15 Small Low Maintenance Pets

15 Small Low Maintenance Pets

Maintaining a pet may cost you kidneys; therefore, we have listed some low maintenance pets for you in this article. Tons of pets can be befriended and may not require much maintenance. Just ensure a happy and healthy lifestyle for your pets. After reading this brief article about them, you can select the perfect low maintenance pet companion for you.

15 Small Low Maintenance Pets

Can a pet be left alone?

Pets are there to reduce anxiety in humans and to be felt wanted. But one must go to work or any other emergency, leaving the pet behind. Each low maintenance pet has its requirements. Therefore, it is difficult to predict when one can stay back alone. The more you understand your pet, the better you can plan for the time you’re away.

How to Choose the Best Low Maintenance Pet

Your Level of Commitment

Low maintenance pets also require a specific time from you. Consider the time you can give your pet every day before adopting one. A few common maintenance pets have a longer life span, so you should be prepared for that too. 

Your Home Time

Pets require care and affection from their owners. Similarly, pets require daily care of food and water and cleanliness too. If you are a frequent traveler for work, you may need a pet that doesn’t need care quite often.

Your Living Situation

Not everyone in a family is a pet lover, so if you are the only one who has to take care of the pet, consider these things too. Furthermore, if you house more pets, those pets’ response to your new pet also needs to be considered.

You can also learn about taking low maintenance pets from this video:

What are the Advantages of Low Maintenance Pets?

Companionship

Pets are good companions to humans. Pets are an essential part of an individual’s life if alone. Pets also prevent illness, depression, and isolation in human beings. Having pets around gives a feeling of being wanted that helps focus on them instead of specific problems.

Exercise

Pets that are playful and love to hover around the house help you prevent being a couch potato. You will be found running around them and playing with them. Moreover, it would help you remain active and fit.

Building Up a Routine

Low Maintenance Pets have a particular routine of waking up and sleeping. While awake and alert, pets require care and affection, and even food at a specific time. It helps you have a particular routine alongside doing adequate time management. 

Brief Overview of some Low Maintenance Pets

Pot-Bellied Pigs

Pot-bellied pigs are intelligent and curious in the list of low-maintenance pets. They are found affectionate, but if not taken care of, may develop aggressive nature. They also eat fruits such as apples, oranges, and grapes in a certain amount. Citrus fruits help reduce the chances of bladder infections and urolithiasis.

Sea monkeys

Sea monkeys are known to live for two to three months at maximum. They tend to live longer if left in salt water. These were popular as pets because of their small size, but when fully grown, they only size approximately half an inch. The tails resemble that of a monkey when fully developed.

Cockatoo

Cockatoos are affectionate and lively. They become best friends with their owners and can mimic your words. These low maintenance pets can be identified by a crest that can lift upwards and downwards. Moreover, Cockatoos are intelligent, naughty, playful, and loud when they enjoy their time.

They like to cuddle and bond with their owners. The diet primarily consists of nuts and seeds when in the wild. As a pet, they require fresh foods and pellets of good quality. The demand for food and diet varies in different species of Cockatoos.

These birds are social and demand great affection, and get depressed if they do not get enough time.

Snakes

Snakes from the list of low maintenance pets are fascinating. With proper handling, snakes can be pretty tame. However, snakes may not be the best pets as they have unique requirements.

They require adequate commitment, and one should understand to meet their needs. Snakes can live up to 20 years, and you need a long-term commitment with them as pets.

Snakes must also regulate their body temperature and warm temperature to digest foods. Snakes feed on their prey, but we recommend providing pre-killed prey if it is a pet. The reason is that if the prey is alive, it may attack in self-defense leading to severe wounds on a snake.

Syrian hamster

These low maintenance pets are social and docile once they get along with their owners. Hamsters love to play and run and need more space in their cage and other toys. In addition, Syrian hamsters demand a unique mix of food for nutrition. They love to eat grains, nuts, and seeds, including apples, carrots, broccoli, etc.

