Pet Urns Buying Guide: What you Need to Know
Losing your beloved pet is a difficult time in anyone's life. It can be truly hard to know how to handle the loss as you have become accustomed to living together for so long. With so many joyful memories and experiences with your furry companion, it is only fitting that you should try to look after them after they pass away. The Pet Legacy urns buying guide will tell you all you need to know for buying your furry companion the best possible after life home they could want.
Consideration when selecting your pets urn
When selecting your pets urn, you will want to consider some of the following features of the urn. You will want to think about what the urns material will be, what size the urn is, what design or style you'll pick and also your budget.
Material
Pet urns come in a variety of different materials which can make it hard to know what to select. The most popular pet urn material is wood as it is eco-friendly, affordable and easy to customise. A lot of wooden pet urns come with a slot that can hold a photo of your beloved pet, which can be a really touching way of keeping their memory alive. Wooden urns can come in creative designs as well, but most commonly are found as a boxed shape. Wooden urns are usually varnished and might be closed in with screws, so you may need a screwdriver to open them.
Metal pet urns are another common material used in urns. They can come in different types such as brass, aluminium or even gold. While there are many different types of metals, with varying different price points, their overall qualities are quite similar. Metal pet urns are incredibly sturdy and durable, and will last you a long time. They also have a beautiful lustre to them that can make them visually stunning. Metal pet urns usually come with a threaded lid so opening and closing is made easier. Metal pet urns can be customised but they usually all follow a fairly standard urn shape.
While these are the two most commonly used materials for pet urns, there are a multitude of other materials used as well. Ceramic is an easy to work with material that can usually be made into incredibly unique shapes. Ceramic pet urns come in many different shapes but they can be quite brittle and prone to shattering. Glass pet urns can also be incredibly unique but suffer the same problem, and can be much more costly as well. Stone or marble urns are really beautiful and sturdy but are often hard to find as specific pet urns.
Sizing
Pet urns can come in an array of different sizes. Depending on what pet you have you will receive a different amount of ashes from the crematorium. As a general rule of thumb, 1kg will equal to about 38 ml of volume for ashes needed in an urn. You will want to add a buffer of about 10% in order to ensure all the ash can fit inside your pets urn. Here is a table you can use to help.
|
Your Pet |
Approximate Weight |
Volume Needed For Urn |
|
Guinea Pig |
0.5 - 1 kg |
20 - 40 mL |
|
Bird |
0.4 - 5 kg |
20 - 210 mL |
|
Small Reptile |
0.4 kg |
20 mL |
|
Large Reptile |
5 - 10 kg |
210 - 420 mL |
|
Ferret |
1 kg |
40 mL |
|
Rabbit |
1 - 2.5 kg |
40 - 105 mL |
|
Small Cat |
4 kg |
170 mL |
|
Large Cat |
8 kg |
340 mL |
|
Small Dog |
10 kg |
420 mL |
|
Medium Dog |
25 kg |
1050 mL |
|
Large Dog |
35 kg |
1500 mL |
|
Extra Large Dog |
50 kg |
2100 mL |
|
Horse |
Up to 1000 kg |
42 L |
Sizing can quickly become an issue when you start to consider larger animals. Luckily there are no set rules in this regard so you can scatter your furry companions ashes in their favourite place and store the rest in a smaller pet urn.
Design
The design of your pet’s urn is very important. It's what will help your urn stand out and feel truly special and unique to your furry companion. There are many ways you can personalise your pet's urn to accomplish this. Finding an urn in the shape of your pet can be a really touching way to pay homage. There are many urns in the shape of cats and dogs, but others such as horse keepsake urns can be found too. If you cannot find a specific design for your pet urn, you can always include a print out photo of your pet onto a wooden urn or even just framed next to the urn. You can also engrave your urn with your pets name, or if you are unable to engrave the urn itself you can always opt to engrave a plaque or medallion which can go next to or placed over the urn. There are multiple ways to incorporate the design of your pet urn to truly feel special to your pet.
Budget
Lastly you should consider your budget. While it may be tempting to get all the bells and whistles for your furry companion, it might not always be feasible. It is important to shop around and see what options are available to you, as some stores may charge you more for the same or even worse quality product. The biggest price differences will lie in what material you choose. Wood urns are generally the most affordable, while metal urns can be more pricey. Size will also play a role in determining the price of your pet urn.
We hope you find some relief in dealing with your loss. With this guide you can confidently enter the market of pet urns and know what to look out for. From the material to the sizing, design and budgetary concerns you will know the best pet urn to buy for your friend. Pet Legacy is a leading pet urns store supplying Australians with high quality pet urns. If you are in need of a pet urn then visit our store to see what we have to offer, you won't be disappointed.