Tiger Cub Cost
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How Much Does a Tiger Cub Cost?

Last Updated on March 25, 2023
Written by CPA Alec Pow | Content Reviewed by Certified CFA CFA Alexander Popinker

Tigers are wonderful creatures. They have the ability to take down even five-hundred-pound animals. They are among the largest, strongest animals out there. A lot of people dream about owning a tiger as a pet, although considering that this is the biggest of the feline family, it might be pretty challenging for you to get properly licensed and registered to keep one legally.

How Much Does a Tiger Cub Cost?

The average cost of a tiger cub is anywhere between $1,000 and $8,500, although rarer varieties, like the white tiger, for example, can easily reach prices of $100,000 or more. This cost will be influenced by several factors, out of which, the most important is the breeder you’re getting the cub from, the quality of the feline, its gender, and its age.

Of course, the initial price of adoption won’t include the annual maintenance costs you will have to face for the life of your pet. And along with the adoption fee, be ready to spend roughly $25,000+ in the initial year of owning the pet alone, and we’ll into more detail regarding these costs later on in this article. Before even considering adopting a tiger, make sure you get in touch with your local city and state government to ensure that the laws enable you to own this cat as a pet.

In fact, according to Reference.com, setting up the habitat of the tiger along with all other initial expenses can easily reach a cost of $90,000.

Some online ads sites, like AdTob for example, have listings with tigers offered for adoption, with prices commonly between the ranges of $1,500 and $3,500.

Mercabba, which is a different ads website, offers multiple listings with tigers available for sale, and their prices are between $1,000 and $1,500.

One article from BigCatRescue talks about the average tiger cub being priced at about $7,500, but the article will also go into more detail about the additional costs you should expect when adopting this type of pet.

Tiger cub adoption details

Any tiger cub that is available for sale has been raised from birth by a professional breeder and then tamed. These cubs should also come with a checkup and up-to-date vaccinations at a reputable vet and a health guarantee to avoid any surprises later along the road. There are some tiger cubs that are even potty trained so you have an easier life with them around your house.

Keep in mind that a tiger isn’t your average domesticated house cat, which means that you will have to be prepared for a lot more aggression and an uglier temperament, like urine markings all around their habitat area.

Any additional costs to expect?

Tiger Cub WalkingWhen growing up in the wild, the diet of a tiger will be fully carnivore and will be made of water buffalos, antelopes, wild pigs, and deer, among other creatures. Of course, while hunting, they will eat depending on the number of animals they are able to hunt but when domesticated, they will rely on their owner to receive the needed 10 to 15 pounds of meat daily for proper growth.  When keeping this type of pet, it is also vital to consider supplements and vitamins so that the tiger gets all of the important nutrients it needs for a healthy life.

Some professional websites that talk about tigers argue that the majority of your commercially prepared meat developed for an exotic animal will be mostly horse meat, however, research has actually revealed this meat can be lacking in nutrients, preventing an exotic animal, such as a tiger, from getting the nutrients it will need every day to survive. The food and vitamins alone will cost nearly $2,000 each year.

As you might expect, a tiger will require a space where it will have enough room to make use of its brains, to play with things, catch things and even leap and explore. For this reason, a tiger will need a bigger habitat, very similar to the natural one. Just like what you see at a zoo, a tiger will need more than just a spot of grass to play in.

They will require a water area, toys, trees, a strong shelter, and places where it could jump around. The location needs to also be fenced appropriately to prevent the animal from escaping. The habitat alone can cost well into the thousands. A professional setup might get closer than you’d think to the 6 figure range.

Given that it’s going to be extremely difficult to find a tiger cub in your area, you will have to consider shipping costs, which can be upwards of $500. This expense will all depend upon the distance being traveled and how the tiger is being delivered.

Permits, which you will require to be able to keep a tiger, will be an extra expense, and it will considerably depend upon where you live. Some states might just provide licenses to those who run a zoo, whereas others might just provide permits to those who fulfill specific requirements such as having a particular size of land, being a specific distance from other homes, and so on. The majority of states, from what we were able to find, will wish to check your home prior before offering a permit, and many will also want you to take a big feline handling course to get certified/licensed.

Similar to any animal, a tiger will also need regular veterinarian consultations and might go through unforeseen issues. Seeing that only a handful of veterinarians will deal with an exotic animal of this size, you might be finding yourself in a bind if nobody will be able to take care of it in your area.

Regardless, a veterinarian consultation can cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars if you need to transfer your cub miles away for an emergency surgical treatment. If you do not have a van, for example, to transfer your tiger, this might be $15,000+ alone for a secondhand vehicle.

Liability insurance coverage will be a must if you wish to house a tiger cub. Depending upon your history, this insurance coverage can be anywhere from just $1,000 to more than $15,000 annually. Bear in mind that many property owners’ insurance coverage will cancel your policy if they were to find that you house an exotic animal on your premises.

Any tips to remember?

The Big Cat Rescue Organization notes that all wild felines, regardless of whether they are spayed or neutered, will spray a lot of urine on whatever they wish to claim as their own. Due to their natural impulses, this is how they know to protect their area. The rescue claims there’s no other way to avoid this from occurring, despite what a breeder will tell you.

Alec Pow
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