Most economic pets

Having a goldfish would definitely be cheap, but possibly also a bit boring after a while, unless you absolutely adore fish. How about a little rabbit, guinea pig or even a rat? If you have space around your home, you could have chooks or ducks. It doesn't cost much to feed them, as they are quite happy with a good mixture of grain and vegetable left-overs from your kitchen.

 

I agree with Dora M, you can't really touch or cuddle a fish, so hamsters, guinea pigs, and rabbits are better pets than a goldfish, in my opinion. Cats are also less maintenance pets, if you don't buy them cat food and feed them just table food or sardines then you will be saving a lot of money, so I think they are "economic pets" too.

 

Cats will be malnourished if you only feed them table food. They need specific enzyme called taurine, which is present in raw meat. Taurine deficiency causes blindness, heart failure and tooth decay among other things. DON'T get a PET if you can't afford to feed them properly. If you want a cat you either feed them raw meat and bone (meat includes muscle and organs) with taurine supplements, or you feed them high quality cat food. If I knew someone feeding table food to their cats I would report them for animal abuse.

I think hamsters make nice economic pets. They need a big cage and toys, food and water, and clean bedding. The cage might be a big investment up front but after that the food and bedding is cheap.

Edit: I forgot to add garlic, onion and tomatoes are toxic to cat, and those are very common ingredients in cooked meals.

 

For those of you who like disgusting pets, then geckos definitely are the most economic pets. If you have a bug problem, you just need to unleash your pet and before you know it, there'll be no bugs in the house. The food is cheap and so is whatever you'll use to house your geckos.

Lizards, geckos and such aren't for me, though.

And those who'd take it even a step further — ants as pets can be pretty cheap.

 

The cheapest pets I've had are goldfish and bettas. A small fish tank costs $15, and the water treatment liquid and food flakes are cheap too. You can get set up with a goldfish, tank etc. for less than $20.
Fish are also clean and quiet, which is a plus if you live in an apartment.

 

Interesting suggestions Denis, never thought you can keep ants as pets. I wonder how you can contain them though..

For me the cheapest (and easily manage) pet that I would like for myself is a goldfish. Though as of now we have a dog. For me dogs are the most expensive pets to have but it's all worth it since they will love you unconditionally in return.

 

I tend to think that dogs are the cheapest to maintain. My neighbor has a dog that he rarely takes care of. He just gives his dog whatever leftover food he could find and the dog looks pretty well fed and happy.

If geckos can be pets than I have plenty of pets in my house They have unrestricted access in the house except for my room and the kitchen cabinet lol.

 

We don't feed him garlic, onion, or tomatoes, but we do feed our cat meat and bones. He loves eating them. My cat acquired kidney stones from eating Whiskas for a year, he suddenly can't pee, so a vet had to insert a catheter inside his penis. So after that I don't buy Whiskas anymore. I don't know how strict the laws are regarding animals in your country, but over here, if someone reported such a thing, it would not be considered as abuse at all, even with our local PAWS office.

 

I don't know why anyone would want to keep ants and though I initially thought ants don't live long, I came to find out that their queens can live for 30 years while the worker ants which work all day without resting can survive up to three years of work before the die.

Anyway, about containing them:

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According to the ant expert, you don't have to set them free from the home you make for them.

They're cheap to care for I'm sure but I don't think you'd get much satisfaction from keeping a number of ants as pets.

 

It would be considered abuse if the animal is diagnosed as malnourished or sick by a vet. If you feed them meat and bones and your vet says the cat is healthy then it's not abuse, cats eat animals in the wild and meat has the right nutrients. But I've seen people be charged for animal abuse for feeding their cats things like rice and cooked scraps of meat, because the cats where very visibly sick and someone reported the situation. Basically if you cause illness to an animal by not taking care of them appropriately then it's abuse because you neglected to provide the basic needs of the animal like adequate food.

 

I love dogs, but cats are way more economical than dogs. From petfood to grooming and overall vet care dogs are more expensive. I own one dog and my mom spends less with her two cats than I do. Of course, if you want really economical you can go for a hamster!!!

 

We have three hermit crabs...these are quite possibly the easiest, cheapest animals to deal with. Change their water, and their food once in a while and they seem to live forever. We've had them a year and, though my 7 yo is tasked with taking care of them, even if he misses a day, they are perfectly content.

 

Well in my case, my cat was given to me when he was 8 months old, and now he is turning 9 yrs. old in November, so obviously there is nothing wrong with him. Over here it's really common to feed cats and dogs table food, and the only incidents that PAWS condemns and is punishable by law is visible animal cruelty. Maybe the people that you were referring to knew that the cat was sick, but did not seek medical help. Because aside from that 1 year that my cat was on Whiskas (that was his diet as soon as I got him), he has eaten table food all his life, and he was not harmed at all, unlike Whiskas. If you google a bit, commercial pet foods can be harmful, so I learned my lesson.

 

I agree that goldfish are probably the cheapest but like someone said I think that would be a more boring pet to tell you the truth. I think a goldfish would be a good pet for a young child who is first starting out with a pet and you're teaching them how to care for one in a more simple way then a cat or a dog.

 

I would say small birds because they don't eat much and if you have 2, they are happy to be left alone completely, or get attention from you. I have 2 parakeets and they do not cost me much at all. Their seed bags are only about $5 and last a long time. All you have to do is make sure they have food and clean water daily, which takes about 1 minute, and change the newspaper in the bottom of the cage every few days, which also takes very little time. Every so often I wipe down the cage when they are out for exercise, but that doesn't need to be done too often.

 

I agree with the crowd here...goldfish and lizards seem to have little upfront and care costs. Having a cat or dog isn't that expensive day to day but they can end up costing a lot at the vet if something goes wrong with their health. If you are considering getting a pet, consider long term and emergency costs.

 

An art farm would be the cheapest and maintenance free. Just drop a few spec of rice a day and youre good.