5 Great Pets For Beginners

So you’ve decided to try out being a pet owner, but you don’t quite know where to start. Getting a cute bunny or a fluffy kitten might seem like an amazing idea but if you don’t know if you can handle looking after a pet, it might be better off if you start with something a little less challenging.

Many people don’t realise that when they plan to buy a pet, that pet is there 24/7. That includes evenings, weekends and even holidays. This means you have to arrange a sitter, or even drop the pet off at a special pet hotel for larger or more complicated pets and this can be expensive. Added to that the check-up costs, vets fees and injections and it can really add up. So if you’re not sure about owning a pet, try out one of these great pets for beginners!

  1. Triops

Triops are cute little shrimp-like creatures with a whole lotta legs! They come in kits with everything you need to take care of your first generation Triops. The eggs are tiny and once hatched the Triops are tinier still. They will grow to about 7cm long and normally take about 2 weeks to grow. They eat many different types of plant food and live from 8 – 14 weeks, but from about 10 days old they will lay eggs which you can cultivate into a whole new generation of Triops, so one kit will last a long time.

  1. Ant Farm

Another pet you can buy in a kit, or you could try and steal a colony from the great outdoors. We always recommend getting a kit as you don’t really want to be disturbing any wild ants by taking them from an established colony. A kit contains a tank complete with dirt and tunnels for the ants, the Queen, workers, eggs and larva and food enough to kick start your colony. They require minimal care, but it is important to keep them in a warm, dark place as the ants are used to living underground! Feed them using drops of honey, or small fruits and vegetables as ants will eat almost anything.

  1. Betta Fish

Happy fish in small bowls, Betta fish come in a variety of colours and are pretty sturdy, for fish! The bowl will need regular cleaning and water changes in order to keep the alkali and acid levels equal, and a water snail makes a good addition as it helps to keep the tank or bowl clean. Betta fish only need feeding every other day or so and their colourful scales make a good first choice for a pet.

  1. Rats

They might sound like a strange pet to get a beginner, but honestly they make fantastic pets and are easy to look after. Rats get a really bad reputation from their less-than-hygienic wild cousins, but they are smart and affectionate creatures that love to play and hate being alone (so two or more rats are ideal). They groom themselves, can learn tricks and come in a variety of colours. They make better pets than hamsters or gerbils as they are slower and easier to hold for children and they rarely bite. All you need to do is play with them and feed and clean them out regularly!

  1. Brine Shrimp (Sea Monkeys)

The perfect science experiment slash short term pet for beginners. Available in kits for under £20, Sea Monkeys live for anywhere between a few weeks and a few months. They are tiny shrimp like creatures that you can watch hatch and grow in your own tank and kits provide most, if not all of the supplies you need to keep them happy and healthy for their lifespan.

In most cases, you’ll find out pretty soon whether or not you (or your kids) have what it takes to look after pets if you try these simple pets out. They may feel like only one or two steps up from that ever hilarious joke pet rock, but if you can’t handle looking after them, then something more difficult like a kitten or a puppy will certainly not work. Animals are living beings too and they deserve a good life, no matter how short. If you’re not sure you can handle the time or the responsibility, it might be better to stick with a Tamagotchi and that is the unfortunate truth.

Article provided by Vale Vets; a family-run, London based veterinary surgery in operation for over 30 years.