The best pets to own as a busy college student living in a dorm include rats, reptiles and small birds, experts say. These low maintenance animals can be the best fit for you with the right research and care.
One of the easiest pets to care for, experts and (for what it’s worth) Reddit users agree, is a rat. Rats are intelligent and social animals, experts say.
“I know they freak people out,” said Steph Pittman, a veterinary tech at Gold Ribbon Veterinary Clinic in Woodsfield. “But they are really good pets, and they’re usually really sweet, and you can hold and pet them.”
“Cage cleaning needs to be maintained because they can stink if you’re not careful, but they don’t need as much maintenance as a dog or cat,” Pittman said. This makes them a great option if you want something cuddly, but not a dog or cat.
Taking care of rats is not time-consuming because they clean themselves, and their learning capabilities are similar to dogs. According to Dixie Sun News, Dixie State University’s student news source, they can be potty-trained, walk on leashes, be taught tricks and cuddle.
Many Reddit users agree that rats are the best pets to own as a college student. The comment section of students wondering what pet to get is filled with anonymous users answering with rats.
Other animals good for dorm life are reptiles.
“Wall ornament pets” is what Erica Glynn, assistant store team leader at Pet Supplies Plus in Stow, calls them. They can live in an enclosure, and all you have to do is clean and feed them. The best reptile to own is a crested gecko, she said.
“They’re a tree-dwelling gecko,” she said. “You can tame and handle them, but they also just do really well in their enclosures.”
Crested geckos don’t require a lot of care and are relatively low-maintenance, according to My Crested Gecko, a website about information and how to care for a gecko. A thorough cleaning of their terrarium is only required once a month, and you only need to feed them every other day.
Although many people believe fish are good pets for college students, not everyone would agree.
“Typically people think that you can just put them in very small bowls of water, and they can just live in that. They can’t,” Glynn said. “Because fish live in their own toilet, the smaller the toilet the more likely they are to die.”
Many people don’t know about the nitrogen cycle, which is what takes place inside the water in the tank, she said. Three types of good bacteria develop, and they eat certain types of waste and produce other waste, so at the end of the cycle a water change needs to be done.
With a small tank a water change every two to three days is essential, she said. A busy college student doesn’t have time for that amount of cleaning and doesn’t live in a large enough space for the right sized tank.
Pittman and Glynn both discourage a dog as a dorm pet because they are high maintenance and have a lot of energy. If insisting on a dog or cat, a cat would be the better option, Pittman said. Glynn however, suggests staying away from cats.
“If you don’t mind the noise, a small bird is also a good pet to own,” Glynn said. “Small birds can just live in large cages with a friend and be fine.”
It’s important to remember to be prepared and do your research.
“The biggest thing is it’s going to cost you something to care for this pet,” Pittman said. “You want to make sure you’re prepared money wise and make sure if you have roommates you’re checking with them. Get all of your supplies together, do some research on whatever you’re wanting to get, and then go from there.”
Josie Burkhart is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].