Fancy Rats

Fancy rats are intelligent, social, and affectionate pets. These make good pets for kids and are easy to handle for their size. Rats are also known as more playful than hamsters. These little low maintenance pets are known to be active during the day. Hence, you get more time to play with them.

Fancy rats dwell on specific food catered for them. They also enjoy pelleted and mixed food specially designed for them. Rats are fond of fat content. Therefore, they may eat the highest fat-content food and leave the rest. Their teeth grow constantly; to reduce them, the food must be abrasive enough to trim the teeth.

Bearded Dragons

Bearded reptiles are peaceful, low maintenance pets. As they grow older, they get calmer. Interaction with people is something they do like, unlike other reptiles. Unless mistreated, they dont react and are gentle to play with. Although they may bite if threatened, that is something rare.

They may live up to eight to fifteen years, giving you enough time for memories. Caring is an easy peasy task with an appropriate environment, such as lighting and temperature. These reptiles dwell on insects, fruits, vegetables, and clean water. All you have to do is clean their surroundings daily, and you are good to go.

Eastern Newt

Eastern newts are also low maintenance pets. They only require a little space to live. They love to play around in their surroundings. All you have to do is provide their tank with some pebbles, floating plants, and some platforms. In their diet, earthworms, bloodworms, crickets, and small fish eggs work just fine.

Hermit crab

Hermit crabs live on the land. To protect themselves from their surroundings, they use their shells. If taken care of appropriately, they live a long life. A balanced diet of crushed pellets helps feed them. They may also eat fruits and leafy vegetables. These are slow eaters and take small bites. 

These low maintenance pets are not aggressive but will pinch or bite if threatened. They live longer life of 20 years if taken care of adequately. They love to be social and would love it if you house two or more hermit crabs.

Goldfish

Goldfishes are also low maintenance pets, but they are not only bowl pets. They require a fish tank with an optimal temperature of 19˚C. Diet for goldfish consists of 30-35% protein and 5-7% fat. In addition, a weekly protein-rich diet of brine shrimps and bloodworms is needed if kept in warm water.

Betta fish

Betta fishes are also known as low maintenance pets. These are small ornamental fishes with different and beautiful colors. Their diet includes mainly proteins, insects, and larvae. It helps maintain a healthy lifestyle in them. Their diverse coloration makes their presence in the aquarium worth every penny.

Plecostomus

Plecostomus originated from Latin, which means folded mouth. These are also called Janitor fishes, as they eat and clean anything in the tank. Therefore these are recommended for beginners.

They like to eat algae and mostly eat at night when other fishes are less active. These low maintenance pets tend to have shy nature.

Leopard Geckos

These low maintenance pets are a good choice for beginners. Mainly found in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India, these species are nocturnal and live up to 25 years if taken care of. Geckos dwell on crickets, worms, and roaches as their meals. Therefore, one should ensure gentle handling of them.

Crested gecko

Crested geckos are nocturnal, most of the day hidden in their habitat. They can climb vertical surfaces and jump to characters like a frog. They can handle gentle handling and drop their tails if threatened. However, the tails do not grow back, unlike leopard geckos. They also have roaches, worms, and crickets as their meals.

Turtles

Turtles are known to live a long life and grow throughout life. However, they tend to require special care and plenty of space to grow. Turtles like to eat watermelon, tomatoes, and squash. They also love to eat insects, fish, and leafy vegetables.

Conclusion- Low Maintenance Pets

All low maintenance pets do require some love and affection from their owners to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Understandably, some people love to have pets but are too busy to look after them, or budget constraints cannot allow them to do so. 

So there are plenty of low maintenance pets as an option open to such people. We cannot suggest you a specific pet. It is best if you choose the best low maintenance pet. This article provides insight into selecting the right pet for you. Visit ownyourpet to learn more.

Photo of author

Frank Kane

Ever since I was a child, I’ve been head-over-paws for all creatures, great and small. I’m on a mission to help other pet lovers better understand, care for, and enjoy life with their furry, scaly, or feathery friends.