If you want to have a unique small pet, but not again, hamsters, rabbits, betta fish, or other common small pets. Then don’t look further than the below-mentioned pets! We’ve gathered a list of unique small pets that will make you say WOW!!
Let’s check ’em out.
Table of Contents
Here Are Some Wow Unique Small Pets
Piranha
Piranhas are the combination of beauty and beast, and one of its kind fish! There are numerous different species of piranhas, but Red-Bellied Piranha is best to keep as a pet. They are easily available everywhere and don’t require too much care.
Among all other piranhas species, Red-Bellied Piranhas are the least aggressive, which makes them easy pets. They do well in groups of at least 4 to 5 or more in a 25-100 gallon tank.
Piranhas live long, so if you want them as pets, be prepared to make a lifetime commitment, as they can live for about 10-years.
Piranhas aren’t legal as pets in some states. So before owning them, you better ask your local authorities.
Garden Eel
Garden Eel is a fairly unique pet to consider and a bit harder pet to-take-care. They are very shy creatures and will not eat food from the sand bed, but they only eat that brought to it by the water’s current.
They do better in the group with any peaceful tankmates. And they require a deep sand bed at least one-half foot deep for forming their burrow. Of course, artificial current to bring them their food.
Well, the long and short of it is they require a complex environment to live in, which is not easy for you to create if you don’t have enough space and budget.
But if you have a budget and space to keep up with the large size aquarium and needs, then Garden Eel can be the center of attraction of your home.
Tarantulas
Tarantulas are great pets to keep. They are low-maintenance and very easy to handle. They don’t require large space; a 10 to 20-gallon terrarium is enough for them to roam around!
They are quiet and have docile nature, as well as there are many species that you can keep as a pet, including Costa Rican Zebra, Mexican Redleg, Honduran Curly Hair, Pink Zebra Beauty, Pink Toe, and more.
Because of tarantula’s appearances, most people think they contain super toxic venom, which isn’t true. Yes, they do have venom, but mildly toxic (weaker than bees) means not harmful to humans.
However, their bite is almost like a bee’s sting, which is a little painful.
If you have an aquarium with plenty of beautiful fish, and you still want to add something unique to it, then add Axolotl. This alien-looking aquatic creature has a very unusual personality.
They require similar care as any aquatic fish does. And you know what’s the best thing about the Axolotl is that they can regrow most of their body parts.
Newts are also related creatures with little difference. Newts mostly get into the water during the breeding season and spend most of their life on land, while Axolotl spends their entire life in water. Axolotl and Newts Both have soft, smooth skin.
There are several different species of these amphibians that you can keep as pets for sure.
Praying Mantis
Praying Mantis is one of the best low-maintenance insects. All they need is a large enough container or a terrarium for molting to roam, and if we talk about their diet, there are a variety of foods they eat.
There are more than 2000+ mantis species, which means you have a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors of mantids to choose from! But if you are a total beginner, better adopt the African praying mantis, as it is a suitable choice for any beginner.
Pet mantis can live up to one year but in the wild less than one year (typically six months).
Caecilian
Caecilians are often mistaken as eels, but they are not even closer. They are unique tropical amphibians. It’s quite rare to see someone owning a caecilian because they are pretty hard to breed.
They are also known as “rubber eels,” which is somewhat right, as they kinda look like rubber, especially the one with mud-colored. They are found in a variation of colors, including black, brilliant blues, grays, two-toned colored, and more.
It is easy to keep a couple of Caecilians in a 20 to 30-gallon terrarium. They don’t do much activity during the day, but you might see them active in the dark, as they mostly come out from their burrows after dark to eat.
Corn Snake
Corn Snakes are best to keep as a pet among all the other pet snakes. And one of the best reasons to keep corn snakes as a pet is because they don’t grow big! Their average length is 2.5 to 4 feet, but sometimes they can grow up to 6 feet long.
They have docile nature and beautiful colors and patterns. They are excellent pets for beginners who love snakes. They are easy to care for and handle as well.
About housing, they are easy to keep in a 20 to 25-gallon terrarium with tight-fitting, as they are great escapers.
