Not exactly,
Although there are peripheral costs, name me something in life that doesn’t have that.
For example,
The cost of raising a dog can easily be $1,000 per year, if not more, and if the dog were to live to be 15 years old,
That’s $15,000 (If the dog doesn’t get sick.)
The numbers I stated are averaged out from my own experiences,
This link has a considerably accurate depiction.The cost for foxes and most other similar exotics such as raccoons and skunks, are about the same.
And as for health care,
In the U.S. any vet that has a license to treat wild animals is allowed to care for foxes, raccoons, skunks, or any other wild indigenous animal,
Unless there is a city, county, or state level statute that forbids it, and even then, it may only require an additional license.
Non indigenous animals such as coatimundi may not necessarily fall under the same rules, I honestly don’t know on that one.
But in the case of most veterinary care, it costs the same, whether it’s a fox, a raccoon, or a cat or dog.
And with the possible exception of rare conditions, they use the same medicines that they use for dogs, possibly at a slightly lower dosage.
And while anyone can charge whatever they want, the vet already has the license, and it’s unlikely they have it solely for pet foxes, there’s no market for it,
and if a vet were to take advantage of someone in such a way, I’d say, get a new vet because most veterinarians are not like that.
Other additional cost, are the licensing fees for the owner, which really are not that bad.
All states adhere to one or two of a few different rules, every state is different so you need to do your research.
1. Ownership of any kind is band. (Not common but some states do follow this rule.)
2. Ownership requires a permit or license. (Very common, Prices range from $5 to about $400 depending on how the animal is classified, wild, exotic, farm or fur-bearing, etc.)
3. Ownership requires proof of purchase from a licensed breeder to prove the animal did not come from the wild. (Also very common.)
4. There are no requirements as the local laws simply do not define such situations. (Not common but it does exist.)
In Indiana, you do not need any permit, so long as the animal is properly cared for, and is deemed to not be a threat to others.
In Illinois, it’s a $25 a year permit per animal to propagate any fur-bearing animal for any purpose, except a few that are specifically band,
The permit must be retained at all times.
Both states do require the owner to always retain proof of purchase from a licensed breeder, as it is unlawful to propagate a captured animal.
I do not know the rules for other states off hand, but they are similar.
(A lot of the numbers and rules I mentioned would be as of 2009/2010, since I haven’t download new versions of the state wildlife codes since then.)
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In short,
Yes, it does cost more, but I was referring to the purchases/adoption price, not the price for lifetime care.
It cost about $900 a year to about $1200 a year to raise a dog, a cat, a fox, a raccoon, or a skunk.
Exotic animals may cost a little more, but no more than 5% to 10% more than Domestic animals.
And finally, medical costs are always a huge variable, but it’s still about the same, and at the most no more than 5% to 10% more than Domestic animals,
As long as your veterinarian is a real person and not a monster, because some really are monsters.
