How much would you say it costs to get started with a chin

[Kathrynfaye]

Including cage,food things like that

 

[tunes]

That depends on what you want to buy. A smaller cage will cost less, a larger more. A ferret nation (which is the most popular pet cage) is around $200.00 for the double decker. Then you add in hammocks, ledges, a house, a wheel. It can be quite pricey to start out with. Again, depending on how much you want to put in.

Food for a single chin will be minimal in cost, as will shavings, hay etc. That will also depend on whether you buy it locally or if you have it shipped.

 

[dayofhope]

As Tunes said, a good cage is about $200.
(Trust me, you'll want to have a cage totally ready when you get your chin. There are people on here who did that, and I wish I had.)
You don't /need/ to get a wheel, but they are recommended. A good one will cost at least $50 +shipping.
Avoid plastic anything in the cage.
Also avoid death balls.
A hammock will probably be about $8, depending where you get it. You can make ledges (or a hammock) for about... idk, $20? I haven't personally made one yet, but I will be. There's instructions on the housing board. A house will probably be about... $16 or so.
You can order quality food on here for pretty cheap +shipping. Hay will probably cost about $5, depending how much you get. Bedding depends on how much you get.

Chinchillas can be an expensive pet, but totally worth it.

 

[Sdo9396]

It easily cost me $400 to start out which includes FN cage, metal bass pans for cage, wooden ledges, tube, wooden house, chin spin, and smaller items. It is pretty expensive starting out. I think my most expensive monthly buy would have to be wood chews because I have little beavers that tear through everything very quickly lol I make my own fleece stuff so I saved some money there )

 

[Amy555]

Let’s see. I adopted my two boys from a rescue where I lucked out and got a used cage for $50, based on my experience I’d figure (I’m rounding up) $10 for a bag of food that will last about 3 months, $10 for a bag of hay that may last 3 months. And I don’t remember, let’s say $10 for a block of CareFresh to get started (I didn’t end up using it because my boys got sick). And that’s chinchilla price plus $80 right up front. I gave my boys cardboard box houses and play towers in their cage and over the next month or two bought them a house and chew toys and sticks and hay blocks and dust – dust can be $10 for a dumb little jar at the pet store! and a dust house. So I’d say have $100-$300 (depending on the cage) in addition to the cost of the chinchilla, right up front. Then plan to have budgeted all of the accessory supplies in the coming months.

So the first month is expensive, the next month is less expensive, and then maintenance is super cheap from there on out. Which is when you use spending money for fun extra toys and to sock away in case of medical emergencies.

 

[Gabby88]

I'd say it cost over $500 (probably closer to $600) for my girls, their cage, wood shelves, food, toys, hay, fleece, hidey house, etc.

 

[Dewdrop]

I spent 400-500 on my first two. That was a crappy cage too. Splurge and get a good one off the bat. You'll save money in the long run...

 

[chinchillasrox]

I spent about $400-$450 dollars and then i got a new cage that was bigger and spent 75-100 on it. (It was compleatly stripped of shelves and all other things so we had to put in shelves in)

 

[Laurie]

The initial cost of your chin will be expensive. You SHOULD get a chin from a breeder if you can. I totally believe your first chinchilla should not be a rescue in the true sense of the word--if you're "rescuing" it from Craigslist and not a reputable rescue you have no idea of the health and well being of the chin and it could wind up costing you a small fortune on vet care. If you're getting it from a reputable trust worthy and well known chinchilla rescue then most likely you won't have issues with it.

If your a pet owner you don't need to purchase a chinchilla over $150. A good cage is about $150--$250 dollars. You will need wood ledges and shelves and wood house another $100 you'll need a dust bath, good dust and proper feed all of these depending on how many chins you have are another $50-$75

It's optional on getting fleece items ie hammock, tubes, liners but I'm telling you chinchillas love these things this is another $100

Toys and wood for your chin again optional but another $50 or more

After these costs you will really only have to worry about replacing wooden items yearly or more if your able too or have a huge chewer and then feed. Owning a chin on a monthly basis is quite cheap.

 

[Anfsurfer]

Like Gabby. my initial cost was around $600.

 

[Chin_Parent]

If you can, I'd check Craigslist for cages, you can get Ferret Nations and other quality cages for cheap on there, around $75 to 150 probably, then you can just alter what you get and save money. I also highly recommend making your own fleece accessories if you can, making liners, hammocks, etc. costs a fraction of the price of buying them (I lined three cages and made fleece accessories for about 30 bucks, which would only buy you a fleece liner set if you broke down and bought accessories). Then wooden ledges, toys, dust, dust containers, food, hay, water bottles, etc.

