# Bad hair and quill loss? how much does it cost for a vet vis



## avoth (Jan 9, 2012)

My hedgehog has some bad hair and quill loss right now, on the sides, underneath her quill line you see mostly pink instead of fur  and on her back you can tell she has lost quite a few of quills, i decided i need to take her to a vet, does anyone know how much it would cost at this point? im willing to spend the money, its just nice to know how much it will end up costing me. also, does anyone have any idea what it might be?


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## Hillybean (Jun 10, 2010)

My hedgehogs vet charge $35-$45 just for the appointment and go up from there. Not sure how much this situation would cost you. 

Sorry I can't be of much help.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Vet prices vary depending on your location. It's best to phone the vet and ask what an office visit costs.


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## avoth (Jan 9, 2012)

thanks, im trying that but they are all closed right now, that's why i came here


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## avoth (Jan 9, 2012)

thanks, but i came here because i cant call now because all the vets are closed right now =\ does anyone have any idea what it might be?


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## Guest (Apr 14, 2012)

mine is 82 dollars just for the vist and then up for their. the other exotic vet in my city is 140 dollars for the visit, and thats about the highest for the visit ive heard

it will go up depending on what they have to treat for. medication, anastetic, and testing all cost extra. 

do you have a fund for your hedgehog set up?


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## avoth (Jan 9, 2012)

yeah i do, but i only got $130 in it, except i never did much research into it, i had some extra after i got esata and i just threw it in and figured, "this should be enough" and i just left it there... i've been reading around and ive seen $25 just for a visit, $50, $80, $35, a ton of different numbers, i hope mine isnt that expennsive.... and i guess im going to call around tomorrow, to see who has the cheapest, cause if i need medicine i guess it will cost more after that


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## Guest (Apr 14, 2012)

most people recomend having at least 1000 for a hedgie fund set up. If surgery is required or multiple visits it adds up quickly. my hedgie has been to the vets 3 times in the last week and has had xrays, blood work, fecal smears, urine tests, been sedated and has antibiotics and pain killers, and im up to almost 600 dollars. 
do you have someone who can help you out? or do you have a credit card you could use

if i were you i would start adding to you fund reguarly if at all possible or look at gettin pet insurance


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## pickles17 (Feb 18, 2012)

I'm in Ontario, Canada and I usually end up spending around $100 each time I go to the vet.


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## Guest (Apr 14, 2012)

pickles i dont know why but it seems in canada we pay more for a basic vet visit for a basica vet visit.


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## Rainy (Jul 27, 2011)

Quillzmom said:


> pickles i dont know why but it seems in canada we pay more for a basic vet visit for a basica vet visit.


Part of that might be the difference in currency. I don't know what the exchange rate is now, but several SEVERAL years ago when I went to Canada, I thought, "wow. I get more money!" No, it was just the exchange rate and prices in Canada were a bit more expensive. It probably evens out when you consider the exchange rate.


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## Guest (Apr 14, 2012)

makes sense but even with the exchange rate 130 dollars gets used up pretty quickly either way


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## jerseymike1126 (Jan 20, 2011)

Anywhere from 60-120 by me in NJ. I use the 120 vet, he is amazing and lots of cheaper vets just arent experienced with exotics


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

$1 Canadian is $0.99 USD right now. Conversion rate isn't the difference. Location is likely the difference.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

The conversion rate has nothing to do with vet costs between Canada and the US. The conversion rate only comes into play if you are paying with US money in Canada, or Canadian money in the US. 

Vet charges differ according to location and individual vet clinics. You cannot go by what other people pay unless they are going to the exact same clinic as you plan to go to. Even clinics in the same city differ in charges. 

Cheaper is not always the best choice. Some clinics charge a basic fee just to walk in the door and everything else is extra. Others include certain services in their basic charge. For example, I have seen some bill for the extra time it takes to do an xray in addition to the xray fee. Others, the time is considered part of the office visit and only charge for the actual xray. 

The only way to know is to phone and ask.


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

Quillzmom said:


> most people recomend having at least 1000 for a hedgie fund set up.


