Humans have been domesticating animals for thousands of years and they’ve become our favourite companions.
It’s no secret that animals have been known to reduce anxiety and loneliness, so it’s perfectly reasonable to understand why students so desperately want pets of their own.
So what kinds of pets can a student have?
There are a number of criteria for students to take into consideration when choosing a pet and so I’ve compiled a list of pets that I, as a student, think make the best matches.
1
Fish (specifically Bettas) 🐠
Bettas are great pets for students with small living spaces! Bettas only grow about 8cm long so they don’t need a very big tank to thrive in. A recommended minimum is a 3-gallon tank for a single betta, but you should obviously size up if you intend to have more than one fish.
Expect to spend around €200 - €300 on their tank, heater and filter. But once you cover those initial costs, they’re quite easy to maintain.
Overall rating:
Lifestyle: 🐠 / 5
Costs: 🐠 🐠 / 5
Space: 🐠 / 5
Aesthetics: 🐠 🐠 🐠 🐠 🐠 / 5
Companionship: 🐠 / 5
2
Tortoises (specifically Hermann’s Tortoises) 🐢
Ah, the majestic tortoise, known for their slow-moving nature and docile temperament they are the closest thing you can get to a living pet rock. Which is perfect for a student!
Tortoises are quiet animals who make no noise and no mess, and depending on the species, don’t grow very large. They can live for over 30 years though so be prepared to take care of them for a long time!
Overall you’re looking at around €400 worth of set-up, but once you cover that cost they’re super low-cost pets! (Trust me I speak from experience)
Overall rating:
Lifestyle: 🐢 / 5
Costs: 🐢 🐢 🐢 / 5
Space: 🐢 🐢 🐢 / 5
Aesthetics: 🐢 🐢 / 5
Companionship: 🐢 🐢 / 5
3
Snakes (specifically Corn Snakes) 🐍
Now, this is a personal favourite for me, as a student with a tight budget and a low tolerance for dirt and needy animals, snakes always seemed like the perfect pets to me! There’s a lot of different types of perfectly safe snakes you can have as pets but the reason I’m personally recommending corn snakes is because of their life spans.
Corn snakes can live up to 20 years in captivity, meaning you’ll be taking care of them for quite some time, but they don’t live as long as a ball python that normally lives up to 60 years.
Tanks normally cost around €100-200 depending on where you buy them, I personally recommend buying second-hand tanks to save some money.
Overall ranking:
Lifestyle: 🐍 🐍 🐍 / 5
Costs: 🐍 / 5
Space: 🐍 🐍 🐍 / 5
Aesthetics: 🐍 🐍 🐍 🐍 🐍 / 5
Companionship: 🐍 🐍 🐍 / 5
These are just 3 perfect pets for students but there’s so many more!
Do any of these pets fit your likings?
Let us know via our socials!
