They may look intimidating, but hermit crabs are actually super chill once they get acquainted to their environments though they will snip if they feel threatened, so a soft touch is key when handling them. However, they can entertain themselves when you are not around to play, leading to some mischief and problems if they are not supervised. Talk about hands-off. However, they can be very active and are nocturnal. Dr. Nelva Bryant, DVM, is a highly accomplished veterinarian with three decades of professional experience in animal welfare, public health, and zoonotic diseases. However, when you're a busy person, it's just not possible to spend every waking moment looking after a pet. Whether you want to own an exotic animal or something more common, there are more pets available than ever before. Also, the question about Can rabbits eat bok choy arises from another one as can, [] How Much Home Cooked Food to Feed Dog [], [] to give their animals wholesome food. Greyhounds can cost thousands of dollars to buy outright but many are now a popular rescue choice and can be adopted for free. These strange-looking creatures are relatively inexpensive and can be maintained in an aquarium that does not require any heating or specific filtration. As McLeod wrote for The Spruce Pets, these adorable creatures actually prefer not to be held that much, so if you're looking for a pet you can keep at arm's length but still love, this may be the one for you. Their habitat needs to be frequently changed, but other than that, make sure they get some exercise outside their cage and youre good to go. While they are skittish, they can be tamed if handled regularly and hand-fed. Just make sure you teach your kids not to jostle them around as they dont fancy too much human interaction. } ); No, this isnt something out of Harry Potter, but actually a popular pet lizard. If you're looking for a new companion and aren't in the market for a dog, or even if you already have a dog and are considering another pet, its a good idea to consider a low-maintenance pet. From Spay. They like to chillax in a tropical habitat and love to eat crickets and worms. Leopard geckos tend to be the most commonly available pet geckos, but house geckos Leopard and house geckos are among the best choices for reptile pets, especially for beginners. Spotted Genet. Prehensile-Tailed Porcupine. Hedgehogs. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. WebGuinea Pig. Let's face it, dogs aren't ever really low-maintenance pets. Hedgehogs are not social. Exotic pets are often compact, quiet, and don't require outdoor space, making them ideal pets for apartment living since they don't bother nearby neighbors or damage your home. However, it is important to consider commitment before jumping into piggy paternity. Fish are often "seen as low-maintenance pets" until people realize just how much work needs to be put into 2 Pugs. Hedgehogs are very quiet and low-maintenance pets. They can live longer depending on goldfish type, the size of the tank, and how often their water is Although they make excellent pets for beginners, Bearded Dragons have specialized diets composed of fruit, vegetables, and insects. As McLeod explained to The Spruce Pets, they have a docile nature that makes them easy to get along with and play with, but they also don't need a lot in terms of care. Parakeets must be fed daily, however. With gentle handling from a young age, they can bond closely with you. 3. All you need to do, according to Allie Layos of Wide Open Pets, is keep a temperature of somewhere between 60 to 70 degrees, cover the ants at night, give them sufficient water with either a damp cotton ball or a few drops, and provide foods like small pieces of fruits and vegetables. You'll pay about $15-20 for the hamster, another $20-50 for a cage, $7-8 for an exercise ball, $10 for the first bag of food and another $10 for the first bag of shavings. These fuzzballs often whistle, purr, and squeal to express emotions, which makes them one of the best choices for people who like to know their pets are happy. They need a lot of love, attention, and affection. Hissing cockroaches and some tarantulas make the starter insects pets because they lack rather modest and serious weapons such as stingers and terrifying venom. The corn snake is fairly docile, only grows two to five feet in length and primarily eats small rodents. Gerbil. Their cage needs are not too demanding: about 2 cubic feet per rat. 5 Perfect Pets for Kids with Allergies. Read our, 8 Best Talking Bird Species to Keep as Pets, 11 Easiest Fish to Take Care Of For Beginners, These 7 Birds Make the Best Pets for Kids, 10 Best Tarantula Species to