Your Guide to the Cheapest Pets that Enjoy Apartment Life

Sharing your apartment with an adorable pet can be a fun experience. It's always nice when there is a little creature that is happy to see you and wants to cuddle but also has its own stuff to do while you're away. For many people who are new to pet ownership, you may want to start with a low-cost and low-maintenance pet for practice. It's only natural to wonder what the best cheap pets are for apartment life.

Cheap pets are small and easy to care for. They enjoy inexpensive food, can entertain themselves, and their needs are easily met with just a few affordable supplies.

As a pet-friendly apartment community, we are happy to share some great ideas to enrich your life with a pet that is easy on your budget and will soon hold a warm place in your heart.

Hamsters

$25 per hamster
$50 play tank
$30 toys
$50/year food
$70/year bedding

Hamsters are energetic and adorable, and many of them have loving, cuddly personalities. But they are also capable of keeping themselves entertained in a fun little terrarium with a few essential toys.

Keeping a hamster requires an entertaining tank, wood shavings for bedding, pellets, and water. Hamsters and their supplies are very affordable, and the biggest expense is the tank itself. A fun hamster tank with a built-in wheel and looping little tunnels to explore can be found for $40 to $120 depending on whether you want to go all-out. A food bowl, a clip water bottle, toys, and little shelters can range from $15 to $50.

Regular maintenance for a hamster includes a big sack of wood-shaving bedding, cage liners, and food, which comes out to about $100 to $120 per year. They also enjoy vegetable scraps for treats. We highly recommend getting a hamster ball if you want to have fun around the apartment.

Guinea Pigs

$30 per guinea pig ($60 for a pair)
$50 cage or pen
$70 in toys and bed
$120/year food
$100/year bedding and cage liners

If you want a fuzzy friend that is a little bigger and easier to cuddle, get two guinea pigs. Guinea pigs are sweet and playful, and they don't require much care. They will need a larger tank than hamsters and have a strong preference for companionship, so they're better to keep in pairs. Guinea pig cages are bigger but less complex than hamster cages, and you can keep them in pens instead. They will need a safe space, wood shavings for bedding, and toys to keep them entertained.

Guinea pigs will play and explore on their own, and they absolutely love to eat produce scraps from the kitchen to spice up their diet of healthy pellets. They are also very cuddly and social creatures who will be excited to see you when you get home.

Budgies / Parakeets

$45 per bird
$200 cage
$150 toys and gear
$600/year food and supplies

If you want a more challenging pet, consider small birds like budgies or parakeets. These little feathered companions are energetic and delicate. They require more care than a hamster but can also be more personable and affectionate in return.

The cost is typically higher to keep birds, both with the initial setup and monthly upkeep, but they are small pets that can be quite rewarding. Be sure to check in on the bird policies of your apartment community before choosing your birds.

Hermit Crabs

$10 per hermit crab
$40 terrarium tank
$50 sand and toys
$80/year food
$15-30 per shell

If you want a cheap pet that is unique but still low-maintenance, check out hermit crabs. Hermit crabs are interesting little creatures that migrate to larger shells over time. They need a sandy terrarium with shells and shelter to be happy. Just be sure to check with your apartment property manager if your pet policy doesn't specify. Hermit crabs are fascinating to watch inside their tank. They can live alone but enjoy living in pairs and groups.

The one special requirement for hermit crabs is that they will need larger shells as they grow. Of course, buying new hermit crab shells can be a lot of fun. You can get decorated and painted shells from specialized vendors or even decorate the shells yourself to personalize your hermit crabs when they migrate to each new shell.

Goldfish

$5-$20 per fish
$30 fish tank
$40 decorations and shelter
$60/year fish food

If you want the company of lovely aquatic creatures, goldfish and other small fish are a great place to start. A small tank is relatively easy to maintain, and fish are beautiful. They add soothing yet alive decor to your home and can represent good practice or more advanced fish or non-aquatic pets. You can also add compatible fish variety and a bottom-feeder snail to help keep the tank clean.

There's a wonderful selection of options for fish tanks, from a simple $20 five-gallon tank to $75 for a tank pre-stocked with pretty rocks, decorations, and shelter for your fish. Fish food costs about $5-$10 per month or $60 per year and you just have to sprinkle some in the water daily.

Cleaning the tank requires more effort than changing the bedding for hamsters or guinea pigs, but it's all part of being a fish owner.

Pet-Friendly Apartments in St Cloud

Cheap pets are a great way to get started if you're new to being an apartment pet owner. You can find welcoming pet-friendly apartments in St Cloud at Pointe West Apartments, where we welcome many little friends. These small creatures that live in terrariums and tanks are often not even subject to the pet fee because they are so small and tidy. We hope you enjoy your adventures with your little companions. Contact us to explore floor plans, unit availability, and learn more about our pet policies.