What is the easiest pet to take care of?

jeffrey_sy · 10-09-2007, 02:34 AM

i choose fish. I used to have one. Taking care of fish is easy and very relaxing as well.

nrhareiner · 10-09-2007, 10:23 AM

I am going to vote for horses in the summer time. THey are turned out 24/7 unless it storms. All you have to do is make sure they have water and are rotated into pastures with plunty of grass. Trim feet as needed and ride them as you want. Now horses in winter anouther storry with stall cleaning bedding and feeding but not in the summer. Still horses are not too bad, I spend more time cleaning up after the dogs and cats then the horses. Fish even with a large tank can take several hours to clean even though it is not a dayly thing you still need to prepair for when you clean them. THen there is filter maintainace feeding them. Birds you have to clean the cages and all the food they toss around and if you do not clip their wings and they fly which most of my friends with birds let them fly around the house they you are having to make sure they are not getting into things and you do not close the bathroom door on them. THat is a big problem with Taz.

All the other you listed still requier cleaning of cages and food and water bowls and there is still quite a bit of work and you can not ride any of them.

Heidi

Durbkat · 10-09-2007, 12:32 PM

With my 55 gallon it only takes 10 min to vacuum clean and I've never had to do filter maintance in the 3 years I've had it. I have only just now had to replace the filters in my long 20 gallon and 10 gallon after 5 years of use because they are starting to fall apart.

sheltiemom · 10-09-2007, 04:04 PM

I voted fish. I have had a koi pond going on 2 years now, and a small tank, and both have been fairly easy. Cats are pretty easy too, the litter box is the biggest drawback. I would imagine ferrets and rabbits are the hardest. I have had three parakeets in the past, and they were kind of difficult too.

Durbkat · 10-09-2007, 04:07 PM

I wonder if you can train cats to go outside. lol

sillylilykitty · 10-09-2007, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Durbkat

I wonder if you can train cats to go outside. lol

Yes you can. As long as they're allowed outside that is.

Puppy_love_122 · 10-10-2007, 04:37 PM

I think cats are the easiest all they need is food and water and a litter box if they live inside. Horses are easy in the summer if you have good pasture, all they really need is water and shelter then. Guinea pigs, Rabbits, Chins, birds hermitcrabs and ferrets are problemly the hardest. Then followed by dogs and reptiles. If you think that Hermit Crabs are easy to take care of you DEFINETLY are not taking care of them properly and should see this site that tells you how too !!!! http://www.geocities.com/landhermitcrab2006/ and if you think guinea pigs are easy you NEED to read the links on my siggy.

Love's_Sophie · 10-14-2007, 07:08 PM

Hmmm...I missed the poll... But out of the animals I have had over the years, I would have to say the rodent kind are probably some of the easiest.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Puppy_love_122

Horses are easy in the summer if you have good pasture, all they really need is water and shelter then. .

Hmmm...I am going to definitely have to disagree with you on this one; even in the summer, and on grass, my horse takes alot more care on a daily basis than any of my other animals; unlike other small animals (excluding dogs) horses need exercise and at the least daily interaction with their human being... Plus if all you're going to do is have a horse sit in your pasture, why even have him? They are very expensive pasture ornaments, let me tell you! They need more than grass in the summer too; you need to take into account how good the soil is in your area and supplement accordingly, you always need to keep salt\mineral blocks out there, you need to vaccinate them, worm them, keep their hooves trimmed, and shoed if they need them, groom them, keep them sprayed with a good flyspray during bug season, keep their stall or barn cleaned, etc, etc... Nope, horses are NOT an easy pet to care for! At least not in the sense that I think the OP is looking for! And if you show them...oh boy...your grooming has to go up a notch, because there is clippering that has to be done, bathing, hauling the animal...all of this entails a price, and I include price of care as part of the 'ease' of care...

Puppy_love_122 · 10-14-2007, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Love's_Sophie

Hmmm...I missed the poll... But out of the animals I have had over the years, I would have to say the rodent kind are probably some of the easiest.