Keep as Pets. They don't need much cage spacea 15- to 20-gallon tank should doso they're a good option if you don't have room for an elaborate vivarium setup. Leopard geckos eat live insects and worms and only grow up 10 inches in length. Chipmunk (Tamias species) is a large internal cheekbone used for food transport. This popular parrot makes a great choice for those who live in small spaces. They are most active at night but will wake for interaction during the day. Guinea pigs and ferrets enjoy being held. Pet ants can be kept in a simple glass test tube until the colony is big enough to be moved to an enclosure with a nest and an "outdoor" compartment where the ants can feed, keepinginsects.com advises. These funny jokes will help you turn your frown upside-down. They are quiet, clean, low maintenance, and don't shed. However, they can entertain themselves when you are not around to play, leading to some mischief and problems if they are not supervised. A 15- to 20-gallon tank can easily hold two to three leopard geckos, and they have a normal diet of crickets, wax worms, and mealworms. xhr.open('POST', 'https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', true); Binturong. 4 Low-Maintenance Rodent Pets 1. A classic easy first pet, a goldfish is an animal that adds life and beauty to the room without requiring much attention, time or Leopard Geckos: $20 to $70. Learn more about the anole 2. Betta Fish: $5 to $25. Generally, pets that require a large enclosure and outside-of-cage time like parrots need a space more extensive than a small apartment for free-flying. The eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) is the largest deciduous forest in eastern North America. 5. Chinchillas are small rodents with playful personalities. Their diet consists of small bits of apples, carrots, and cucumbers with chalk, egg shells, or cuttlefish bone for calcium to "strengthen your snails' shells." They need a lot of love, attention, and affection. "I must say I'm quite pleased with the rabbit. A hedgehog is not related to porcupines or not a rodent, they are in a sub-family known as insectivore. Leopard geckos have a lifespan of about 20 years and can easily cohabitate with each other. They are naturally calm, friendly, friendly, and intelligent as well as timid! Goldfish are active all day and make the perfect viewing shelf pet that is absolutely low maintenance for any pet owner. Web1. Consider adding one of these small creatures to your home as your family's new (and easiest) pet. With an adult scorpion, you only have to feed it every other day, and their diet consists of insects like crickets, small mealworms, and wax worms. These crabs can be kept in a humid, five gallon-terrarium. These guys are great if you need a pet to bring some zen into the space. All you need is some fruit and vegetables to feed them and a tank that gets an adequate amount of moisture. They are nocturnal, so if you are not home during the day, they will not miss you much. Importantly, hermit crabs require a few different sized shells during their lifetime and enough sand to bury into when they molt, according to the Hermit Crab Association. Juveniles need feedings three times a day, but adults can eat once daily. xhr.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain;charset=UTF-8'); Iguanas are some of the most prominent victims of inadequate care for their presence as cheap animals in chain pet stores. 5. If you still want something cute and cuddly you can hold, get a guinea pig. Hamsters are relatively small, being only 5 to 7 inches long. 13 Cheap Pets That Are Easy to Take Care Of. Being active and playful requires a variety of toys to keep them busy, especially chewing gum. Spotted Genet. One drawback to keeping rabbits is that they like to chew and dig. Stephen Johnson contributed to this story. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. Pigs are highly social creatures with discipline and will quickly form lifelong bonds with their human mates. She lives free in the flat and reaches her cage for drinking, relieving herself, or sleeping. They need an aquarium with a half foot thick layer of sand and some stones on top for them to climb and play with. Thanks to their day-to-day ease of care and, among male canaries, their trademark singing, canaries have been one of the most popular types of pets for more than 500 years not nearly as long as dogs, but 500 years is pretty impressive. Eastern chipmunk is an alternative with two gray-brown stripes and two white stripes. Tarantulas can grow to be about ten inches (ahhh! Pigs communicate in a range of very voices, squeals, oinks, and whines. Other than that, you just need to