Skip to main content

Want an office pet? Here are some ideas

The teachers who have classroom pets have the right idea. Studies have proven that animals in the workplace help employees be more productive, more positive, and even more social. They encourage interaction between co-workers and help reduce stress in the office.

Unless you work somewhere seriously cool, though, you probably can’t bring your fur baby to work with you. Most offices have a pet policy, so it’s important to check out the rules before making any decisions. Fortunately, a lot of folks who work at desks can keep a small tank or cage on their desk (as long as you keep the area sanitary, of course!), but you also need to be able to keep up with your pet’s needs. Take this into consideration when looking for your perfect pet — if you’re not sure you can care for them well, don’t do it!

Related Videos

While your soft and cuddly options might be limited, there are still a lot of low-maintenance office pets out there to choose from. Knowing the size of the space you can dedicate to your new pet is a great place to start and will keep you realistic while browsing for pets, whether online or in a pet store. Read on for a few pint-sized potential pets who would make great candidates for your work BFF.

Leopard gecko

If you’ve got room for a 10-gallon tank on your desk (lucky you!), you also have room for a leopard gecko. These energetic little lizards can be very entertaining to watch, but they don’t have sticky hands like other geckos, so they can’t climb vertical surfaces. Whether this is a good thing is up to you! You may not have as much worry about escaping pets, but climbing can certainly be fun to watch.

a yellow leopard gecko's side profile
Lucile Elville/Pexels

Like any pet habitat, a gecko’s home will take a bit of work to set up. A layer of sand or reptile carpet will give them a comfortable surface, while enclosures and huts make great hiding places. A heat lamp will help them get the range of temperatures that they need (try keeping it toward one end of the tank so your gecko can decide what they like!) — and reassure you that they’ll be comfortable on your office desk.

Fish

While they’re probably the most popular office pets, they’re also one of the lowest-maintenance options. As long as they have high-quality water and enough space, you don’t have to worry about much else. You should definitely splurge for some tank decor and places for your fish to explore, though — it’ll be more fun for you both. While feeding once a day is usually ideal for most species of smaller fish, they can occasionally go without food for days without consequence. So, don’t worry about leaving your tank at your desk over the weekend!

Stick insect

While not everyone is into insects, they can be some of the easiest pets to keep, especially in an office. Stick insects can be left for several days without care, so you won’t have to worry about them while you’re not at work. They have a life span of a bit less than a year, but they breed very quickly when well maintained, so it’s really up to you how long a commitment you want to make. Even though they are bugs, they’re pretty cool to watch, and they don’t smell, so you won’t hear a fuss out of your co-workers.

Note: Stick insects are not always legal to keep as pets because of ecological concerns, so always check your state and local laws before looking for this pet.

Tarantula

Although we said that the selection of soft and cuddly office pets might be limited, furry definitely isn’t out of the question. A tarantula can be a fun pet to handle (if your co-workers let you open the enclosure!) and to watch, though excessively bright light can be stressful for large spider species. Tarantulas can be fed a few times a week, though you will have to feed them live prey, which may not be for everyone. You might want to double-check with everyone in your office before bringing a pet like this into the workplace, but a tarantula sure can be a conversation starter.

a person holds a palm-sized brown tarantula in their hand
Rejean Bisson/Pexels

Hermit crab

Another nonaquatic desktop pet is the hermit crab, known for periodically molting and moving into a bigger shell as it grows. For this reason, you’ll always need to keep some shells in the tank and on hand for your crab to use when it’s ready. Hermit crabs also need pellet food as well as fresh fruits and veggies two to three times a week. These tiny pets can be fun to keep and watch, though they’ll require a specifically warm environment to thrive. It keeps the workplace cozy, and you can have fun decorating your crab’s tank, making things more interesting for everyone.

Assassin snail

If you’re looking for a conversation-starting pet that doesn’t have eight legs but still feasts on live prey, the assassin snail might be the pet for you. While they’re fairly small — averaging around 1 inch long in adulthood — they’re one of the more active snail species since they’re constantly wandering their habitat scenting out prey. These snails get their name from their unique dietary habit; in the wild, their nutrition mainly comes from feeding on other mollusks, though many assassin snails in captivity will accept meaty fish pellets.

Have any of these low-maintenance pets piqued your interest? While the needs of each pet vary widely from one to the next, we hope this diverse list opens your mind to options you’ve never thought of before.

Editors' Recommendations

New Year’s resolutions that can make you a better pet parent in 2023
5 ways you can become the best pet parent this year
A woman strokes a blue-eyed white dog while outside

We all kick off the new year with resolutions, but for pet lovers, the goal to be a better pet parent is a resolution worth keeping. From teaching your fur babies to get along to helping your cat kick a treat addiction, there are plenty of things we can do to improve our four-legged friends' quality of life. We'll take a deep dive into the top New Year's resolutions pet parents should make to ensure their furry companions stay happy and healthy throughout 2023.

How to set a New Year's resolution you'll keep
We all start off the new year with the best of intentions, vowing to eat healthier, get more exercise, and spend less time doomscrolling on social media. However, by the end of January, the vast majority of people have already started to backslide -- or have given up on their resolutions altogether. But when you're setting resolutions with your fur babies in mind, keeping them is more important than ever. Try:

Read more
4 2023 pet trends we’re happy to see (and 1 we’re not)
Pet care trends to look forward to in 2023, according to experts
Pet owner playing with his dog

Every time a new year rolls around, we can't help but think ahead. That's what New Year's resolutions are all about, right? Whatever our goals for the next 365 days may be, though, making predictions for the following year is nothing short of fun. What do you think 2023 will be like for us and our animal companions?

It's impossible to know for sure what the most popular pet trends of 2023 will be, but these animal experts have an idea. From the positive to negative and everything in between, these are next year's predictions.

Read more
What are the 7 breed groups and where does my dog fit in? Find out what your pup is known for
The American Kennel Club dog groups and the breeds that fit in them
A group of dogs sits on the sidewalk during their walk

We know dogs came to us from wild canines (likely wolves or jackals) and probably domesticated themselves rather than the other way around. In the process, different types of pups came about, possibly splitting into groups more than 5,000 years ago! To categorize all these beasties, the American Kennel Club (AKC) has a list of recognized breeds, each of which fits into one of the seven groups. We'll walk you through the breed groups so you can determine where your pooch fits best.

What are breed groups?
Like any other classification system, these categories came about to help determine where each animal goes due to specific characteristics. In this case, breeds are placed together based on the original job they were bred to do. That means if you went back in time to your dog's ancestors, you would see them performing a job and being bred to do it well. Now, certain breeds continue to have similar dispositions as a result.

Read more