How to Care for Small Pets

Consider a small pet that's more affordable and requires less care but is still playful and affectionate. Learn how to care for your small pet and to be a responsible pet owner.
Hand holding an iguana
Check out State Laws on Exotic Animals Before Getting Your Exotic Pet
Close up of capybaras in grass by water
Learn How to Keep and Take Care of Pet Capybaras
Mexican Red-Knee tarantulas mating.
How Do Tarantulas Mate?
sugar glider
Keeping and Caring for Sugar Gliders as Pets
Close-up of a Serval
Meet the Serval Cat, a Wild African Feline
Costa Rican zebra tarantula on wood
How to Care for a Pet Costa Rican Zebra Tarantula
Guinea pigs in a cage on wood shavings
2 Common Types of Wood Shavings That May Not Be Safe for Your Pet
Crickets eating lettuce.
What Is Gut Loading and Why Is It Important to Do Before Feeding Pets?
Boy and a Turtle
What Is an Exotic Pet?
Wild animals - fennec kitten sleep
Should You Release an Unwanted Exotic Pet Into the Wild?
A pot bellied pig
Why Is My Male Pot Bellied Pig Leaving Wet Spots Behind?
Degu
Make Sure to Know What Types of Wood Are Safe or Toxic for Your Degus
Snail crawling on the ground.
How to Care for a Pet Snail
hamsteres cozy in cage
Here's How to Keep Your Small Pet Safe in Cold Weather
hermit crab without shell
What Is Shell Evacuation in Hermit Crabs?
Capuchin monkey
Keeping and Caring for Pet Capuchin Monkeys
person holding a tarantula
How to Care for a Pet Tarantula
pet sugar glider
Learn How to Make the BML Diet for Your Sugar Glider
Illustration of best reptiles for beginners
Are You Interested in Reptiles to Be Kept as Pets?
Skunk in grass
Keeping and Caring for Skunks as Pets
Flying squirrel on tree, North America
Do Southern Flying Squirrels Make Good Pets?
A red fox cub running in the grass
Keeping and Caring for a Pet Russian Red Fox
Black and white goat standing with red leash in dry field
Keeping and Caring for Pet Goats
Wallaroo
Are You Ready to Own a Pet Wallaroo?
A Madagascar hissing cockroach
Caring for Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches
Monkey in a cage
Problems With Keeping a Pet Monkey
Wallaby in a field
Do Wallabies Make Good Pets?
Caribbean Hermit Crab, close-up
Choosing a Balanced Diet for Your Hermit Crab
Male fiddler crab on wet sand
How to Care for a Pet Fiddler Crab
Armadillo sitting in the grass.
Armadillos Make Good Pets for the Right Owner
Chilean rose tarantula
How to Care for a Pet Chilean Rose Tarantula
Iguana
A Guide to Caring for Iguanas as Pets
Japanese fire belly newt underwater
A Guide to Caring for Fire Belly Newts as Pets
Hermit crab and a shell on sand
How to Tell If Your Hermit Crab Is Molting or Dead
Maestro
Why Heat and Light Are So Important for Your Pet Reptile
Man holding pet Tarantula, focus on hands
Thinking of An Insect or Spider as a Pet?
White Kitten on the Grass
Will Hawks Eat Cats and Other Pets?
racoon behind yard bench
What Does a Pet Raccoon Eat?
Red fox cub
What Should a Pet Fox Eat to Stay Healthy?
Caucasian boy looking at lizard
Does Your Reptile Have Worms?
Giant land snail on the floor.
How Much Do Snails Sleep? Not As Much As You Think.
Sugar Gliders
How to Set up a Home for Your Sugar Glider
Green anole shedding.
What Is Dysecdysis in Reptiles and How Is It Treated?
Pot bellied pig profile
How Long Do Pot Bellied Pigs Live?
8 Photos That Prove Farm Animals Are the Cutest
8 Photos That Prove Farm Animals Are the Cutest
Close-Up Of Sugar Gliders Eating Worm On Red Fabric
Figuring Out What to Feed Your Sugar Glider
Sugar Glider
5 Common Sugar Glider Diseases
Close-Up Of Turtle In Tank
Here's How to Set Up a Thermal Gradient for Your Pet Reptiles
Chinese Water Dragon in captivity
Make Sure Your Pet Water Dragon Stays Healthy With the Right Light
Hermit Crab
Can Hermit Crabs Eat Fruit?
Tarantula exoskeleton
These Are the Signs That Your Tarantula Is Molting
Brown goat light brown eyes looking up closeup
What You Don’t Know About Goats, But Should
Up-close of a sugar glider
Do You Have a Cage That is Ready for a Sugar Glider?
Central Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps) eating fruits
Can You Mix Species When Setting up a Terrarium?
Close-Up Of Hermit Crab In Sea
The Molting Miracle: How Long It Takes for a Hermit Crab to Molt
Gecko shedding skin
Preventing Incomplete Shedding Problems in Reptiles
Rabbits in cage
List of Exotic Pet Boarding Facilities
High Angle View Of Sugar Glider Relaxing On Rug
Female Sugar Gliders Have Pouches; Males Don't
Sugar glider
Why Does Your Sugar Glider Self-Mutilate?
Pot bellied pig
Spaying and Neutering Pot Bellied Pigs
Sugar glider climbing on a wood fence
Does Your Sugar Glider Have Ick?
Iguana
How Do You Safely Trim Iguana Nails?
Three degus sitting on a tree stump.
Treating Degu Tail Injuries
Giant African snail
Are Giant Land Snails Pets or Pests?