I'm just curious where people recommend that?... If I had been told to have a grand sitting in my savings account before I got a hedgehog, I never would have been able to get one. :lol: Here at HHC, it seems like $200-$400 is the minimum recommended amount of savings to have per hog. 

My vet charges $45 for the visit and obviously then tacks on fees for extra stuff. I'm in central WI. The other vet I considered seeing charges $50/visit.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

hanhan27 said:


> Quillzmom said:
> 
> 
> > most people recomend having at least 1000 for a hedgie fund set up.
> ...


I don't think people necessarily need to have $1000 sitting in their bank account, but to have access to that much is a good idea. Definitely a breeder needs to have access to that much and more. For the average one hedgehog owner, the chances of needing immediate access to that much is remote.

Of course it all depends on where the owner lives. Vets in some areas are super expensive and it can cost many hundreds just for a diagnoses.

IMO, a credit card is always a good idea because then the money is there if you need it.


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

hanhan27 said:


> Quillzmom said:
> 
> 
> > most people recomend having at least 1000 for a hedgie fund set up.
> ...


I agree. $1000 is unnecessarily high (for one hedgehog). It's great if someone has that much to put aside, but a few hundred is more like the suggested amount to be able to deal with basic vet costs. Of course, some situations will go over $1000, but expecting the average hedgehog owner to have that much in a vet fund isn't exactly realistic.

My boyfriend and I started with a $1000 overall fund, not really "set aside" because we don't need to - we have plenty in savings and he has a good job (I'm still in college at the moment). This wasn't vet-specific, it was for everything for Archimedes, including the supplies we started gathering before we brought him home. He's spoiled (just a bit, lol) and we've put around $300-350 into everything we've bought for him, leaving $600-something for future vet costs. Honestly I would consider $600 to be on the high end of the "necessary" vet-fund amount. Half that is adequate.

The important thing is for a new owner to be aware of what vet costs can be, and to have "enough" available to deal with the cost of typical vet visit and meds. (By typical I mean the cost of dealing with straight-forward ailments, like mites or a URI.) Exactly what "enough" is will vary by the vet, the area, etc. We happen to have a vet who charges around $40 for a visit; someone with a vet that charges $120, for instance, would want to take that into account when deciding how much to set aside. Obviously the amount would be higher if you have more than one hedgehog, and like Nancy just said, a breeder would need to have more like several thousand available.


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## pickles17 (Feb 18, 2012)

Everything is more expensive in Canada. $45 for an exotic vet visit? pppfffftt never! At the couple different ones I have been to its always been around $70 + just for the visit, I say $100 cause I usually end up leaving with some type of medication....but just in general a lot of things are more expensive in Canada than they are in the states. I think we have higher sales tax too?


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

Nancy said:


> IMO, a credit card is always a good idea because then the money is there if you need it.


Nancy... Credit cards are my downfall... but you're saying it's okay for me to have one, right? I need to be able to tell my mom something when she asks why the heck I got another credit card.  

Seriously though, if you CAN have a thousand bucks sitting in your bank account, fricken go for it! A lot of people seem to get 'lucky' with 'smaller' things like mites, bacteria and URIs at the vet (not saying these things aren't bad, because any sick hoggie makes me sad!), but there's always going to be the person that says, "I only had $400 saved up and my vet told me my hog needed to get her lady parts removed and now I can't pay for the surgery/have to have her put down/am in debt" etc etc. I personally have a decent job, but I also have a lot of bills (not because of credit cards :roll: ), so I have about $450 saved up for Milly. My vet is a great guy and his rates are extremely reasonable so it's hard for me to envision a situation where I'd have to pay more than $450 at one visit, but that's just my personal situation.

Ya know, I've always wanted to visit Canada, but do you really pay that much more for things up there??


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## Guest (Apr 19, 2012)

my vet charges 80 dollars per visit. and up from there

quillo has in the last 2 weeks cost me 800 dollars now

the other vet here cost 140 for a visit

our currency is at par with the sates now i believe and cost of things vary from city to city


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## Guest (Apr 19, 2012)

i may have been a bit off with the 1000
however proves it can happen if something does go wrong


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## pickles17 (Feb 18, 2012)

Yep, most things are more expensive up here. The biggest thing I have heard from non-Canadians is that they are shocked at the price of alcohol.


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