Stick Insects
Stick Insects are the perfect low-maintenance pet that comes in many colors, sizes, and patterns. There are more than 2500+ species of Stick Insects to choose from.
Which sometimes makes people confused about which one they should pick, as they all look beautiful and have unique personalities.
But the most popular is the Indian stick insect to keep as a pet. They are easy to tame and do not bite and attack. Plus, require the same size of the terrarium as Praying Mantis.
Live Coral
Live Coral is the most interesting, unique, and fantastic sea creature on the list. However, for most people, they are nothing more than colorful rocks. But, they are active animals that grow and reproduce. And often fight for food and territories.
There are a variety of corals to keep in a reef tank; some corals have a very low care requirement, such as soft coral, while others are hard or impossible to keep.
All corals require some basic needs to survive in a home aquarium, like water quality & water movement, light, and food.
Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches
Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches are well known for their easygoing nature. If you never own an insect before, try the Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches. They are the best insect for beginners, as they don’t require much care and can live up to 5 years.
They are fairly easy to handle, docile, and also don’t bite, but sometimes they do hiss on you when threatened. They are social insects, so it’s good to keep them in a group.
A group of Hissing Cockroaches can comfortably live in a 10 to 20-gallon terrarium with hiding places. They are omnivores, but mostly their diet is fresh fruits and vegetables.
Millipedes
Millipedes somewhat look like Caecilians with hundreds of legs. But they are neither amphibians like Caecilians nor reptiles like snakes. They belong to a completely different group known as arthropods.
They are easy to care for, and you can keep many of them in the same tank. The most common Millipede that is mostly kept as a pet is African Giant Millipede.
They are herbivores! So in the wild, their diet is often fruits, vegetables, and plants. While pet Millipede usually loves to eat peaches, tomatoes, and bananas. They can be good pets for everyone.
Emperor Scorpions
Emperor Scorpion’s gaining popularity as a pet these days. They are docile, clean, quiet, and most importantly easy to take care of. They are not dangerous if compared with other scorpions.
Like tarantulas, their sting is also like a bee’s sting, but they rarely sting, or pinch with their pedipalps (claws). They are easy to keep alone or in groups as per your spacing needs.
With a couple of hiding spots, a single scorpion can keep in a 10-gallon terrarium. But for a group, you need at least a 30-gallon terrarium or maybe more than that!
Keeping a Starfish is not so hard as well as not too simple. They require the same care as any aquatic live coral does; in some cases, maybe more than that!
Although you have to manage the same care for a long time because Starfish are immortal, which means they can live until something kills them. They come in many shapes, sizes, and colors. Some Starfish can grow quite large, which requires a large tank.
Halloween Moon Crabs
Halloween Moon Crabs are the shy and low-maintenance arthropods! They are also known as Halloween hermit crabs. They have very striking color patterns, as you can see in the image.
Halloween Moon Crabs are easy to take care of and highly adaptable. They do well in 20 to 30-gallon terrariums with plenty of obstructions like rocks, logs, branches, etc. But you can also keep them in a 10-gallon terrarium.
If you decide to keep them as a pet, remember one thing, never try to pick them up with their legs and pinschers because this way, you might break off any of their extremities.
Whip Scorpions or Whip Spiders
Whip scorpions and whip spiders are both weird-looking insects that belong to the same family known as Amblypygi. They have monstrous looks but aren’t dangerous to humans.
They are easy to handle insects. Plus, they don’t require much care as true Scorpions and tarantulas do. Whip Scorpions have a very docile nature; they hardly pinch humans with their pincers.
But they do have vinegar which they mostly spray on other insects for defense, not on humans, which is why they are also known as “vinegaroon.” They can make good pets for kids of all ages, as they are not venomous.
Final Thought
If these unique small pets aren’t satisfying you, then check out our complete list of small pets. And on the other hand, every terrarium that we’ve mentioned above is large enough for each pet.
But still, if you have a budget to buy a bigger terrarium, then go for it, but not too large. And in the end, consider pet adoption rather than buying pets from the dealers.
