Beyond Goldfish: Exciting Low Maintenance Pets for Kids

These low maintenance pets are easy to care for, easy on your budget, and fun. The goldfish is the classic low maintenance pet, and with good reason. Goldfish are attractive, inexpensive, and require only the simplest daily care regimen. Parents often choose goldfish as a first pet for children because a low maintenance pet is an easy, smart way to get a child used to having daily care responsibilities. However, although a goldfish is an iconic pet, it's also so familiar that it doesn't offer much novelty or excitement. This article will introduce you to some out-of-the-ordinary creatures that have all of the advantages of a goldfish (easy care, low price), plus an added attraction: they're "cool!" As any kid can tell you, an unusual pet is a cool pet, and these low maintenance pets are unusual indeed!

Hermit Crabs

Land hermit crabs look like exotic aliens, which makes them appealing low maintenance pets for anyone young or old. On the practical side, land hermit crabs are very affordable, and can be purchased for under $10 in many pet superstore chains. Plus, hermit crabs are omnivores, so their flexible dietary needs make them especially easy to care for. On the "cool" side, hermit crabs are unique among low maintenance pets in that your child can dress the crab! Because they have soft bodies, hermit crabs protect themselves by wearing shells they find on the beach. As the crab grows, it needs to move into larger and larger shells. As the crab's owner, your child can pick out the shells to leave in the crab's terrarium, which means that your child actually influences how his or her pet looks. Crabs are inherently cool, but dressing a crab yourself is even cooler.

Worms