For three chinchillas I've probably spent about three hundred bucks on supplies, food, etc. (I've only had Chinchy for six months, and the girls I just got and have been replacing things), but I didn't have any initial cost for cages since they all came with them, and I just made alterations. Even if you get a chinchilla on Craigslist, you still will most likely have to throw away and/or replace most of what they come with, so they all ended up costing about the same to outfit their cage for me. (Chinchy came free from my landlord, cage and all. He's my little love bug.)

 

[Jazicat]

Our quarantine cage is made for birds but chinchilla safe. It's horrible to clean so I love the Ferret Nations. We did however spend a lot for set up but I don't regret a penny. Our total cost was probably $500 per cage without the chinchillas.

I agree with going to a breeder for a chinchilla, or a rescue, since not all of their chinchillas are what they want to breed. My breeder takes in rescues too. While I do have pedigrees for my boys as a pet person they just tell me the day they were born. I'd love my boys just as much without them since I've decided breeding is not for me.

 

[GorillaJTA]

Start-up costs vary. I spent probably $200 or more unnecessarily on stuff that was inappropriate or the chins just didn't like. I wish I had read more on here before I bought stuff.

 

[yellnpsych]

I'm a researching/preparing future chin owner. I've already had a nightmares about being unprepared!

I have two of the three higher priced items crossed off my list, that being the A/C window unit and the Ferret Nation 142. My next item will be a dehumidifier, since my future chin room is still too humid (70%) despite the A/C running. Water filters that remove cysts called giardia and cryptosporidium are also important, but not too expensive. I intend to buy the PUR brand water pitcher and refill filters.

My estimation going into my future chin is an easy $700

 

[Pikaia]

I know I've spent a lot of money getting things my chins needed. When I first bought Chichi, she came with a crap cage and all of her food/toys for $100. I found her on Craigslist. After I found this website, I started to learn about all of the crap foods and treats. I started to make the necessary changes. Within a month of having her, she gave birth and had two kits. I purchased two FN's to eventually house the girls and boy separately and then I had to buy ledges, fleece, toys and etc. I have to regularly purchase toys and sticks aside from food/hay. It will be one year since I've had chinchillas on Labor Day. I have spent at least $1,000, probably more. Seriously, they are not cheap pets and boy are they spoiled!!! But I love them so much!

 

[ticklechin]

And once you get that money saved up start saving for vet bills, they can become very expensive very fast.

 

[cindyv3737]

I easily spent around 600 when I got my chin. Half of what I got was junk. Roughly a year later I bought a FN and all the goods that go with it (roughly another 400). Splurge on the better cage and supplies now. It will save you money in the long run. Unless you are like me and wood all the time.

 

[Andrea]

I spent $800 alone on my three chins, not even taking supplies into consideration. Granted, they are "rare" mutations and I could have gotten three very nice standards for less than half that price. In supplies, I have spent easily $1,000+. The cage was expensive, then I have bought tons of wood, toys, hay, feed, cage decor and emergency/health supplies. I'm sure it hasn't all been "necessary" but I enjoy spoiling my pets and giving them the best of everything. I also recommend having $1,000 minimum set aside for vet bills. So basically, they can be as expensive as you want them to be. You can adopt a chin for $50, then get a small cage and supplies for likely $200. Most people on here just tend to put more towards their chins

 

[Stackie]

Don't let people fool you and take advantage of you with "rare" mutations and racking up the price due to that. Violet wraps and extra dark ebs are not rare, nor are most of the other mutations out there. The only ones I would consider "rare" are goldbars and blue diamonds, and some of the other less heard mutes. If a mute is rare, most likely it is not going to be sold to a pet owner. Violets, ebonies, beiges, brown velvets, whites etc. are not rare.

The biggest expense is the cage, and I would go all out at the beginning like others have stated. I spent more money on crappy cages that went in the trash..wish I would have bought my FNs in the first place.

 

[Andrea]

I'd say $225 for a extra dark eb is average from what I've seen. $300 for a violet wrap is pretty average as well, maybe on the higher end. I didn't mind paying a higher price for quality, but I know I probably could have gotten them for cheaper if I had shopped around.