Animals people keep as pets
"Commonly" means an ordinary pet you'd find in a pet shop or a neighbour's house. "Sometimes" means some people keep it somewhere, usually enthusiasts or where it's legal, like tortoises, tarantulas and pet pigs.
Being kept as a pet isn't the same as being domesticated, and many animals on this list are still wild animals.
93 animals, A to Z.
Commonly kept as pets 24
- AngelfishOne of the most commonly kept freshwater aquarium fish.
- Bearded dragonOne of the most popular pet reptiles in the world, and the most kept reptile in the US in a 2021 study.
- BudgerigarThe third most popular pet in the world, after dogs and cats: small, cheap and able to mimic speech.
- CanaryKept as a pet for centuries, and bred into many coloured and singing varieties.
- ClownfishPopular in the aquarium trade, and easily bred in captivity; the ocellaris is among the most traded marine fish.
- CockatielOne of the five most popular pet birds; an estimated 4.8 million US households keep them, though many are given up within about 1.5 years.
- CockatooPopular pets, but they can be difficult ones, and trapping for the pet trade has threatened some species.
- DogThe first animal ever domesticated, over 14,000 years ago, before farming began.
- Domestic catThe only domesticated member of the cat family.
- FerretAn increasingly popular house pet: there are over five million in the United States alone.
- FinchSeveral finches are common cage birds, above all the domestic canary.
- GeckoThe leopard gecko is the most commonly kept, and the crested gecko is catching up.
- GerbilThe Mongolian gerbil became a popular small pet in the English-speaking world after 1954.
- GoldfishOne of the most popular aquarium fish, commonly kept in indoor tanks.
- Guinea pigKept as pets worldwide, though first domesticated in the Andes for meat.
- GuppyOne of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish.
- HamsterThe golden or Syrian hamster is the most common pet; dwarf hamsters are kept too.
- LizardMany species are kept as pets, including bearded dragons, iguanas, anoles and leopard geckos.
- MouseThe fancy mouse, a domesticated house mouse, is a common pet, though less popular than some other rodents.
- ParrotIntelligent and often able to imitate speech, which makes them popular pets.
- RabbitEvery breed of domestic rabbit descends from the European rabbit, farmed for meat and fur and bred as pets.
- RatFancy rats, bred from the brown rat, have been kept as pets since at least the late 1800s.
- Stick insectAlmost 300 species have been reared as pets or in labs, and they have been pets since China's Han dynasty.
- ZebrafishHardy, cheap and widely available, and considered good for beginner aquarists.
Sometimes kept as pets 69
- AlpacaA domesticated South American camelid bred for its highly valued fibre, descended from the wild vicuña at least 5,000–6,000 years ago.
- AntMostly as ant farms, which were popular educational toys from the late 1950s to the late 1970s.
- AxolotlAn occasional pet in home aquariums, and white and pink ones are common in the pet trade.
- BeeHoney bees are kept by beekeepers for honey and pollination rather than as pets.
- BeetleSome are kept as pets, such as diving beetles in a home freshwater tank.
- Boa constrictorBoa constrictors are frequently kept and bred in captivity.
- BullfrogAlbino bullfrogs are sometimes kept as pets, and the tadpoles are sold at fish stores.
- Capuchin monkeyKept as pets in places, but the pet trade is one of the threats to wild capuchins.
- CapybaraThe largest living rodent, a semiaquatic grazer found in every South American country except Chile.
- CarpKoi, the colourful ornamental carp kept in ponds, were bred in Japan from the 1820s.
- CatfishSmaller species such as Corydoras and plecos are popular aquarium fish.
- ChameleonChameleons are popular reptile pets, mostly imported from Africa, though stricter rules on wild-caught animals have cut the trade.
- ChickenKept mainly for meat and eggs, though some are kept as pets.
- ChinchillaDomestic chinchillas, bred from the long-tailed chinchilla, are kept as pets, and most fur now comes from farms.
- CrabMostly hermit crabs, which are commonly kept as pets and can live for 30 years.
- CrayfishKept as pets in freshwater aquariums.
- CricketKept as pets from China to Europe, sometimes for cricket fighting.
- DonkeyMainly a working animal, though in richer countries a few are kept as pets or to guard livestock.
- DuckDomestic ducks are raised for meat and eggs; a few are kept for show or as ornamental birds.
- FalconKept and trained for falconry, hunting with captive birds of prey, rather than as pets.
