put the price on the love one gets from a spoilt dinosaur

I’m fortunate Kiwi isn’t too expensive. The foods ‘prescribed’ by his vets now cost me roughly $40 every month (I previously made most of his food myself) plus I’m now probably going to be shelling out $20-40 a month on special wood toys since he is so picky about what he’ll play with, as I transition him away from plastic and dyed wood toys. His vet bills for the kidney infection were upwards towards $800 and he just had the appointment for over $100 to determine his food mix recently added dyed peas that agitated his bad kidney

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Yep....lets not even include a vet bill..and "grooming" lol.



Jim

 

[noodles123]

$20-$40 monthly for probiotic...visits at vet every 1-2 months (minimum=grooming, maximum= blood work/x-rays/gram-stain) can range from $30-$250, Fresh fruit/veg/pure water= easily $20+ a month, Toys=$15-30 each (x however man I need each month)....food= $40 every month or so...then the paper towels and special cleaners and air filters....That's just the tip of the iceberg..

NOT CHEAP- I AGREE..Plus, they could say, "you need to cut off your arm and pay us $2,000.00", and I would be like, "Okay, take my arm, I am working on the rest!"

 

[Sunnyclover]

I file my babies beaks and nails myself! You just have to put up with a bit of complaining but it's worth it.

 

[HEEDLESS]

Anyone wanna adopt me and Kise?????

After all we did, they still go onto the biting mode like there is tomorrow.


Everyone of us here has gotten bitten.

Next month, Kise is having her yearly physical exam... The bill will be no less than $800.

Don't forget to add-on the cost of those foods we have to throw out everyday.


​

 

[OutlawedSpirit]

Not to mention almost everything, especially toys, is like playing scratch off lottery tickets. You could spend $20 on a toy and provide an hour of entertainment, a week of entertainment, or 30 seconds of terrified glances before you remove it and forget about it for a year or more. You just never know...

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

[Tami2]

Anyone wanna adopt me and Kise?????

After all we did, they still go onto the biting mode like there is tomorrow.


Everyone of us here has gotten bitten.

Next month, Kise is having her yearly physical exam... The bill will be no less than $800.

Don't forget to add-on the cost of those foods we have to throw out everyday.


​

Yearly wellness visit, $800? Yikes.
I've spent plenty when I had two Labrador Retrievers for most of my life. I spent thousands in Vet bills over the years. But, the most I've spent on Levi for a wellness visit was $375. and that included BW & a pedicure.
Why is Kise's yearly vet check-up so expensive?

 

[charmedbyekkie]

Yep, Cairo's illness last year cost us about 1k SGD (roughly 750-800 USD). That's more the half a month's worth of rent. On average, his vet bills are about 100 SGD if we do a simply faecalysis - a more heavy testing with blood and swabs goes up to about 300 SGD.

Monthly fresh chop diet alone is roughly 60-70 SGD because we buy cheap produce. I'm almost grateful he can't eat pellets, because a 1lb packet costs 20 SGD at minimum. I bought a pack of TOPs to see if he would be interested in playing with foraging toys, but if he has too much (and not enough of his regular chop), he starts toe-tapping.. Then for a while I had to buy him formula when he was going through the worst of his molting, and formula is expensive at 10 SGD for a tiny packet, especially when you have to make a fresh batch each time.

That's not inclusive of the occasional cost of toys, probiotics, apple cider vinegar, white vinegar (we only clean his stuff with it), etc. Luckily we don't need to buy those every single month, but I do have to budget for that kind of upkeep needs.

His Birdie GoGo and Hacienda cage are "investments", but they were about 350 USD and 800 SGD respectively (and yes, I got the Hacienda on a massive discount direct from manufacturer - it should be around 1000-1200 USD).

That also doesn't include his transport costs - bringing pets on public transport is illegal (500 SGD fine), so if we can't walk or cycle somewhere, we have at pay at least 20 SGD for a one-way trip.

And it doesn't include the things he accidentally destroys as he learned the boundaries of what is considered "no-chew". My spectacles' ear pieces are completely chewed up and destroyed (luckily my ears hide them), and my lenses have scratches from when he tried to land on them and when he tested whether or not they're edible. That's at least 100 SGD if I go for the cheapest pair of spectacles. Not to mention the keyboards he's pulled up - luckily we were still covered by Apple Care. The 3D-prints he's destroyed (I should share the story how he defeated the T-Rex sometime) - some were personal, prized possessions, others were to be sold. He finds new ways to increase cost of living with him

I'm just lucky that we're in a country close to his natural habitat, so heat and humidity is no issue - no need to buy a humidifier or crank up any heating system.

But I always say, even though he landed on our balcony, he didn't choose to be adopted by us - we chose to adopt him, so it's our duty to him to make sure his wants (within reason) and needs are met. Even if it means cutting down on our personal miscellaneous costs and decreasing our own food budget.

