It can be tricky to get animals to share a living space, even if they’re the same species. Understandably, many people are afraid to mix and match different critters, although it can be done.
After all, some animals naturally crave companionship. Even if you’re the best owner ever, adding another member to the household can be a great idea.
Read on to find out which pet pairings are great together!
1. Dogs and Cats
Sure, the expression “fighting like cats and dogs” didn’t come out of nowhere. In a lot of ways, these are the two opposites of the domestic animal spectrum. Still, dogs and cats can become best friends if you train them right, and if they’ve been domesticated since birth.
A lot of the time, dogs and cats will get along without you having to do anything due to their natural temperaments. Other times, you may need to limit their exposure to one another to start with, then slowly increase the time they spend together.
The most important part of this process is ensuring that neither pet feels left behind. As long as you give both comparable amounts of attention and some individual space, chances are they’ll be best buds in no time!
Just bear in mind that, in many cases, you can’t train an aggressive dog to get to like cats. Use your best judgment and take each animal’s personality into account before putting them together.
2. Goldfish and Snails
Besides being adorable, goldfish are some of the most intelligent fish you could ever keep, and they can even get attached to humans. This makes them a prime candidate for a tank buddy, although mixing them with larger predatory fish isn’t a good idea. That’s where snails come into play!
To be clear, goldfish can and will try to eat a snail if it’s noticeably smaller than them. On top of that, they’ll even scarf down any unattended snail eggs. If you bring an adult snail in, though, the two will inhabit whatever container you put them in and not get in each other’s way.
The combination of these two species is a great way to make an aquarium come alive. It’s also a pretty low-maintenance pairing for you since they eat a lot of the same food. Snails’ appetites are especially easy to satisfy, and they’ll often settle for fish food leftovers once every few days.
3. Dogs and Hamsters
This might be a counterintuitive pairing, and in some cases, you’d be right. Dogs with greater prey drives, like greyhounds and shepherds, will often nibble up hamsters and other rodents. That said, more docile breeds can find a lifelong friend in these adorable furballs.
Similar to the cat-and-dog situation, you’ll want your pooch to sniff out the hamster little by little on a daily basis. Through gradual exposure, the goal is to make sure the dog understands he’s dealing with family, not a snack. On top of that, hamsters are prone to biting, and creating conflict situations with the dog can get them pretty riled up.
After the two have had time to get used to each other’s scents, you can gradually allow them to make contact under your supervision. Before too long, your doggie will be licking away at his miniature housemate like it’s his own pup!
4. Parrots and Rabbits
Rabbits are quite territorial in the wild, and this often carries over into their domestic behavior too. Many people make the mistake of trying to keep them with gerbils or hamsters, only for the little dudes to end up kicked or squashed. Similarly, different species of birds tend to get catty if you put them in the same enclosure.
That said, parrots and rabbits forget all about their quirky temperaments when you put them together. With one occupying the ground and the other the air, they’ll never step on each other’s toes. It also helps that parrots aren’t birds of prey, so they can physically interact with their fluffy friends down below from time to time!
The only problem with this power couple is that things can get messy. Rabbits are notorious for leaving behind a mess, as they go through cycles of hair shedding called molding every few months. A parrot’s diet consists of everything from seeds and fruits to flowers and nuts, and they tend to scatter crumbs all over the place.
But hey, with such an adorable (and not to mention, safe) pairing, that’s a pretty minor tradeoff!
5. Turtles & Ghost Shrimp
To get the obvious out of the way – yes, many species of turtles do eat shrimp, and they can have a pretty huge appetite. At the same time, ghost shrimp have some cool evolutionary advantages that allow them to live alongside turtles.
As their name suggests, these fascinating creatures are semi-transparent, which helps them blend seamlessly into any colored background. If you can implement an emergency hiding spot for them, they add a beautiful level of detail to a grassy turtle tank.
Not to mention, shrimp will often eat any flakes or other forms of residue coming from the turtle. You get to watch two marvelous species coexisting and you won’t even have to worry about feeding one of them!
On top of that, ghost shrimp breed at an impressive rate, so you can expect things to get lively at the bottom of that container. This goes double if you install a safety region within the tank where the turtle is out of sight.
