Any pets you can have which don't require someone looking after them when you go away?

[samy23]

It's always so stressful finding someone to look after my dog when we go on vacation for a week, and we have been thinking about getting another pet, so I'm trying to find out which pets wouldn't need someone here feeding them or exercising them etc while we are out of town for a week -10 days.

Any ideas?

[GreenKnitPocket]

Snails! j/k

The only ones I can think of right now are fish, and you would just need to buy the automated feeding tablets when you go out of town. There are probably many others- hopefully someone else will know them though!

[ShadowMoon]

Well....I have a tarantula and several snakes that do just fine if I leave town for a while. I can't think of any cute and fuzzies that would be ok on their own for that long.

[phatchristy]

Are you out of town a lot or something? It's difficult to find a pet that requires 'no care' for that long, if not impossible.

I know they sell those long 'weekend feeders' for the fish. My mom used those when she used to come visit us. All that being said, the fourth or fifth time the fish did die (one fish) while she was visiting her family in another state. And, the aquarium was rather nasty when she got back.

I used to watch a bird for a friend. She said that was easy because she'd just bring the whole small cage setup over to the persons house for a week or so.

I've been gone that long with a cat, however having a friend come in and check on them a few times. Though I have to of course leave out extra litter pan and tons of food and water (my cats are water bottle trained which is nice). They're SO much easier than a dog in the respect that you can free feed and not have to let them outside to do their business.

When I was younger and we had a dog it was tough for the family to go anywhere. In particular our dog was not easy at all...my mom always wound up boarding him at the vet.

[SuzyLee]

My dad has goldfish. Sometimes he doesn't feed them all winter and they do fine. The only way he has killed them is if he lets the water get too dirty- he cleans it every few months.

I am talking the 5 cent ones at Walmart. Does walmart still sell fish? Goldfish will be our next pet. If I start to get crazy maybe I will add a few 25 cent fish in too.

[ananas]

Originally Posted by SuzyLee

My dad has goldfish. Sometimes he doesn't feed them all winter and they do fine. The only way he has killed them is if he lets the water get too dirty- he cleans it every few months.

What? Most of the goldfish I have had died within like a month with great care...

Anyway...can I ask the reasoning behind not feeding your fish all winter?

[mistymama]

Maybe get a nice fish tank? You can usually leave fish a week-10 days with feeder tablets and find everything is ok when you return. I've been doing it for years, no problems.

Anything else? I think you would have to get a pet sitter or board.

[mistymama]

Originally Posted by ananas

What? Most of the goldfish I have had died within like a month with great care...

Anyway...can I ask the reasoning behind not feeding your fish all winter?

I've had a goldfish live 3 years! Ds won him at the state fair and man, was that thing hearty!

I've never gone all winter, for sure, but I do find my fish do better with less food - the goldfish that lived forever got fed about once every 3-4 days.

[angie7]

Want an absolute honest answer??



snakes!


I have 4 of them and they are by far the easiest pet to care for. I've had turtles, fish, dogs, cats, rats, reptiles, etc. and they are super freaking easy! They require food once a week (and you can go much longer then that if you need), they don't require anything special other then heat. Simple, simple, simple. I know most people are terrified of them but they are great pets!

another one would be fish. They make automatic feeders that you can buy that will feed the fish once a day with no one there.

That's really all I can think of.

[ananas]

I know my fire-bellied toads can easily go two weeks without eating if needed...so can SO's tarantula. I can't think of many others...also, if you decide to get a toad/lizard/etc type creature, look into the specific one to make sure they don't need to eat every day. For instance, bearded dragons definitely need daily care.

[Tizzy]

I hate to say this...but turtles require minimal care if you go away.
Except they are dead boring as pets otherwise, their tanks smell and get dirty very quickly and they live *forever*.

But we can leave our fish (.05cent feeder goldfish who is now 8" long and 5yrs old) and the turtle without worrying about them.

[Meiri]

Our hermit crab would be fine alone for that long. Just leave him with fresh waters and food, and he'll take care of himself.

The gerbils can be left for a day or 2, but I wouldn't want them left for longer than that. They are very social now, and would miss that human interaction.

[SunShineSally]

Originally Posted by mistymama

I've had a goldfish live 3 years! Ds won him at the state fair and man, was that thing hearty!

I've never gone all winter, for sure, but I do find my fish do better with less food - the goldfish that lived forever got fed about once every 3-4 days.

I was always told to only feed fish every two to three days not daily sometimes I have gone five but then they get a little extra!

[gillibean]

These aren't your typical pet but snails. DD actually loves having snails. We've also seen several life cycles of them - laying eggs, 'hatching' and growing bigger. They're super easy and cheap too.

[inkedmamajama]

i cant think of ANY animals that i would willingly leave alone for 10 days without anyone helping with them at all.

[lilyka]

perhaps you should ask your friends which kind of animal they would be willing to babysit

[greenmagick]

I wouldnt even do fish that long with out someone at least checking a couple times....power can go out, filters can stop etc. And if one fish would happen to die, it could foul up the whole tank and kill the rest in that time period.

[Oubliette8]

I agree, there isn't any pet I would recommend leaving for that long. Even with fish and reptiles- if the power goes out, or the heater malfunctions you've got a big problem. Most reptiles also need special lighting that must be turned on and off daily. Without it they can get very serious bone problems. You could put it on a timer, but thats one more thing to worry about. I actually know people who have purchased back up generators just for their fish tanks in the case of power outages and storms. Generally they have large saltwater set ups that they've put alot of time and money into. But really, even a small tank costs a bit to maintain and keep nice, I would think it was worth it to pay someone a few dollars to stop in a make sure everything is ok. Plus, if the heating or air conditioning goes out, the pet could freeze to death or overheat quite quickly.

There are some pets that I think need less maintenance, but none that I feel it is safe or fair to the animal to leave it alone for that period of time. I would look for a low maintenance pet- one that you could either drop off at a friends, cage and all (like say, a hamster), or one that would only require one visit every day or two and mostly just to peek in and make sure everything is ok- like a reptile, cat, fish, or small animal. I wouldn't recommend a bird, they are very social and sensitive to changes in their family and their environment- most birds would not do well being carted to a friends house, and they wouldn't like being alone either. They also need quite alot of specialized care, and many will bite unknown caretakers.

Have you considered either hiring a petsitter or boarding your dog? There are some excellent options in both categories these days- from luxury dog camp/spa/ hotel facilities, to pet sitters who will visit multiple times a day or even live at your house while you are away. Generally you do have to book in advanced, but they are reliable, knowledgeable, and animal lovers.

[mamallama]

The kennel I use for my dogs will also take small pets for $6/cage/day--totally worth the peace of mind!