Neat freak and animal lover are two phrases that don’t always go together. As a closet neat freak, I crave a perfectly clean house. Yet as an animal lover, I wish I lived in a house full of pets. But pets can be messy and leave you lots of fur and dander and food, and did I mention, fur to clean up?
Don’t worry! Because we are going to take a look at the cleanest pets for your house (and mine!). If you love animals and you also love a clean house – you’ll want to keep reading to find out what are the cleanest animals to have as pets…
1.Pigs
I get it. Pigs have a reputation for being filthy animals. When people think about pigs, they think of dirty, muddy, stinky pigs, rolling in mud and eating gross things. But pigs have a false reputation for being dirty. In fact, they only roll around in the mud to protect their skin from bugs, sun, and heat.
However, pigs are one of the cleanest animals for your house because they refuse to excrement anywhere near where they eat. They are house-trainable and intelligent, too! They love to be bathed and pampered, so pigs are a lot cleaner than you might think.
2.Betta Fish
The best thing about fish is that they can’t roam around to mess up your freshly cleaned house! Betta fish are easy to care for and don’t need other fish around to keep them company. So one little fish won’t make very much mess at all. In fact, you only need to clean their tanks or give them fresh water about once per week. So not only are they clean little pets, but they’re also easy to look after.
3. Sea Monkeys
As a kid, I always wanted more pets, and my mom always wanted a cleaner house. So finally, we compromised, and I got Sea Monkeys. Sea Monkeys are some of the cleanest pets for your home! You can have a lot of them, and they won’t be leaving fur or toys all over your house.
Sea Monkeys are hybrid brine shrimp that were created in the 1950s. You can raise them in a tiny, enclosed aquarium. You only feed them once a week, and you rarely have to clean their tank.
These clean little critters can’t escape, can’t make a mess, are very quiet, and never ever make a fuss. Check them out here.
4. Cats
You might think cats are dirty, but they are actually fastidiously clean creatures who spend half their waking time grooming and bathing themselves. They just love to be clean!
And since they use a litter box, all of their excrement will be contained in one place, making it easy to clean up. In fact, most cats won’t pee or poo anywhere near where they eat or sleep, so accidents are rather rare.
But some breeds of cats will keep your home cleaner as pets than others. So just check out these clean breeds.
British Shorthair
A British shorthair is an intelligent and affectionate kitty, but what sets him apart from other cats is just how clean he really is! British shorthair have short coats, and they shed less than other breeds of cat. This makes them ideal for a family who wants both a clean house and a cat. Giving your kitty a weekly brushing will help take care of any little bit of shedding your cat might have.
Sphynx
If you really love cats and you really hate cat hair, you may be interested in a Sphynx. A sphynx is sometimes known as a hairless cat because it doesn’t have a furry coat like most other kitties. This cat is definitely one of the cleanest pets for your house because it only has a peach fuzz, so it doesn’t shed and has very little dander. It may, however, need to take regular baths so make sure you research Sphynx care before you run out and buy one.
Maine Coon
Although these kitties have long coats, their silky fur doesn’t shed much and doesn’t require a lot of maintenance. It almost never gets matted, so you won’t spend a lot of time brushing this fluffy main.
5. Dogs
If the thought of sweeping up dog fur has got you down, you might try one of these breeds. Dogs are pretty clean animals when you think about it. They do their dirty business outdoors, so if you can take care of the shedding, you’ll have one of the cleanest animals for your home (as long as they aren’t chewing on the furniture, of course). Check out these easy-care dog breeds:
Basenji
Basenjis are medium-sized dogs with clean, short coats. Initially, they were bred for hunting, but a well-trained Basenji can make a great family dog. Their coats have short, fine, fur – and they barely shed at all, making them a nice clean pet for your home. Basenji’s don’t seem to have that ‘wet dog smell’ that other breeds of dogs have, so not only will your home stay cleaner, it will also smell better.
American Hairless Terrier
These dogs are great family dogs with affectionate and playful personalities. But you won’t have to worry about shedding with these dogs. The American hairless terrier doesn’t have a coat, so it can’t shed all over your carpet.