clean your snails' terrarium at least once a week, spraying the walls with water and paper towels to clear mucus trails. Cheap Exotic Pets-Legal Cheapest Top 10 Affordable List. How to Pet Proof Your Home in 10 Easy Steps. Hamsters are small and low-maintenance and can entertain themselves with a wheel or other toys. Great for beginner pet parents. Provided you have a backyard and space for a coop, chickens are a surprisingly easy choice. Their diet mostly consists of regular fish food, though theyre known to have a particular palate for frozen bloodworms. Although mini-pot-bellied pigs are much smaller than their corral, a small pig could easily weigh more than 100 pounds! Fruit can be given occasionally as a treat. As with other reptiles, green anoles require special heating, lighting and humidity in their living environments, so make sure you're well-informed before taking these babies on. Monthly food, bedding, and hay can cost up to $35 a month, although the outlay can be minimized and made easy by feeding the animal leftover veggies from the dinner table. The very essence of a turtle is to be cool, calm and collected, and maintaining them is just as easy. Leopard geckos are nocturnal meaning they're less active during the day and unlike other reptiles, don't require UV light bulbs, but do need an incandescent bulb and possibly a heat pad, depending on temperatures in your home or apartment. Kids will love feeding them, but because goldfish have such short memories, they tend to overeat if youre not careful. And while cleaning their space and providing fresh water is essential, turtles actually dont need to be fed every day. They make excellent apartment dwellers because they sleep most of the day while the owner is away for the day. They are also just as fun and loving as traditional pets like dogs and cats. Does My Pet Secretly Resent Me for Being Home All the Time? Bearded dragon You will need to buy a spacious cage (wire, not aquarium), as well as plenty of toys, bedding, a box to nest and hide in, a water bottle, quality food, a carrier for safe transport to the vet, as well as budgeting for vaccinations and neutering. Their short, smooth, glossy coat needs minimal maintenance and their smaller size means they don't require hours of walking a day, the American Kennel Club says. His short hair doesn't need any trimming," JP says. To cut your start-up costs, adopt a rescue hamster and pick up a second-hand cage on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. Fish are often "seen as low-maintenance pets" until people realize just how much work needs to be put into 2 Pugs. Both young and older children love them, they need virtually none of your time, and, unlike dogs, cats, and most of the other creatures on this list, don't require a pet-sitter when you leave town. Lizard species that are good for beginners include leopard geckos, crested geckos, house geckos, bearded dragons, and anoles. Male, The teeth of male pigs grow throughout their lives, much like hamster teeth, and require regular shaping by their veterinarian to keep them in top shape. (Painted shells are controversial there's a risk of using a toxic material that will hurt the crab.) Mmm. The 20 Least Expensive Pets to Own. Pet ownership is wonderful, but many people don't have the space or budget for a larger, more expensive furry friend. They are also quiet and require little space and attention. Goldfish are active all day and make the perfect viewing shelf pet that is absolutely low maintenance for any pet owner. Snakes species which are easy to own include the corn snake, California kingsnake, rosy boa, gopher snake, and ball python. Unless won at the county fair, these animals can cost anywhere from $1 (sometimes they're considered food for other animals, rather than pets) to $40 or more. Lives 5 to 8 years. A second liter, usually small, is often produced in the long summer region. Kids will love feeding them, but because goldfish have such short memories, they tend to overeat if youre not careful. ". What makes guinea pigs the perfect low-maintenance pet is that they are plenty active without needing much from their owner. These spiny little animals need to be fed and cared for in the evening hours so make the perfect companion for night owls. Their tank needs to have enough room for them to be able to swim around and come up for air when needed. Gilles Ventejol, founder of Animal Patient, recommends rabbits as a pet owner, despite being a specialist in cat and dog health. Juveniles need feedings three times a day, but adults can eat once daily. They are naturally calm, friendly, friendly, and intelligent as well as timid! Primarily nocturnal, they