Pygmy goats really aren’t much use for meat or milk, so you can see that the price of these little goats has been driven up almost entirely by popular demand for the animal as a companion.
Like dog breeds, as this happens and certain breeds become more popular, there is more demand, and the price goes up.
Let’s look further into this.
How much do pygmy goats cost to buy?
The first thing I should say is that, naturally, it will vary a great deal across locations, times, and many other factors.
As I’ve said, pygmy goats have become very popular, and the supply has risen to meet the demand.
That demand is still high enough to keep the prices quite high, though.
As I said, your upper limit on the average cost of a pygmy goat is likely to be in the region of $500.
Many may go for more, and indeed as the years pass you will find the price continues to rise as demand does.
There are many breeds of goat with many different purposes, so there’s naturally a lot of variation in price.
Pygmy goats fall somewhere in the middle of the overall average—so they’re more expensive than a lot of breeds, but not the most expensive of all.
Costs for some breeds can be upwards of $800.
But the initial cost of buying the animal isn’t the only one involved in keeping goats.
How much does it cost to keep them?
How much do pygmy goats cost to keep?
So, assuming you can get a pygmy goat for under $500, that will still be one of the highest initial purchase costs.
They will need their own shelter, though, and this is going to be a big investment if you have nothing you could repurpose.
Because of their size, most pygmy goat herds would do fine with a repurposed garden shed and a heater for shelter.
If you don’t have anything, you’ll need to build something from the ground up—again, costs will vary, but you can expect it to cost around $200-300 at the cheapest.
Then, you’ll need to think about their supplies.
Bedding, like straw, will usually cost you around $100-$200 per month.
For food, depending on how many you have, you can keep this as low as $50 per month.
Health care is often one of the biggest expenses.
They will need regular check-ups, grooming and sometimes medicated food.
This is going to be one of the costlier monthly expenses, up to $150 a month, but it’s naturally one of the most important.
The thing we haven’t really touched on in terms of cost is the fact that goats are herd animals—you really shouldn’t have one on its own.
Do you need two pygmy goats?
At least two, yes.
For any goat species, they will never be really content if they don’t have other members of their own species with them.
Even if you were with the goat 24/7, they would still be unhappy without members of their own species.
So, two is the least amount of pygmy goats you should have.
Ideally, you would want even more, at least three.
They’re not just social animals, they are herd animals.
In the wild, goats may live in groups of several dozen.
So, all this said—are pygmy goats good pets?
Are pygmy goats good pets?
As always, the answer depends on you.
In general, yes, they’re fantastic pets.
They’re energetic and loving, they’re fun and playful, they bond well to humans and they’re great with family members.
But there is a great deal more involved in properly maintaining them as pets.
They need their own space outside the house, they need multiple members of their own species, and they will need specialized care—most ordinary vets won’t be able to look at them.
So, you’re going to have to look at what you want out of a goat companion and consider all factors.
For the right person, pygmy goats make great pets, but they are expensive and reasonably high maintenance by most standards.
So, pygmy goats are great pets, but you do need to know what you’re getting into.
Many inexperienced goat keepers have bought pygmy goats with the intention of keeping them in the house or just one on their own as a pet, and have been surprised at the level of maintenance they require despite their size.
So, you need to be fully aware of what you’re getting into before you start.
Pygmy goats, though small, are still goats.