Hmmm...I am going to definitely have to disagree with you on this one; even in the summer, and on grass, my horse takes alot more care on a daily basis than any of my other animals; unlike other small animals (excluding dogs) horses need exercise and at the least daily interaction with their human being... Plus if all you're going to do is have a horse sit in your pasture, why even have him? They are very expensive pasture ornaments, let me tell you! They need more than grass in the summer too; you need to take into account how good the soil is in your area and supplement accordingly, you always need to keep salt\mineral blocks out there, you need to vaccinate them, worm them, keep their hooves trimmed, and shoed if they need them, groom them, keep them sprayed with a good flyspray during bug season, keep their stall or barn cleaned, etc, etc... Nope, horses are NOT an easy pet to care for! At least not in the sense that I think the OP is looking for! And if you show them...oh boy...your grooming has to go up a notch, because there is clippering that has to be done, bathing, hauling the animal...all of this entails a price, and I include price of care as part of the 'ease' of care...

I didnt mean to imply that they need no care at all I was trying to say that they dont need daily stuff, errr this is hard to word, They still need to be ridden(if they are ridden) they still need love and attetion and vet care and to be wormed and have there hoofs cleaned and have salt/mineral bolcks but they dont need like hours of daily care and stuff like a dog would. I didnt mean that they can sit out in a field for the whole summer and not have anyone see them or give them any sort of care I just meant they dont need quite as much care as some other animals, they all need daily care and love and vetcare.

nrhareiner · 10-14-2007, 10:03 PM

I have the same amount of dogs as cats are I do horses and on a daily basses the horses take less work then any of the other animals. I personally do not consider riding to be work nor training. With reiners there is no clipping or pulling and banding manes involved even when showing. All in all it dose not take me any longer to care for the horses then it dose any of the other animals.

To clean the stalls when they are in at night takes about 20-30 min it takes that long to clean up the yard or litter boxes. Same with feeding or any other care so no horses are no more work then any other animals including cats. Now if the horses are out 24/7 like they are in the spring summer and most of the fall they are even less work. It takes about 30 min every 3-4 days to clean and fill the trophs and about 2 min about every month to put out minerals and when I rotate pastures it may take 10-15 min.

I have even had fish in the past and they do take quite a bit of work to clean the tanks and filters if done correctly and there is not much you can do with a fish but look at it. I will take a horse over a fish anyday.

So over all yes horses are less work then dog cats and about any other small animal.

Heidi

Nargle · 10-15-2007, 12:34 AM

I'd have to say a snake's the easiest pet to take care of. Second easiest is probably a fish. But with a fish you have to clean the tank often, and feed every day. Snakes, you feed once a month, clean the cage a day or so after the feeding, and just make sure the water's clean! And plus, they're way cooler then fish

You can't take a fish out of it's tank and have it curl up in your lap while you watch TV, can you?

I think probably the hardest pet to take care of are parrots, especially the bigger ones. You need a giant expensive cage, a variety of food that a human would get jealous of! And they're VERY messy. Not to mention rather difficult to train! And you have to give them LOTS of attention or they'll get mean and will be unhappy. I still love my Green-Cheeked Conure, Skittles, though

I wouldn't give him up for anything! Plus, he's probably a lot easier to care for then a bigger parrot!
And I also think dogs are a rather big responsibility, too! No other pet needs so much excersize and training, except for maybe a horse! But I've never owned a horse so I wouldn't know. But dogs are definately worth the hassle

Katzyn · 10-15-2007, 01:26 AM

I'd say that cats, unless they are show cats, are the easiest.

With fish, you have to get their water measurements right, and if they get sick, you have to isolate them, and if they are destined to get big, you have to get a bigger tank...

The right size tank goes for snakes and other reptiles, too...and you have to have -their- temperature just right, and make sure they have the right nutirents...

Birds...well, they need. They just...NEED. <3 Need attention, need interaction, need stimulation, proper diet, ect.

Dogs, too, IMO. Needy.

But cats...cats, you brush them if they have long hair, you remember to feed and water them, and they're usually pretty good. =) Most cats are content just being by themselves or with other cats.

NorthernLights · 10-15-2007, 10:45 AM

I have to agree with Silly's post.

Cats have by far been my easiest pet. Especially if you have multiple kitties, because then they keep each other company and groom each other. My kitties love dogs, so they also help me keep Orchid entertained.