will not mind if you are away during the day. Pet stores will typically sell canaries for about $100 to $150; breeders often sell for less. Not the type to help you save on car insurance, but the type to make long-term, easy-to-care-for pets. Our list of the cheapest pets some of whom just require food and water includes animals such as insects, reptiles, freshwater fish, and even a crustacean. Like other pets allowed to roam in your home, make sure there are no exposed wires or toxic plants and protect wooden fixtures. They make no noise and are relatively easy to care for. 12 Best Exotic Pets for Apartment Living. The going price for leopard geckos ranges from $20 to $70; a beginning terrarium setup generally costs between $100 and $200. Younger children may enjoy them, but the small creatures can be injured easily if play gets rough, so they're not the best choice for families with preschoolers or younger children. However, they do require a diet of chinchilla-specific food, which can be bought at a local pet store. All that, alongside the small size of pugs, make them one of the most low-maintenance dog breeds. In addition to food and water maintenance, make sure you provide enough toys for these interactive little mammals to play with. ), so theyll need a spacious terrarium. They live in an aquarium, where the water quality should be checked at least once a week and changed every two to four weeks. Physical Characteristics: Small, stout bodies with no tail, a large head with large and alert eyes, strong, short legs with four toes on their front feet and three on the back, all with sharp claws; color variations include black, beige, chocolate, cream, cinnamon, gold, lemon, lilac, red, silver, and white, Fernando Trabanco Fotografa / Getty Images. Your content goes here. Geckos enjoy eating live crickets and worms, and weekly food expenses run from $5 to $10, depending on the size of your gecko. While these little guys are low maintenance, they do have specific care requirements. Hamsters Image Credit: Lichtpuenktchen, Pixabay Hamsters are one of the small pets that many people would think of immediately when asked to name a low-maintenance pet. Top 13 Best Pets To Have At Home Or In An Apartment. These small rodents typically live for five or six years and only require a cage, some bedding, food, and water. Ashley Peeling, regional marketing manager at property management company CLV Group, is a huge advocate for this tank-based household pet. Guinea pigs crave socialization and are typically easy to handle. Cats are notoriously independent. Web1. 1. Fruit can be given occasionally as a treat. The domesticated Budgerigar is the most popular of all pet bird species, according to BirdLife International. High Because of their high intelligence, pot-sand pigs respond very well to clicker training. Thus, making a hedgehog seems to be not a subject to the separation anxiety, but this pet is fitting for those who travel. A Budgerigar perched on a branch in Queensland, Australia. Fruit can be given occasionally as a treat. Top 13 Best Pets To Have At Home Or In An Apartment. These lean dogs are low on grooming needs and don't require an enormous amount of care and upkeep. Speaking of which, food is the only catch with this strange pet: Praying mantises eat live insects, which can cost about $100 per year, while the creatures themselvestypically cost around $25 each, and you can buy eggs and nymphs for much less. It guarantees the same level of protein and vital nutrition that pigs want. They don't need much cage spacea 15- to 20-gallon tank should doso they're a good option if you don't have room for an elaborate vivarium setup. They can thrive in 10-gallon tanks or terrariums as long as they're set up correctly. But please note, it is illegal to own a hedgehog as a pet in some jurisdictions in the U.S. such as New York City. 10 Cheap Exotic Pets - PetHelpful. But at the same time, she is quite funny, curious, and very interested when something new happens at home. Physical Characteristics: Pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail; color variations include brown, black, tan, gray, and albino. Gerbil. 4. Different species are found in environments determined by large rocks, boulders, and cliffs up to 3,900 meters (12,800 feet) above sea level. Their diet is also quite diverse, and they eat everything from moths and fruit flies to instars and smaller mantes (eek). A leopard gecko is the perfect pet for any family or apartment-dwelling young adult. 