Which pet is the least work? ( not fish)

[TickledOnion]

DDs 8 & 10 desperately want a pet. They claim they will loo after it, feed it, clean it etc. I suspect I will end up doing it all. I’ve said no to a dog as it’s too much work and no to a cat as I’m allergic.
Are guinea pigs hard work? Is there anything else I could consider? Or shall I just say no?

[dottiedodah]

TheVeryHungryTortoise .Yes Tortoises are great arent they? We had a little girl one when I was small .Named her after my friend Hilary ! Was endlessly fascianted when she "went to bed for the winter" as my DF used to say. Can remember getting her out come Spring and being amazed and relieved when she was OK!

[MadamNoo]

Gerbils. Friendly and active in the daytime unlike hamster. Make a cardboard playground in the bath with boxes and loo rolls and they’re fun to play with. Much easier than guinea pig or rabbit. Mice and rats can get horrible tumours later in life, and are more smelly in my experience. The turtle is tame and food obsessed but cleaning the tank is much harder, and can’t be petted. reptiles can live a long time but a bearded dragon doesn’t mind handling and has a character. Have had all of these at some point.

[BiarritzCrackers]

Guinea pigs are wonderful. When I had them as a child/teen, I would change the hutch lining and hay each day, which is 10 mins max, and give it a proper detergent clean and dry once a week, so that's about 20 mins. Bathe once in a while, cut nails as required. So commitment in terms of jobs required isn't much but...

They just like being around you, and each other, so I would only get them again if I knew I could continue working from home for the whole of their lifetimes. Ours would go in the hutch only at night and when we were out, but would romp around the downstairs of the house with whoever was about during the day. We weren't too fussed about book jackets being attacked, furniture gnawed, and needing to clean up after them, but those could be issues.

Lying on the sofa watching tv as a teen, I'd always have a guinea pig tucked under my chin - I think they like feeling your heartbeat. And they chat adorably. They are gorgeous. But to have a happy pig, you need to have loads of interaction with them. A pig that lives outside, and/or spends lots of time shut in a hutch, will be more timid and will not have a great life.

[ShopTattsyrup]

Another vote here for cats, depending of course on your allergies. I've known a couple of people who are either allergic to cats but not their own, or who have found that a specific breed doesn't set off their allergies. With a cat flap my cat is very low maintenance, literally just two bowls of food a day, comes for a cuddle on the sofa of an evening and then buggers off to go galivanting!

I had terapins as a child and loved them, there is a bit of up keep in terms of water, food and cleaning etc. But I found less upkeep than say hamsters or rats that I had at other points in time :)

[Stompythedinosaur]

Please don't get rats as suggested a few times above. They are wonderful pets but require a lot of stimulation in order to be happy.

Most pets in cages need careful care because they can't meet their own needs. Cats are probably the easiest pet as they generally can as long as the have a flap.

I wouldnt get a pet if you don't have the time or interest. Would you consider going on Borrow My Doggy or volunteering to walk dogs for a shelter as an alternative?

[Penners99]

Pet rocks are ideal, very hard to kill.

[ImNotWhoYouThinkIam]

Turtles, we've got 2 musks and they are the most low maintenance pets I've ever had. They need feeding every few days, top the tank up when it's too low. That's about it. Get a decent filter otherwise the tank won't be properly clean.

[dizzycatdance2]

Bearded dragon it looks like a really hands on "exotic pet" but they Are (I found anyway) really easy to keep.

They don't wee , as such, just leave little poo "sacks" that Are very easy to clean up. Ours loved a soak in a bowl of warm water and would always poo there , very useful!

They can be handled and ours was quite the character.

The initial set up can be expensive but we found ours online second hand for a bargain.

They do like live food though, do if you don't "do" crickets etc might not be the pet for you.

[TheSpottedZebra]

Please don’t get a pet unless you actively want one. It’s not fair on any animal to be cared for grudgingly, either by a child who has got bored or a parent who dislikes it.

