8 Exotic Pets for Families with Limited Space in the Home

If you live in a small apartment or have limited space in your home but would love to share it with a pet, there are many species which don't need a lot of room and take up very little space. However, taking on the responsibility of getting any pet needs serious consideration because no matter how big or small they are, animals rely totally on their owners to keep them safe, well fed and in good health.

Below is a list of pets which are an ideal choice for people and families who have a limited amount of space in their homes whether it's a house or apartment.

1. Mice

For decades, mice have kept children amused and have helped teach them a little about the importance of responsibility. The great thing about mice is they are quite happy to keep themselves entertained but at the same time, they do like being handled. They are cute, furry and a lot of fun to watch because they are always up to something or other.

You need to make sure you get two or more females because they will get on with each other much better than males. You must avoid putting a male and a female in the same environment or you could end up with dozens of offspring which is not recommended! Females are not as smelly as males either so there is less cleaning out to do although regularly cleaning out a cage is a must for your pets to stay nice and healthy.

2. Hermit Crabs

Hermit crabs are great fun to keep and their environment is pretty easy to set up because they don't need lots of space, just a 10 gallon tank will do a couple of medium size crabs very nicely.

These little creatures are fascinating to watch because they are generally very busy doing something or other. They are social by nature and therefore need to be kept with others of their kind. As a bonus they are relatively easy to keep and low maintenance.

3. Giant African Millipedes

For something a little more exotic, Giant African Millipedes are fast becoming popular exotic pets to keep and the best part is they can live quite happily in a relatively small tank. They are definitely fascinating creatures to watch as they move around in their environment with the bonus being they are also pretty easy maintenance. If you are after a more extraordinary pet, the Giant African Millipede might fit the bill perfectly!

4. A Tarantula

Definitely not everyone's cup of tea and especially for those who are terrified of spiders, but for those people who are not, the Tarantula has a lot to boast about. They are not dangerous or venomous as many people are led to believe. They are very clean and quiet, not requiring much space at all. If you are new to keeping Tarantulas, the best choice for first-timers are the ground dwelling species and ones which are docile by nature like the Chilean Rose.

5. A Giant Hissing Madagascar Cockroach

These extraordinary creatures are among the more exotic pets you'll find around. The Giant Madagascar hissing cockroach is actually quite a fascinating and nice creature to have around. They are so big it makes it that much easier to handle them. On top of this, they are easy and low maintenance because they are extremely self-sufficient. As a pet for children to keep, they are an ideal choice especially for kids who are well into their insects!

6. Frogs

There's a great selection of frogs which are great to keep as pets with Dwarf Clawed Frogs being a particular popular choice. They are aquatic creatures which can happily live in a smallish 10 gallon fish tank. Another species is the American Green Tea Frog which can also live in a 10 gallon tank but these guys are not aquatic so the tank would need to be set up as a land environment for them.

Other frog species which make great pets include the following:

• Leopard Frogs – semi aquatic
• Oriental Fire Bellied Frogs – semi aquatic
• Pacman Frogs – large but pretty quiet characters that are happy to live in a 10 gallon tank

7. The Corn Snake

Lots of people like to keep snakes and if you are first time owner, the best choice would be a corn snake because they are relatively easy to look after and they don't need a large tank to live in with a 20 gallon tank being plenty enough space for them. They are easy going by nature and don't object to being handled which is why they are such a great choice for beginners.

8. The Hamster

Hamsters have been firm favourites with both children and adults and continue to be one of the best first time pets for children to look after with the help of their parents. They are cute and great fun to watch although they are a bit delicate to handle.

Setting up a great environment for a hamster to live in can be fun and it doesn't have to take up much room as you can build several levels for your pet to live in so they have lots of places to explore.