1. These dont necessarily add to the dynamic of your home, but its nice to know theyre there. document.addEventListener( 'DOMContentLoaded', function() { They make good apartment dwellers since they are clean and relatively odor-free. Bearded dragon Fish are often "seen as low-maintenance pets" until people realize just how much work needs to be put into 2 Pugs. They are also just as fun and loving as traditional pets like dogs and cats. From perfect beaks to curly tails, tiny pot-bellied pigs have become a very favorite addition to the exotic pet scene. Diet for Pet | When Should You Consider a New Diet? A rat doesn't seem like the most cuddly choice, but if handled from a young age they can make very affable companions. Cue: low-maintenance pets. WebHermit crabs are one of those small pets that are not very common, but nevertheless quite well mannered, insanely cheap, and make for great pets. Evenly tempered, these guys get along with other cats, dogs and children. "We've never taken him into a dog groomer. British shorthair cats, in particular, are a quite hands-off breed for those who want a furry friend who is not so needy, but also not a praying mantis. Aquatic turtles may be okay to keep in an apartment as babies, but they can grow very large and may require a tank that is at least 120 gallons, which can be a drain on space. And since their hair isn't as long as other cats', they only need to be brushed two to three times a week to get rid of loose hair. Kids can take them out of their cages to gently play with them every once in a while, but as long as they have the basic necessities, they're happy. In addition, they need a large terrarium with pure water, fruits, and vegetables every day. While everyone knows what a porcupine is, many have not seen or heard of the funny-looking, tree-dwelling, 2. The 21 Most Low-Maintenance Pets You Can Own 1 Betta fish. Hermit crabs are interesting to watch; they move from one shell to another. Physical Characteristics: Cone-shaped faces, short legs, bodies covered in spikey hair called spines (looks like porcupine quills), can roll into a ball. On the contrary, pothole Pigs (PBPs) are intelligent, easy to train, affectionate, curious, playful, clean, odor-free, and allergen-free. Unlike turtles, tortoises need more room to roam, so be sure to invest in a spacious pen. Hamsters Image Credit: Lichtpuenktchen, Pixabay Hamsters are one of the small pets that many people would think of immediately when asked to name a low-maintenance pet. And they do feed on live insects such as crickets, mealworms, super worms and roaches, so trips to the pet store will belively. A plant qualifies as a pet if it hunts and eats animals, right? Agouti. Conservatory garden worker Elliot Blacker, founder of Evopure, recommends stick insectsalso known as stick bugsas the perfect low-maintenance pet. Binturong. "And once your tank is ready, you only need to feed them once a dayor get an automatic fish feederand replace 15 percent of the water each week.". Unlike other animals, scorpions need a hotter tankanywhere from 80 degrees Fahrenheit at the coolest to 90 degrees at the warmest. A decorated tank setup costs $20 to $35 and yearly food costs can be as low as $25. Binturong. African Dwarf Frogs Guppies also make for great pet fish. When you're thinking of cute, cuddly pets to own, ants probably don't pop into your mind. 13 Cheap Pets That Are Easy to Take Care Of. Most are social animals that want to keep you company. Green Iguana: $1525. Degu: $1020. The African dwarf frog may be the pet for you! Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Once thats all sorted out, however, snakes are generally easy-peasy lemon squeezy. These animals also require a moist hideout to aid their shedding, a water bowl, and a second hideout for when they're feeling self-conscious. Temperatures of 80 to 85 degrees can be maintained using a tank heater or a heat lamp. Goats are low maintenance and eat grass, hay, grain and pellet feed. xhr.send(payload); However, hedgehogs get a little nervous and roll into a ball when threatened or picked up. The little creatures need lighting in their enclosure, a moist shelter for shedding and a warm place to call home. This British Shorthair Cat can groom and wash itself and moults far less than other cats. The domesticated Budgerigar is the most popular of all pet bird species, according to BirdLife International. However, only some know the exact components of a nutritious diet for cats, [] are a vital part of an unique pets weight-reduction plan. After caring for animals in her veterinarian practice, Lianne went on to study biology and research water quality and chronic disease at theUniversity of Saskatchewan. Cats are certainly not the cheapest option but for those who love felines, the British Shorthair is a low-maintenance and cheaper alternative.