Bichon Frise
This little pooch is so tiny, he simply can’t make much mess in your clean home. But he also has hair, not fur, making him a hypoallergenic doggo as well. In addition, this all-around clean doggy doesn’t have a lot of oil-producing glands either so that he won’t have a lot of offensive dog odors.
Poodle
If you love dogs but hate fur on the furniture, a poodle might be just the pup you are looking for. Their silky hair means they don’t shed much at all, keeping the fur where it belongs – on the dog! They don’t have much offensive dog odor, either, so they won’t make your house stink.
Cleanliness comes at a cost, though, because Poodles, while great for your home, need to be professionally groomed every 4 to 6 weeks. The sacrifice might be worth it for a cleaner house!
You can read more about clean pups here.
6. Budgie
People don’t always associate birds with cleanliness, but budgies are not that messy! Budgies are small smart birds that are highly sociable and very trainable. A budgie doesn’t need a large cage, so even though they tend to fling a little bit of birdseed, it’s easily contained to a small area of your home.
Like most birds, budgies do leave a bit of poop, but theirs is markedly drier and less smelly than most pet birds. So even if you give them a little time to roam around your home, they won’t leave you with much mess to clean up. A quick vacuuming and your house is clean again!
7. Guinea Pig
Guinea pigs are cute little creatures that keep themselves quite clean! They groom themselves and their cage mates, so they’re pretty much squeaky clean critters!
And although they might be a little bit messy in their cages, as long as you spot clean it, your guinea pig won’t leave you stuck with much in the way of offensive odors. A weekly change of cage shavings is all it takes to keep these critters – and your home – clear of pet messes and smells.
8. Green Anole
Green anoles make great starter pets for children. You can easily house one or two in a ten-gallon aquarium. Of course, they’ll need some special care, with heat, humidity, substrate, and food, but they won’t leave you big messes to clean up.
These little lizards enjoy human interaction and love to munch on insects. But don’t worry about them leaving messes around your house. They are pretty content to live in their cozy aquarium. So while you’ll need to clean their cage from time to time, they are still one of the cleanest house pets you can find.
9. Leopard Gecko
Another easy beginner pet is a leopard gecko. These are beautifully colored, small lizards who are more than content to live in a ten-gallon aquarium.
They don’t need much care and can be left alone for a few days at a time, if necessary. Even better, these little lizards are quite neat! They keep all of their poop in the same spot. Their excrement is dry and hard, so all you’ll need is a little aquarium net or even a spoon to scoop it out. Their home is clean – and so is yours.
10. Rabbit
You might think these little fuzzy friends are messy, but they have a wonderful housekeeping habit because they always do their business in the same spot. Rabbits are actually pretty tidy critters. In addition, they are easily litter trained (when spayed), so you can let your little bundle of fluff hop around your home without worrying about it leaving a mess behind.
This makes rabbits one of the cleanest pets for your home. However, keep in mind that they love to chew, and you need to keep electric wires out of reach. Otherwise, you can keep your rabbit in a hutch. As long as you clean it on occasion, they won’t smell or make you big messes to clean up after.
11. Gerbils
Gerbils are fun little animals that are active throughout the day. They can be affectionate and enjoy being held, and they rarely bite, making them great pets for younger children.
They are also quite clean! Gerbils are desert animals, and because of this, they have very little urine and very dry feces. This characteristic makes your cage clean-up a breeze! According to omelet.us, you only need to clean out your gerbil cage once a week or so, and they really don’t have much of an offensive odor at all.
The messiest part is their shavings, which stay easily contained in their cage or aquarium.
12. Fancy rats
Unlike their wild counterparts, domesticated rats are actually quite clean! They are less likely to transmit viruses and parasites than their canine and feline housemates, and they fastidiously groom themselves throughout the day.
Rats are quite intelligent, love to cuddle, and show empathy. They can eat rat pellets, fruits, vegetables, and a few treats. Fancy rats also have very little odor. As long as you keep up with the cage cleaning, your little rat friend will be clean and tidy, and so will your home.