Honestly this. It's ok to say no to a pet. Getting a pet and giving it the barest minimum will result in an unfriendly, poorly socialised pet that you get nothing from anyway. Apart from perhaps bitten. You need to want one, and want to put the work in.

[frustratedstep]

We have a tortoise. He's so sweet, got a great character, the kids love him and he's super easy to look after!

[MazDazzle]

My DD begged for two guinea pigs and promised she’d take care of them. We gave in and bought her two. What a mistake! They cost a lot in terms of time and money. They eat a huge amount of food and seem to poop out twice as much. My DD was not able to take care of them herself and years later the responsibility has fallen on me. I’ve tried rehoming them, but no one is interested. They are very nervous and don’t particularly like being handled.

We have two cats: one is friendly and affectionate, the other scratches everyone and doesn’t like to be held.

If I were you, I wouldn’t bother!

[TickledOnion]

Thanks everyone. It was useful seeing all the responses. I think I’m going to say no. I like other people’s pets but I’ve never had one and don’t think I want the extra responsibility.

[Flaunch]

Looking after guinea pigs properly is hard work. They are not easy pets at all. Same goes for rabbits.

[Fleamaker123]

I think most pets are hard work if you don't really want them. We've always had guinea pigs, I agree with @BiarritzCrackers they are fabulous little pets with individual characters.

[movingonup20]

Hamsters are quite easy and have the added "advantage" of a short lifespan as they will tire of it quickly. Cheap to care for too

[BeachLane]

A friend of mine has befriended a neighbour with a dog and she and her kids walk the dog a couple of times a week and sometimes borrow it for a few hours or look after it if the neighbour's away. Seems to work well as they get to spend time with a pet without having to make the big commitment to ownership, and presumably it's helpful for the neighbour too.

[CVGap]

A snail. From the garden. Easy to feed. Easy to clean and replace sticks etc. Easy to return if they don't look after it.

[TryTry123]

Hamster, I had one when l was about 8. I cleaned and fed it, as it was 'my' hamster. I had asked for it. They are nocturnal so will sleep all day. We kept it in the sitting room and took it out at about 7pm. My mum claimed he would watch TV sitting in her hands! He did escape for a while and built a nest in the piano but no big deal really. He was super cute.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

None, which is what you've chosen so that's great.

Snakes are very low maintenance and not social so they don't care if you ignore them.

Pets like piggies and rabbits are very social and I hate seeing them ignored when people lose interest.

[krustykittens]

Just say no, OP. If your kids are still animal lovers when they leave home, they can get their own pets.

[Twizbe]

Budgies!

I had one as a teenager and they are fab. If you get them from a breeder and spend time with them they can talk and interact really well. Plus they are super easy to care for.

You need to change the sand sheet every other day and a full clean out once a week. They feed themselves and you can leave them overnight if you need.

We let ours fly around all day and only shut him in for bed time.

You do need to be careful of open windows but that isn't too hard

[quarentini]

Giant African snails

[NewCatMummy]

Giant African land snails are very easy. Please don’t get a reptile- they are not easy to look after properly and need correct lighting, humidity, food etc. Stick insects fairly easy but need to be cleaned out weekly, snails you can just pick out the old food and put in fresh and clean them out properly every month or so.

[missmuppit]

A rat. Or rats as they like to live in a community. They are inquisitive, trainable, affectionate and very clean.

[oakleaffy]

Gerbils are easy, but any adult will have to realise that they are responsible for feeding and watering and general care.
Two female gerbils- DS had them in a large aquarium in his room, they lived til the age of 4 but. Guinea pigs and rabbits are much more work.
Please don’t get either of these as they need daily cleaning out, hate being handled and maggots set in If the poor animals aren’t cleaned out daily.
Fly strike is horrendous.
Too many bunnies left after novelty wears off.
Pets are often “ nine day wonders” with children.
Bunnies kick hard- neighbours all re homed theirs as kids lost interest.
Saying no is better unless YOU want to be carer of said animal for the rest of its life.