I think rodents require alot of work, and not many vets specialize in small animals if something goes wrong. The cage has to be cleaned out every day or they get thrush, guinea pigs need a specialized diet that contains vitamin C and other nutrients that their bodies don't naturally produce...

Birds, in my opinion, are also very, very hard to take care of and do it well. Especially the larger ones like macaws, which can also be very nasty. Birds are very fragile, as Silly said, and colds can take months to clear up- not to mention skin ailments...

Fish are super hard to take care of. In my opinion, they are the most difficult because you have to create an entire ecosystem for them and balance it to keep them healthy. Saltwater aquariums are a nightmare to maintain- the plants, the PH, the salt content, the temperature, the filtration system...OMG! Seriously, give me cats any day.

Well, except for Bettas, or the male siamese fighting fish. Those things are nearly impossible to kill and are beautiful pets.

Nargle · 10-15-2007, 02:49 PM

NorthernLights- O.o Betas are hard to kill? I guess I'm just really unlucky when it comes fish! One time my mom put a sharp pointy shell into the tank, and my fish attacked it and knocked his jaw off! Naturally, he starved. A different beta kept jumping into the place in the tank where the pump was kept. We got a different tank after that. Another time my cat got it, and another time my beta was just so crazy he attacked everything in his tank and killed himself! My last beta just refused to eat and just sat at the bottom of the tank and eventually died.

I still think cats are harder to take care of then snakes, because you feed a cat everyday, change his litterbox almost everyday, and you don't have to teach a snake where to go! And you never have to groom a snake. Sure you have to get the right sized tank and a heating pad, but that inconvenience only happens once

starry15 · 10-15-2007, 02:50 PM

they are hard to kill. My betta fell on the floor and I picked it up into the vase and he lived

Thank god they are hard to kill! Cause I dk , I would cry if me-mo died

RonE · 10-16-2007, 12:24 PM

Some animals - dogs, for example - require a great deal of time and passion. Anyone who views this as a chore will not do well with a dog. The dog, and the family (and probably the neighbors) will suffer for it.

Other animals may not require the investment in time, but nearly any of them need a commitment of regular care and attention.

When I was a kid, I had white mice. (I don't remember why.) If I neglected the cage cleaning at all, or even thought about it, I was tormented with horrific nightmares of animals living in their own filth.

I think it was an early vision of puppy mills and animal hoarders.

Love's_Sophie · 10-16-2007, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Puppy_love_122

I didnt mean to imply that they need no care at all I was trying to say that they dont need daily stuff, errr this is hard to word, They still need to be ridden(if they are ridden) they still need love and attetion and vet care and to be wormed and have there hoofs cleaned and have salt/mineral bolcks but they dont need like hours of daily care and stuff like a dog would. I didnt mean that they can sit out in a field for the whole summer and not have anyone see them or give them any sort of care I just meant they dont need quite as much care as some other animals, they all need daily care and love and vetcare.

Ummm...I would easily compare the amount of 'care' time I spend with my dogs, and my horse daily, equal...

Some people wouldn't, however, if I am going to have a positive 'partenership' with my horse, I had best be spending more than 15 minutes a day with him...and even my dog doesn't get 'hours on end' of interaction...yes, they are with me most of the day, but I am not playing or working them during that time; and I don't count the 'non work' time as part of their 'daily care'...

Most days when I am out at the barn with my horse, I am out with him for no less than 2 hours...and when I can, I am out there for longer...it will be much easier when I am not actually having to board him; when I was a kid, I 'was' out with my horses literally from the time I got home from school to the time it got dark; my dogs (and even some of my goaties...lol) ran with me as I rode, same as now; although, my Sophie dog gets tired quickly because she had hip surgery this summer, so I usually have to bring her back sooner, and go back out.

the-tenth · 10-16-2007, 06:10 PM

Webkins are by far the easiest pets to take care of. After the initial cost (like$12) everything else is free. And you can go for weeks without feeding them and they don't die. We've tested this theory, because when my stepdaughter gets in trouble, she loses her computer privledges. Lately she's pretty much stayed in trouble.