The Best Low Maintenance Pets

from JoeUser Forums
I am a dog person at heart but our lifestyle right now isn't very dog friendly. The kids are to little to help out with a dog and we are too busy these days to take the time to properly train a dog. It would be like having another baby (not prepared for that either).

I think pets are a very important part of life. We have had fish, frogs, turtles, and an iguana. These animals are pretty low maintenance but still are entertaining and teach the kids responsibility. The iguana was something I was very unsure about but ended up liking. Once we had his habitat set up, he was easy to care for. He lived for about 10yrs which is a pretty good run from what I have heard.

The frog just needs a sprinkle of food once a day and water. The turtle just needs food every couple of days and water. What can I say about fish, flushable and replacable ;)

I'm not a lover of rodents so I do know what it is like to care for one. Don't care for snakes either. Birds are often smelly and noisy. My aunt had a monkey. It is true that they throw their poo. No thanks! I love dogs but am currently content to just visit other peoples' dogs.
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Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top
I'm a dog lover too.  But to be honest.....cats are by far the most low-maint.  Feed every day and clean the litter box every couple days.   If you want to leave for a whole weekend, you just put out extra food and say "see ya on sunday"  
Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top
Well JeremyG, my turtle and frog have never peed on my carpet or clawed up my furniture so I will have to disagree. I would have to say the turtle is hands down the lowest maintenance pet. If you have to leave him for a week, put is terrarium some place cold and he'll hybernate until you get back. No meowing, clawing, trying to get out of the door. He is nice and quite and keeps to his only little world of dirt, plants, water dish and log where he likes to retreat for privacy. We change his dirt and plants once a year. No pooper scooping necessary. He has his own little ecosystem. The plants do very well too! Now that's low maintenance!
Galactic Civilizations IV
Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top
CATS ARE THE BEST ANIMALS EVER!

Seriously, they are.
Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
Trent, I think you just blew your chances with KharmaGirl (Just kidding, she's married so you never had a chance) She has 4 dogs!
Cats are lower maintenance than dogs that is for sure but I just don't see them as loving. I grew up with dogs so I guess it is a bias I acquired early on. That and my dad used to say he always thought cats looked at him like they were waiting for him to fall asleep so they could eat his face. Welsh Corgis are our family's favorite dog. Must go back to our family's beginnings in England. England gave us our love of dogs and our British smiles 5yrs of braces and I still have the English gap!
Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top
Funny you should have written this today...my kids found a puppy and we're providing him with temporary accomodation until we can find his 'real' family. We've had to rescue a cd player, a Ps2 controller, a hat and numerous pairs of shoes from his little jaws already, and the blasted thing's only been in the house a couple of hours! I forgot how much work having a puppy entails...

..it's making me think twice about the English Bulldog pup Dave has promised me when we get to England - for all of about 30 seconds, I've been after one of those little buggers for the last 9 years! (I had to throw that in there, Dave reads your stuff, Jill, and if I show any signs of weakening my resolve to get one he'll work it for all he's worth!)

We had frogs a couple of years ago, and I agree with you about them being low-maintenance. Our snake was pretty low maintenance as well...but I'd have to say the absolute epitome of a low maintenace pet was our tarantula, Ariadne. All we had to do what chuck a few crickets in there once a week and make sure she had enough 'cricket qwencher' (stuff that looks like jello, it's a water source for critters that could fall into a regular water dish and drown)..she was very educational as well. I really miss her sometimes...
Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top
Cats are fine if you like to pretend that you live in an iron mine. P.U.

They are a good way to torture your friends with allergies too.

I have hedgehogs at my house. They're really easy to care-for. Cute and cuddly too if you let them get to know you. I was really attached to one of them that I had. He was very tame and friendly. Unfortunately he died last fall. I still have three left.

Hedgies don't stink (much,) they don't eat so much, they don't necessarily like a lot of contact (they like to be alone.)
Reply #7 from JoeUser Forums Top
I love dogs!!! They are the best companions! We had 2 ferrets for a while. They smell, even if you clean the cage 3 times a day. But they do sleep 18 hours a day and are very playful when awwake. They are fun to play with and trainable. They each had their own personalities. Unfortunatly we had to get rid of them due to husbands allergies.
Reply #8 from JoeUser Forums Top
Wow, tarantulas, hedgehogs, ferrets, we've got some exotic pets going on!

Jamie, I saw the pictures of the hedgies. They are adorable.

