Pets become part of your family. Kids view their animals as best pals. Parents look to them for company and companionship when their children are at school. Whatever your reason is for wanting to add a furry friend to your household, there are some major financial considerations to make before the purchase is completed.
Animals cost a lot of money to maintain. Their health is super important, and humans need to consider what the major medical issues are for the specific species they are thinking about buying.
If you are getting a unique animal, there are even more things to think about. Exotic pet insurance is something you might need if you are getting a rare breed of snake, for example. We’ll cover several of these scenarios and several more budgeting decisions that you have to handle when buying a pet.
Think About Your Home
Getting a pet means you have to think about how the animal is going to affect your home. Potty training your pet to make sure they don’t wet the carpet is a huge priority, but there are other topics to discuss as well. Pet hair gets everywhere and can make it difficult to maintain a clean home.
If you invite a lot of people over to your home, you don’t want to let them into a house that is dirty with animal hair. Air filtration systems range from affordable to expensive depending on the company you go through and the time of year you are trying to make a purchase.
You need to decide whether you are going to invite your animal into the house, too. Some of these issues we’ve talked about above are non-factors if the pet is going to be an entirely outdoor animal. If that is the case, you need to have a backyard that is suitable for your animal to move around and get some exercise.
Not giving your animal the space to be free is very bad for their mental health and could result in irrational behavior from your pet. Ask the pet store what the needs of the animal you are buying are and how you can accommodate them in your home.
Feeding a Pet
Every animal has their own proper diet that will change depending on the age of the animal and the species. Cats obviously don’t eat the same things as dogs. These are pretty simple pets to learn about for dietary restrictions. If you want to buy a more unique animal, their food might be different and it could also be expensive.
For example, let’s say you want to buy one of the more popular exotic animals on the market: a snake. Depending on the size of the snake, they need a lot more food. Pet snakes are usually fed rats or mice. You can go to your local pet shop to ask about the size of rodent to feed your snake and they can help you purchase the right rat for your pet.
Buying other animals to feed your pet is obviously more expensive than buying a bag of puppy chow from the grocery store. This is something that needs to be strongly considered when deciding on whether to buy an exotic pet or something more common.
Fish are probably one of the easiest animals to feed, so if you have a young child who wants a beginner pet, this is the best one to buy. There are lots of fish food mixes on your pet food aisle or at a pet store.
Don’t feed your pets the scraps from your own meals. This might feel much cheaper, but it will cost you a lot of money in the long run. When you feed your pet human food, they often get sick or will have nasty side effects from the meal. This will require more visits to the veterinarian.
Medical Needs of an Animal
You should always research the health risks that certain animals have before purchasing them as pets. Some breeds of dogs are more prone to heart problems, diabetes, and potentially fatal issues. The bulldog is more unhealthy than the Golden Retriever, for example. Talk to the pet store about the health risks of the animals you want to buy.
Fish are once again one of the safest bets to avoid big vet bills. They aren’t going to contract the same types of diseases as mammals, and in turn, require fewer visits to the doctor.
If you want an exotic pet, not every vet knows how to care for unique animals. Finding a vet in your area or close by who can figure out what’s wrong with your reptile or your monkey is going to be way more difficult than treating a house cat.
It’s mean to the animals if you buy a pet and don’t have the money to pay for vet visits. You could even get in trouble with the law for negligence or abuse if you don’t take care of health problems for your pet.
Insurance for Pets
Depending on the pet you get, you will need to think about how your insurance rates will go up. Pitbulls are riskier for homeowners insurance because they are deemed a higher-risk pet. They bite people more often than other dog breeds, or at least that is the assumption by insurance companies.
If you get an exotic pet like we’ve talked about above, this can get even dicier with insurance. Most homeowners insurance companies are going to ignore your request for a policy protecting you when your lion or tiger gets loose and nearly kills the neighbor.
You need to educate yourself not only on the insurance needs of an animal like this but also on how to get the proper license to own such a pet. Exotic animal licenses are important because they will prevent you from getting your pet taken away or you going to prison for owning one illegally.
Pet ownership is very rewarding, but it’s also very expensive. If you research what the needs of your desired pet are, there is no reason why your family can’t enjoy the gifts that animals add to all of our lives.
Author Bio:
Shawn Laib writes and researches for the insurance comparison site, ExpertInsuranceReviews.com. He wants to help people understand the ins and outs of pet ownership.
