Lories and hotots and skinks, oh my!? If it?s a holiday pet you are considering, the choice is now enormous, especially among rodents, birds, fish and reptiles.
However, before you buy, be aware of care requirements and on-going costs.
According to the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, $30 for a guinea pig is only the beginning.
The first year outlay will be just over $700 and about $635 annually after that.
In a 2011 report, Kiplinger.com rated fish as the cheapest pet both in terms of purchase and maintenance.
Gloriously hued guppies are as little as $1 and annual costs a mere $20, though set up can easily exceed $225 for an aquarium and all the fixings.
Perhaps your son or daughter has just seen How to Train Your Dragon and wants a bearded dragon (quite sociable, by the way.)
After spending $50 to $60 for the scaly beast, you will need a 40-gallon or larger terrarium, furniture for basking and hiding, bedding or a reptile carpet (yes, such a thing exists), calcium dust for a twice-weekly ?shower? and, of course, food.
Making a basic happy home for a beardie costs from $500 to $1,000 ? not including the lizard hammock.
At the cheaper end of things, a simple cage for a gerbil or rat or hamster is about $25 to $35, but pet owners are as keen to renovate as homeowners.
Multi-level critter apartments can easily run to $200, not including toys and decor.
A pet budget and research will save you from what I call Iguana Shock Syndrome.
A friend in Victoria, B.C. bought an itty-bitty green iguana in 1990.
Fourteen years later, the nearly two-metre creature had taken over the spare bedroom and its care was rivaling the cost of a child. And like a teenager, Moe was cranky.
A good beginning resource is mypetsmart.com (go to pet care solutions, then care guides) where you?ll find that the bearded dragon is an omnivore recommended for age 10 and up and lives approximately 10 years.
Dozens of pets are listed as suitable for beginner, intermediate or advanced owners.
Contact Alison at griffiths.alison@gmail.com or alisongriffiths.ca
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