 

[Tami2]

I get that if they are being treated for an illness. One of my Labs had Lyme Disease and when all was said and done the cost exceeded 4K. Than my other lab was a two time cancer survivor one of his surgeries cost 3K.
But she mentioned an annual vet check-up. That shouldn't cost that much....

 

[charmedbyekkie]

I get that if they are being treated for an illness. One of my Labs had Lyme Disease and when all was said and done the cost exceeded 4K. Than my other lab was a two time cancer survivor one of his surgeries cost 3K.
But she mentioned an annual vet check-up. That shouldn't cost that much....

Is it possible to be a location difference? Not sure how vets vary in price in the US. I remember growing up in the countryside and getting sticker shock when going into the big cities when I was older. But if I remember correctly, I believe Kise's vet is a bit... aggressive (? maybe just very proactive) in treatment with plucking feathers that don't grow properly, etc. So I'm wondering if it's also the type of testing/treatment that is done adds to a cost that might already be high due to location.

And yeah, Cairo's was largely because he was hospitalised, got sedated to put an IV port in, and all other messy stuff - not a one-off check-up. So it's 1k SGD over several days of treatment and testing.

 

[Scott]

Look on the bright side.... companion animals are alleged to help us live longer. So that means more time to earn or reap retirement benefits and therefore pay for their upkeep!

 

[HEEDLESS]

Anyone wanna adopt me and Kise?????

After all we did, they still go onto the biting mode like there is tomorrow.


Everyone of us here has gotten bitten.

Next month, Kise is having her yearly physical exam... The bill will be no less than $800.

Don't forget to add-on the cost of those foods we have to throw out everyday.


​

Yearly wellness visit, $800? Yikes.
I've spent plenty when I had two Labrador Retrievers for most of my life. I spent thousands in Vet bills over the years. But, the most I've spent on Levi for a wellness visit was $375. and that included BW & a pedicure.
Why is Kise's yearly vet check-up so expensive?

Yes Dear Tami.

It will cost more than the bill below. Since I want few more tests to be done.

We all know well on the cost for our beloved babies.

But.. I don't think there are quite birds' owners even thing of the cost will be that much. That must be the reason why they are have the Rescue Center! NE???? I could be wrong.

I really am respect all members here those have been gone through tough times. **HUGS**

​

​

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

If Smokey didn't pass away on the exam table the bill was going to be $1,000.00ish...Amy's "urgent care" with his heart was $700..Most of us are luckily to have healthy fid's,but these emergency situations do occur!
My brother paid almost $300 to have a tumor removed from Mr Piggy,hus guinne pig! But pets are our family and they deserve to be treated in that manner!



Jim

 

[Tami2]

Anyone wanna adopt me and Kise?????

After all we did, they still go onto the biting mode like there is tomorrow.


Everyone of us here has gotten bitten.

Next month, Kise is having her yearly physical exam... The bill will be no less than $800.

Don't forget to add-on the cost of those foods we have to throw out everyday.


​

Yearly wellness visit, $800? Yikes.
I've spent plenty when I had two Labrador Retrievers for most of my life. I spent thousands in Vet bills over the years. But, the most I've spent on Levi for a wellness visit was $375. and that included BW & a pedicure.
Why is Kise's yearly vet check-up so expensive?

Yes Dear Tami.

It will cost more than the bill below. Since I want few more tests to be done.

We all know well on the cost for our beloved babies.

But.. I don't think there are quite birds' owners even thing of the cost will be that much. That must be the reason why they are have the Rescue Center! NE???? I could be wrong.

I really am respect all members here those have been gone through tough times. **HUGS**

​

​

Oh I see, Levi has never been under anesthesia nor has he had any x-rays.
So, that's the difference w/ our bills.
I wish you both the best of luck on your upcoming Vet Check-up.

 

[SunnyGirl]

oh man, so relatable... I had to quit my job in december due to various reasons (one being too much stress taking a huge toll on my mental and physical health) and 2 weeks after that Sunny was at the vet and beside a huge added amount of stress yet again I also had around 450usd in vet fees + 150 for the implants... yay... not...
luckily the family did add a bit to help pay the bill and all the money was worth it cause I got Sunny back alive and well :heart:


it's like saying that a car is cheap... yeah well to just buy the car is no problem but everything else is: gas, insurance, new tires, other fees and stuff you hacve no idea you would need to pay... :56:

 

[ChristaNL]

It always adds up to more than you ever imagined .... silly birds.

(this year I can probably add "heavy curtains/drapes" to the list of 'death by parrot'-items - Sunny is making them "holey" )

Sunny needs to go for her check-up soon, and I am already choosing when to go and do some frantic crystal ball gazing about the costs this time.
(Does not do any good of course /I think my crystal is too old to hold a solid wifi-connection. )
One thing for sure: it will always be an impressive bill.


(... but really ... 800 dollars is insane! Sedation does not cost that much even if it would be necessary. Labwork can be pricey, but not the standard-tests.)


If her tests are allright I may skip the greys this year: they are fine and last years tests (sept.) were perfect.