What are Some Low Maintenance Pets?
Not everyone has the time, energy, or resources to take care of a pet, such as a dog, that often requires a lot of maintenance. For those who would still like to own a pet, but with less of the hassles associated with owning a typical household pet, there are many options available for low maintenance pets. This may be important for people who are not at home enough to take care of an animal, or simply do not have the patience to deal with a needier house pet, but would still like to reap some of the rewards associated with owning a pet.
Some may consider cats to be the most common of low maintenance pets, but they still require a lot of care compared to other animals, and some breeds need much more caring for than others. In other words, if left alone completely, a cat will find ways to cause trouble and make messes, and cannot feed itself or change its own litter box. There are plenty of low maintenance pets available that can be left alone for days or even weeks with little or no care, and the rewards of owning such low maintenance pets can vary from simply being aesthetically pleasing to actually still having a pet to love and care for.
Low maintenance pets, in most cases, will still require daily and weekly work and care. Fish are a good example of this, and typically, but not always, they will need to be fed daily and have their tank cleaned once a week. Fish are also one of the most decorative pets to have in the house, and an aquarium can usually enhance the looks of any space. There are other low maintenance pets that live in aquariums also, but are simply not as pleasing to the eye because the tank need to be filled with things like sand or newspaper for their survival.
These easy pets can be snakes, turtles, lizards, spiders or even bugs. The downside to these low maintenance pets is that they are less likely to be interactive and “cuddly,” especially in the case of bugs like the hissing cockroach. This is actually a popular pet despite its appearance and unique sound.
For people who want pets that are friendlier but may require a little more care, there are other options for low maintenance pets. Another of the most popular household pets that fits this category is the bird, with some types requiring more care than others. For instance, a canary might only need to be fed daily and have its cage cleaned weekly while a more exotic parrot might need to be cleaned daily and fed more often. Other low maintenance pets that require a similar amount of care to that of birds while offering more human interaction include rabbits, ferrets, and rodents such as mice, hamsters or guinea pigs.
Of course, someone looking for a pet that requires little or no care at all should consider a pet rock - the lowest of low maintenance pets.
Written by Phil Shepley