Dharma, English Bulldogs are so cute! My great uncle had one that lived to be well into his teens. He was so attached to him that he let him go on even though he was deaf and almost completely blind at the end.

Janders, allergies do seem like a big problem these days. All growing up I don't think I had a single friend come over that had pet allergies. Now it seems every other person is allergic.
Reply #9 from JoeUser Forums Top
I'm going to forgo pets altogether. I like other people's dogs, cats, etc., in general, but feel that I'm not responsible enough to care for anyone/anything else. Kole's trial 'pet' is glass fish. She's got to change the water occasionally. That's it. She doesn't even have to feed them, of course. You cannot imagine the number of times that just due to the act of condensation, the whole bowl has gone dry! It's not her fault either... I'm just as forgetful.

I know it's different with living things, but it's enough to prove a point with her. Thankfully she hasn't pushed the issue much and it's both something that we laugh about.
Reply #10 from JoeUser Forums Top
It is wise and reponsible to be true to yourself about whether or not you are up to taking proper care of a pet. It really bugs me when people go out on an impulse and get a pet and then either abandon it or try to get rid of it when faced with the reality of caring for it.
Reply #11 from JoeUser Forums Top

Yep, Jilluser is right, I have 4 dogs.  (as mentioned on my article at: http://karmagirl.joeuser.com/index.asp?AID=2859)

I have a Welsh Corgi puppy and three mini-dachshunds.  I've never owned a cat, and I doubt I ever will.  Cats don't usually like me.....they can sense that I am a "dog" person.  Dogs are *not* low maintenance.  Matter of fact, I think a kid is lower maintenance than a dog.  At least the kid can go everywhere with you.  I always have to pay attention to time to make sure that the dogs get let out or they get fed.  My Iguana was pretty darn low maintenance, though.

We also have a Hamster (pretty low maintenance) and two fish tanks (not low maintenance).  Unfortunately, 3/4 of the dogs are 8+ years old.  In hindsight, getting 3 dogs all within 1 year of eachother was pretty stupid- it means that they will die all at about the same time (except Roscoe, who has cushings and is living on borrowed time as is).  So, our Welsh Corgi will end up our only dog in 6 years or less, which is a bummer.  Dogs need to live longer than they do

Reply #12 from JoeUser Forums Top
I have the ideal situation - dog sitting on weekends! Little mess, here for a short time, and brings in cash. Sorta like babysitting but I can go shopping, out to dinner, wherever - without taking along the dog which wouldn't be the case if I was babysitting. Great source of income plus I get the joy of "dog loving".
Reply #13 from JoeUser Forums Top
My dad would never allow to us to have pets...didn't bother me much. I mostly like visiting other people's pets, like my friend, Xerriels dog, cuddles. It's a chiuaua (sp?) and it's the coolest dog ever. ONly pet I've ever fallen in love with.

I have to say though, cats are evil. I can't stand them.

Trinitie
Reply #14 from JoeUser Forums Top
I can't stand ferrets. I don't like their shape, their name, their anything. I love all other animals though, especially cats and dogs (I can't choose because they're both such big ol' fatties!). I have four dachshunds and one cat, and they all seem to require maintenance. The snake doesn't though. In fact, I sometimes completely forget about him.
I think one could raise a cat without any real need to care for it though. Just feed it and let it use other people's yards as litter boxes!
Reply #15 from JoeUser Forums Top
I have a Sheltie named Bingo and I love him. We had a Beagle when I was little that mysteriously ran away when we moved - now I know better. We always had cats when I was a kid. I don't like them. I think the are stuck up. Bingo loves me. Cats just tolerate you. But he is definately not low maintenance but he is a good dog. He doesn't chew things up. Or have accidents in the house etc. I think for a low maintenance pet, you can't beat a pet rock - lol!
Reply #16 from JoeUser Forums Top
I don't care for cats but I tolerate them as they tolerate me (well said Locamama). I love dogs. They are just so sweet and huggable. I don't care for little yappy ones but I would take a little yappy dog over a cat any day. I have had a lot of different dogs growing up. They were always there to snuggle with me when I was sad or upset. That is why I tend to think we will eventually get a dog. Once the kids are old enough to help out and busy enough with school and after school stuff that we won't be going anywhere anyway. I could probably get M2 to dog set if we did go somewhere
Reply #17 from JoeUser Forums Top
I have had many dogs over the years, although my favourite was not strictly a dog but rather a wolf. All the same dogs are marvellous creatures and they bring joy to many noble men and women.

Tally Ho old friends

Sir Peter