price of a bts

[frankgtrs]

hello everyone, i do not own a bts yet but im thinking of getting one since i've wanted one for a long time but before i got one i was wondering what is the cost to own one when it comes to food and that sort of thing. Im guessing is not as much as lizards who eat only crickets and meal worms but im not sure. so could you please tell me how much you spend and how much was the start up cost ?

thank you

[Linnea]

my total start up cost was 540 usd. and then i mean exactly everything i could ever need:

- bts
- food ( catfood and crickets since he likes to chase them, and salad recomendations)
- terrarium ( 100 cm x 50 x 50 )
- uvb bulb
- hide
- calcium/vitamin powder
- heat buld
- substrate
- box for moving the bts
- food and water bowls

for customization i later bought a guinea pig house for 23 dollars, a plant for 20 dollars and a background for 4 dollars.

an each week cost is about 3 dollars for mixed salad types and 2 dollars for the cat/dog food. so a total of 5 dollars a week, or less. depends on the date of the food and if i wanna feed a treat.

[Jeff]

I have 26 BTS at the moment, and it costs me about $3 a week to feed all of them. It would be easy to spend more, but cost is really not something I think about much. I do what I think is the best for my skinks, and that is just what it costs.

[Katrina]

I've spent quite a bit on my blueys, but it definitely isn't necessary. They aren't all that expensive to keep unless you want pretty, custom built enclosures, certain foods, or run into health issues and need vet care.

Enclosures can be built fairly easily or you can find used ones on kijiji, craigs list or other similar sites. Don't buy specific "reptile" products from a pet store if you don't have to - a Home Depot type store will sell lots of the items you need. Get temperature guns, lighting, fixtures, tiles for basking spots, tiles and aquarium grade silicone to build your own hides etc.

Lots of people buy lots of healthy greens and veggies, chop it all up and freeze it in meal-sized portions to cut down on waste and cost. Feeding something like dog food as the protein is a healthy choice and cost effective.

I probably spend about $5 / week feeding my 8. I won't say what the setup costs were because I have bought lots of stuff over time and have more expensive enclosures / decorations than necessary.

[Kurt]

i was pretty cheap, but i have a nice set up that has everything my skink needs

*Set up: $140
-for $60 on craigslist i got a 40 gal breeder tank, dome light, fluorescent light, half log hide, and a piece of wood for my skink to crawl on/under
-i spent about $30 on food and water dishes and a digital thermometer from a pet store (you could easily get cheaper if you wanted)
-heat/uvb light bulb ran me about $40 from amazon.com
-i spent about $6 on a calcium supplement that will last me a long time
-i got a cheap timer for the heat lamp for about $5


*Care: less than $10/month
-i feed my skink ground turkey or chicken and veggies

*skink: $160

[MiMi]

BTS - $200

Tank - free (hand-me down, from friends)
Mesh Lid - 30
Ballast- 30
UVB Light - 28
Clamp Lamp - 30
150W Bulb - 12
Clay pot for hide - 5
Bag of substrate - 10
Rocks for basking - free (collected on hike)
Plastic plants (4) - 5
Large water dish - 15
Thermometer - 8
Calcium supplement - 20

START-UP TOTAL....................$393

My fella eats once every 5 days or even sometimes once a week,
and my husband and I eat a lot of veggies, so it doesn't really add more than $5 into our grocery bill every-other-week to grab some extra veg for him.
I usually buy the Wellness brand chicken or turkey catfood in the tiny tins, they cost $1.50 and those are good for 2 servings.
Once in a while, I'll pick-up a bunch of hornworms or silk worms for a treat (and watch him lose his little mind)
That's probably no more than a 4-5 dollar expense.
So, just to guesstimate, I bet he costs $10 bucks a month to keep.

[Susann]

As far as a BTS goes, they really are VERY cheap to keep. Among the cheapest upkeep of any animal I've ever owned. Enclosure and heating/lighting are the biggest initial costs, besides the animal. Those would also be the hardest things to set up correctly with the ventilation and right temperature-gradients. But once you have those set up and maintained, there really is very little cost in the upkeep.

Some people keep their BTS in Rubbermaid tubs. With cereal boxes for hides, and washable towels for substrate. And I bet their BTS is just as happy as mine is in his big, huge, expensive vivarium. You know?

I bet I feed my 3 BTS for around 50 cents/meal. Not per skink, that's TOTAL. I'm one of the ones who makes big batches of food and freezes it in portions. So I spend the time and the money once every 2-3 months, and then I'm set. With minimal food waste.

The one thing that CAN cost a lot is veterinary care. And that can rack up to a lot, fast. I think that is something you need to consider and prepare for before getting the animal. Call around, find a vet who is able to care for an exotic like a BTS, and find out what routine exams cost, and how much they charge for blood work and x-rays. Have a sum set aside, put away a little every month, and leave it for a rainy day.

Have some extra bulbs set aside, and whatever items you may suddenly need. Those are the things that can unexpectedly cost more than you prepared for.

Other than that, when you've paid for the skink and set up his/her home, you are good to go.

[Spindown]

definitely agree with stocking up on lightbulbs AND fixtures...i just broke one of my fixtures when accidently dropping it, and then sometimes they just decide to die on their own, and often take the lightbulbs with it!

my bts ranged from $125 to $150, but we always waited til we could get a steal

Food wise, its about $5-$6 dollars to feed them every week.

[Adalon]

My startup costs were somewhere around $400 for everything.

Skink
>$150 with shipping
Enclosure
>$95 used
Lighting and Heating
>$90 for 2 lamps, bulbs, UTH and thermometer
Substrate and slate tiles
>$35 overpaid for out of season cypress mulch
Hide, decorations and water/food dishes
>Free!

I made my own hide out of cardboard lined with old tshirt patches that has been a hit. I also spent a weekend in the mountains and brought home a bunch of interesting logs and bark for hides and play things (cleaned with 2% bleach and then froze for a week and a half). Water and food dishes I used a flat ceramic cereal bowl from the kitchen. I've even been able to get myself free food for the skink by gathering earthworms and snails from my yard as well as hibiscus and zucchini from my garden. I've never had to go out of my way to find food for Adalon the garbage disposal, there's always extras from dinner and an emergency bag of goodies in the freezer. Honestly he's been the most low maintenance animal I've ever kept.