Nothing brings us joy quite like being greeted by a friend the moment we walk through the front door. Animals have been a big part of human life for centuries, and they’re not going anywhere anytime soon. But what do you do if you want a fur baby but don’t have the space to give it a great life?
If you live in a small apartment in the middle of the city, you might have to wave goodbye to your dreams of owning a cat or dog. Both species need a lot of room to move about and denying them that would be cruel. Luckily, there are many species that are great for small spaces and don’t need to be taken out.
Bearded Dragons
Their name might sound a little imposing, but these gentle lizards make for wonderful companions who have a remarkably calm and affectionate nature. Like other animals, they can create very strong emotional bonds with their owners.
In terms of maintenance and care, bearded dragons need very little. They exist on a diet of salad and mealworms or crickets that are cheap to buy and easy to come by. The one thing that you need to keep an eye on is the humidity, light and heat levels in their enclosure as they are tropical animals that need high temperatures to thrive.
Guinea Pigs
If you’d rather have a furry friend you can stroke and cuddle, guinea pigs are a great choice and can live indoors happily. Keep them healthy with some high quality guinea pig food and provide them with plenty of opportunities for exercise with the addition of running wheels in their pens or crates.
They’re friendly animals but they don’t need as much input as other animals and can survive with one human interaction per day. One thing you do need to take care of is their cage; change the bedding frequently so that their home stays nice, clean and smelling fresh.
Budgies
Perhaps one of the most sociable bird species there are, budgies are vibrant, colourful and friendly and can really brighten up a home. Their sweet twittering brings a happy noise to the whole house and their bright feathers make them an exotic feature that is very pretty to look at.
It’s always a good idea to buy budgies in pairs as they are prone to becoming lonely without frequent interaction. They can exist happily in a roomy cage if there are plenty of toys, mirrors and bells to play with, and should be taken out to fly at least once a day.
Tortoises
Slow but steady wins the race, as the famous fable proved. They might not be the most dynamic creatures, but tortoises are low maintenance, independent and have a certain charm that few can resist.
