15 Best Animals to Keep as Pets

Choosing the best pet depends a lot on your lifestyle and preferences. It is an exciting journey with furry, finned, scaled, and feathered friends to consider. We recommend these 15 animals to keep as pets.

Bearded Dragons

The friendly lizards are easy to care for if you can manage to have a spacious terrarium with proper heating, lighting, and climbing structures. Though their demeanor is calm, they are not recommended for young kids because of their special handling needs. Have a ready source of live insects like mealworms and crickets for their diet.

Rats

These affectionate animals will surprise you with their social nature, intelligence, and trainability. Rats are good for growing families, with supervision, because they need regular playtime and interaction. Their diet includes vegetables, fruit, pellets, and protein treats. Keep their cage always clean as they are prone to respiratory problems.

Chinchillas

The playful rodents with dense fur need a temperature-controlled spacious environment, filled with chew toys, dust baths, and climbing structures. Their diet consists of hay and pellets. Chinchillas are good for dedicated individuals because they require careful handling. You have to maintain a clean environment as they are sensitive to heat and dust.

Degus

Degus are intelligent and playful rodents that will enthrall you with their acrobatic skills. Keep them in pairs in a space with digging boxes, good climbing structures, and lots of toys to forage. It keeps their inquisitive nature occupied. The diet consists of vegetables, fruits, pellets, hay, and protein treats. Avoid sugary items as they are prone to diabetes.

Hedgehogs

Their prickly exterior hides a warm and cuddly personality. Hedgehogs need spacious enclosures with proper heating setup and enrichment toys. Their diet needs to be high in protein, and the cage has to be cleaned regularly as they are messy eaters. If you are nocturnal, hedgehogs are the best as they are nocturnal creatures too.

Rabbits

Rabbits bond with their humans quite well. These social and intelligent creatures need a spacious enclosure to hop around, and lots of carrots! Playtime with children needs supervision. They are herbivores, so foods like leafy greens and hay work well. They can reproduce quickly; you can spay them to avoid litter.

Parakeets

If you want a talkative companion, the constant chirping of parakeets will liven up your day. Give them spacious cages and supervise out-of-cage playtime, especially with young kids. Be prepared because they can be quite loud. The diet consists of vegetables, fruits, pellets, and seeds.

Cockatiels

Their melodious whistles and gentle demeanor offer delightful companionship. Their spacious cages should have perches and climbing structures. Cockatiels are best for responsible families. Remember that they can be skittish around children so socialization and supervision is necessary. The diet consists of vegetables, fruits, pellets, and seeds.

Goldfish

Goldfish is the ideal low-maintenance pet. Set them up with a properly cycled tank with automatic filtration, and you are done. Goldfish require minimal interaction. It comes to a surprise for many that goldfish can live for decades; therefore, be ready for long-term commitment. Avoid overfeeding them or disturbing the water tank constantly.

Betta

The territorial fish with a vibrant personality are very low maintenance. The Betta fish needs a well-heated tank of around 5 gallons of water, and they are ideal for small spaces. Keep away from young children. You can involve them in enrichment activities because they are intelligent and require gentle interaction.

Guinea Pigs

The guinea pigs are snuggly, gentle, and social pets. They are best for apartment living. They are curious, friendly, and need outside playtime. Guinea pigs are best for families with young children. Keep them in pairs as they cannot live in isolation. The diet consists of vegetables rich in vitamin-C and hay.

Hamsters

These nocturnal animals fascinate with their acrobatics and burrowing activities. They are ideal for adults or older children because hamsters are fairly independent. They require minimal interaction and no one should bother their sleep schedule. Ensure their cage is always secure because they will make many escape attempts!

Snakes

Snakes like corn snake or the ball python are captivating companions because they are low maintenance, clean, and quiet. Give them well heated enclosures and you are set! Snakes as pets are recommended only for responsible adults. Diet includes frozen or live preys, like rodents.

Dogs

Need anything be said about our loyal companions?! The furry companions have hearts of gold and boundless energy. They shower us with unconditional love and make us laugh with their goofy antics. Different breeds of dogs suit both large and small spaces. Give them lots of attention and love, commit for the long-term, and you will love having them around.

Cats

The queen of grace, cats purr their way into our lives with their playful personality, affection, and independence, and intelligence. They are low maintenance as they love to groom themselves. Like dogs, cats suit various living conditions. Just give them enrichment toys, scratching posts, and litter boxes. Like us, they need their alone time – respect that boundary.