You can find out more about pet rats from Peta, here.
13. Chinchillas
If odors offend you, then you may want to consider a chinchilla for a pet. Not only do they love to groom themselves, they have little to no offensive odors. These cute little animals will happily hop around their enclosure, keeping the dirt and dust inside it.
You won’t need to bathe these little beauties, either, because they love to wriggle in a dust bath. This dust bath keeps their coat clean and free of bugs and debris.
Chinchillas don’t require a lot of messy food, either. Just some commercially sold chinchilla pellets will keep your critters happy without a lot of mess.
You can read all about chinchilla care here.
14. Tarantulas
Tarantulas may not be cute and cuddly, but they are clean and low maintenance. They don’t have much odor, and you probably only need to do a full cage clean a couple of times per year.
Adult tarantulas only need to be fed about once a week. Their diet is made up of live prey, like crickets. And while you should remove any unfinished food within 24 hours otherwise, tarantulas need very little work to keep clean.
Of course, you’ll want to keep them locked safely in their enclosure since their bite is venomous. The sprucepets.com has an informative care sheet if you are interested in pets like tarantulas.
15. Hermit crabs
Although they aren’t lap animals, hermit crabs do make interesting pets and are one of the cleanest animals for your home. You can keep a couple of these tiny crabs in a small aquarium.
You’ll only need to clean out their enclosure a few times per year since they don’t have any offensive odors, and they really don’t make much mess.
Once a week, all you need to do is scoop out any gross or uneaten food. Otherwise, you won’t see much in the way of messes at all, and you won’t need to spend time cleaning your home because of this kind of a pet!
16. Snakes
Some snakes enjoy being handled, while others are best left alone. Regardless, a snake’s mess will be confined to its enclosure, which is good news for keeping your home free of pet messes! This is why snakes are some of the cleanest pets for your home.
Many snakes eat meat, so you’ll need to follow their feeding guidelines and remove any uneaten leftovers promptly, so the cage doesn’t begin to smell. Otherwise, snakes are low odor and low maintenance since you don’t need to feed them every day. You’ll only need to do a thorough cage cleaning about once a month.
You can find some in-depth directions on keeping a snake cage clean here.
17. Ant Farms
Some of the cleanest – and easiest – pets to have in your house are ants. Why? Because ants clean up their own messes! Ant farms are fun to watch and easy to maintain. They won’t shed fur around your house or even drop pellets, for that matter.
Ant farms are in enclosed, clear, cages where you can see them create tunnels and socialize. They only need to be fed about once a week, and there is almost no cleaning up involved.
18. Stick bugs
Another quiet and easy to care for pet for your home is a stick bug. These fascinating creatures may not be legal to own in all areas, so make sure you do your research before bringing one home!
They may be a bit creepy, but they won’t leave any offensive odors, messy excrement in your yard, or fur on your furniture. In fact, these creepy-crawlies are about as low maintenance as you can find. They’ll be perfectly happy in an aquarium with a well-ventilated lid and newspaper on the floor.
They eat a lot of leaves, and other than that, their excrement is small and dry, so you only need to scoop it out, making them some of the cleanest pets around.
19. Assassin Snail
If you love snails, you may want to keep a pet assassin snail. These docile creatures got their name because they love to gobble up smaller pesty snails that might take over your aquarium.
These snails won’t leave any mess in your home. They live in freshwater tanks and can eat a variety of foods, but other snails are their favorite fare. They won’t mess up your plants or bother your fish, though. Instead, they’ll actually help keep the aquarium clean and burrow in the sand when they want to rest.
20. Pet Rock
And finally, the cleanest pet you could ever hope for in your home is the ultimate favorite: a pet rock.
You will never have to clean its cage. You will never need to vacuum up its fur. And you certainly won’t need to feed it or clean up any kind of poo. A pet rock just wants to be a part of your daily existence. So keep it close.
You can snuggle with it if you choose or just leave it to its own resources. The absolute cleanest animal for your home is the amazing pet rock.
Since you don’t even need a permit to own one, you can find your pet rock here.
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