What is the easiest pet to take care of?

Marketing says low-maintenance a lot. The honest ranking counts the daily jobs — feeding, cleaning, walking, worrying — and puts the quiet ones near the top.

1

Cat

Feeds twice a day, buries its own mess and does not need walking in the rain.

2

Dog

The most rewarding pet on this list and the one with the longest daily to-do list.

3

Goldfish

Feed, filter, water change — the whole job description.

4

Leopard Gecko

Eats insects a few times a week and spends the rest of its time under a rock.

5

Corn Snake

One meal a week, no noise, no shedding fur.

6

Hermit Crab

Needs humidity and spare shells, and little else.

7

Stick Insect

Lives on fresh leaves and does an impression of the twig it sits on.

8

Betta Fish

One fish, one small heated tank, no tankmates required.

9

Tortoise

Eats greens, hibernates, and files no complaints for decades.

10

Hamster

Simple to feed, harder to keep a cage clean for.

11

Budgerigar

Cheap to feed, but lonely and loud if kept alone.

12

Rabbit

Looks easy from outside the hutch, and needs vet care, space and company.

13

Ant Farm

A colony behind glass that runs itself and never asks to be let out.