Where does it all go?

[gregmonsta]

rhetorical question ... the answer is .... somewhere.

Actually I just spent a few days accounting of sorts. I completely cleaned up my hotmail account and compiled a databank on my snake-related expenses (including estimated electricity use, etc). It appears that since 2007 I have spent approximately £3532.69 on my snakey friends.

The scary thing is that over the same period simple cat maintenance for one little cat has cost me even more!!! I estimate £4000+ ...

Moral of the story ... sell cat - buy more snakes

Joking, of course.

[Stefan-A]

About €6000-7000 since 1990 or 1991. That includes animals, transportation costs, lamps, heat pads and cables, tubs, boxes, tweezers, tongs, literature, food, dietary supplements, substrates etc. The electricity currently costs about €160 per year.

I made an almost complete list of the costs in October, when this topic came up on another forum, but now I can't find it.

[mikem]

i don't even want to think about what i've spent at least $500 since the beginning of the year. and it's only at the end of february. /cry

[guidofatherof5]

i don't even want to think about what i've spent at least $500 since the beginning of the year. and it's only at the end of february. /cry

Word.

[kibakiba]

Steve's probably spent well over $10k

[chris-uk]

Threads like this can never come to any good.

Made me think though. Having only started spending money on snakes in September it's relatively easy to tot up the costs in my head. The starting up period has got to be the most expensive, getting vivs setup with heat, stats, plants, hides, bowls, etc. That's before we get to the snakes themselves. So totals up to somewhere between £750 and £850 since September.

Greg is right about the cat though, he cost me about £450 in August alone. His running costs are around £75/month (he has a urinary condition which needs medicated food once a day), so the cat has cost more than the snakes.

[MasSalvaje]

Threads like this can never come to any good.

Not completely so my friend. It is this very topic that got me thinking about what I can do to not only cut down the out of pocket expenses but also reduce the massive footprint our captive pets can have on the environment. I don't have any hard facts or data backing up this claim but my guess is that a garter in captivity results in 100x the environmental strain when compared to their wild counterparts, and I believe that to be a conservative estimate. I feel most if not all of us here think of ourselves as a group that at least attempts to do our part to preserve the amazing resources around us so I am not calling out any individuals or any group, just suggesting that as we look at different ways to save money we could also look at ways to minimize the negative impact our hobby has on the environment.

This is something I have thought about for awhile and as a result I am currently in the design stage of developing an edifice on my lot that is as close as possible to being off the grid, which would not only minimize my impact on the environment but would also go a long way in reducing the monetary cost of my hobby over the long run.

-Thomas

[Stefan-A]

I don't have any hard facts or data backing up this claim but my guess is that a garter in captivity results in 100x the environmental strain when compared to their wild counterparts, and I believe that to be a conservative estimate.

The wild counterpart puts no strain on the environment at all, but you are right, the captive population does.

Energy production, electrical devices, enclosures, tools, decoration, substrates, food, water, etc. all add up to a substantial amount of resources.

[katach]

I spent $50 today alone to get ready for the new one. Repti bark isn't cheap, plus a new water dish and a red light. I wanted to see her though and she would get lost in the aspen.

[EasternGirl]

Yeah...seriously, $70 today alone just to get ready for the new one...and I also bought some other things the other day for him...so probably $80 for him alone so far...and I know I have spent a couple of thousand in the past two years...when you look at all the costs combined for tanks, substrate, food, plants, hides, electricity, add in a couple of vet bills. Oh lord...add in my dog, my cats, the guinea pigs...I know I'm up over $5,000 in two years easy. My dog had one vet bill that was like $600. I'm always complaining I have no money...I should just feed my animals my money...less shopping...