- Fennec foxBred commercially as an exotic pet, and kept as one as far back as ancient Rome.
- FrogTailless, short-bodied amphibians, making up about 88% of all amphibian species.
- GoatMostly livestock, but some people keep goats as pets for the close bonds they form.
- GrasshopperPlant-eating insects with powerful hind legs for leaping, one of the oldest groups of chewing plant-eaters.
- HawkTrained for falconry, which used to be called hawking, rather than kept as pets.
- HedgehogThe pet kind is mostly the African pygmy hedgehog. Keeping a wild hedgehog is illegal in some countries, such as France and Italy.
- Hermit crabCommon pets, often seen as throwaway ones, yet they can live 15 years or more; the record is 45.
- HorseKept for riding, sport and work more than as pets.
- IguanaThe green iguana is a popular pet, and it has been introduced well beyond its native range, including Florida and Hawaii.
- JellyfishSoft, free-swimming sea animals with a bell-shaped body and stinging tentacles.
- KinkajouSometimes kept as an exotic pet: playful and quiet, but it can occasionally be aggressive.
- LionfishPopular aquarium fish, though they need an experienced keeper and are often sold to beginners who struggle with them.
- LlamaA domesticated South American camelid, used by Andean cultures for meat and as a pack animal since before Columbus.
- MacawMacaws are popular companion parrots, though several species are threatened in the wild.
- MarmosetSometimes kept as pets, though their diet and housing needs are demanding.
- MillipedeLarger millipedes, such as giant African species, are popular pets.
- Monitor lizardMonitors are a staple of the reptile pet trade; the savannah monitor and Ackie dwarf monitor are the most commonly kept.
- NewtSeveral species are kept as pets, including fire-bellied and paddletail newts.
- OctopusEight-armed molluscs, about 300 species, with three hearts and copper-based blood.
- PeacockSome people keep peafowl as pets.
- PigFarmed mainly for meat, but some are kept as pets.
- PigeonThe familiar city pigeon is the domestic form of the wild rock dove, native to southern Europe, North Africa and western Asia.
- PiranhaSold as pets in some areas, but illegal in many parts of the US.
- Poison dart frogKept by hobbyists, though collecting them for the pet trade has helped threaten some wild species.
- PonyA type of small horse, with a thicker coat, mane and tail, shorter legs, heavier bones and a wider body than larger horses.
- Prairie dogOnce taken from the wild for the exotic pet trade, but they are difficult pets needing constant care.
- Praying mantisMantises are among the insects most commonly kept as pets.
- PufferfishA few puffers are kept and even bred in home aquariums.
- PythonMany species are sold in the exotic pet trade.
- QuailThe king quail is often sold in the pet trade, where it is called a "button quail".
- SalamanderTailed amphibians with slender, lizard-like bodies and moist skin, which keeps them near water or damp places.
- ScorpionOften kept as pets, needing little more than a secure, lockable tank.
- SeahorseKept by aquarium hobbyists, though wild-caught seahorses tend to do poorly in home tanks.
- ShrimpSeveral kinds are kept in home aquariums, such as cherry and Amano shrimp.
- SkinkBlue-tongued skinks were among the first lizards kept as pets and are still kept today.
- SkunkSome people keep skunks as pets, usually with the scent glands removed.
- SnailSnails are occasionally kept as household pets, though land snails are better known as garden and farm pests.
- SnakeDocile species such as the ball python and corn snake are kept as pets, mostly captive-bred.
- SpiderEight-legged arachnids with fangs that inject venom and spinnerets that make silk.
- Sugar gliderA popular exotic "pocket pet" in several countries, though it needs company to stay healthy.
- TarantulaIncreasingly popular as pets, though many New World species flick hairs that irritate skin.
- TenrecThe lesser hedgehog tenrec is increasingly popular in the pet trade.
- TerrapinWidely kept as pets in Europe, and there is an active pet trade in them.
- ToadA common name for frogs with short legs and dry, warty skin, especially the true toads.
- TortoiseOften kept as pets and famously long-lived; Adwaita, said to be Robert Clive's pet, was at least 150.
- Tree frogAny frog that spends most of its life in trees.
- TurtleSome land and freshwater species are widely kept as pets.
- WoodlouseWoodlice are popular terrarium pets because of their varied colours and textures and how easy they are to care for.
- ZebuSmall breeds such as the miniature zebu are kept as pets.
How each answer is decided: How we answer. Every animal, in one list: All animals.