What are the best pets when you're limited with time and space?

I would choose(if I had the money) some very nice tropical fish.

They can be quite expensive, but they really are lovely to watch, and not as much high maintenance.
Not a big tank, and maybe just 2-3 fish.

by jonaja

I agree that fish might be a good choice. A glass bowl would be fine with one or two gold fish.

by annep

Goldfish are great. They only need a small tank, a pinch of food every couple of days and to have their tank cleaned once a week. They're a great pet for people with young kids to learn the resoonsibility of looking after a pet and you can start up for as little as $10 including bowl, fish and food.

by Sarah Bell

As wonderful as pets are, my problem is not the space of where to fit them, but rather my lifestyle. I like to travel whenever possible and having to find someone to look after it each time we go would be difficult.

by Ivana Katz

Fish! If you think that you won't get attached to them and learn about their each little personalities you are mistaken. I used to live in a unit, and wanted a pet for my little girl, so we bought a couple of goldfish, and I grew to love them very much. If you look after them properly you can have fish for many years.

by Lu Lu Belle

Oh cure, budgerigars. Goldfishes are still popular pets. Cleaning the tank involves a bit of work. I think guinea pigs and mice would meet this criteria too.

by Justine Crowley

Turtles, guinea pigs, other smaller reptiles can be a good pet but I don't like the idea of caging animals.

by Happy Mom

A budgie or a cockatiel. You can leave a goodly amount of food and water, you can get away with cleaning once a week if your feeders are good quality ones that don't allow a lot of "throw" and they are just THE most wonderful companions - smart, cuddly and loyal. I love a pet you can handle and interact with, so a cuddly birdy gets my vote and he can spend time with you outside his cage. I raised an orphan pigeon and he never had a cage at all - he sat on his basket handle or my head! (No, he did not poo in my hair - all my birds are toilet trained.)

by Rice