Office pets: the best pets for the office, and who looks after them
The best office pets are quiet, contained and easy to cover on a long weekend. Here’s how to choose one, and when to pick a plant instead.
Office pets give people a reason to stop by, a two-minute break and something to talk about that isn’t work. They also need feeding on Saturdays, a plan for the December break and an owner who stays. Below: six questions to answer first, 10 pets for the office rated for care, cost and noise, a care plan and the low-commitment options.
Should your office have a pet?
Answer these six first. If any answer is no, start with a low-commitment option further down.
- Does the lease allow it? Ask the landlord in writing, even for a fish tank: water damage is the worry.
- Has everyone been asked, privately? Allergies, phobias and plain dislike all count, and one no is enough to rethink.
- Is there one named owner? A person, not a committee, who takes the pet home if the office closes.
- Is there a backup? Someone trained on feeding and cleaning who covers sick days and vacations.
- Is there a budget line? Food, supplies, the vet and replacing a broken heater come out of a real budget.
- Is the office staffed most weekdays? A hybrid office that sits empty three days a week suits only the hardiest pets.
The best office pets: 10 rated honestly
One line each on care, cost and noise, grouped by how well they suit a workplace.
Good office pets
Quiet, contained and fine for a weekend with a little planning. Tanks win.
Betta fish
- Care
- A few pellets once or twice a day and a partial water change each week. One male per tank, since males fight.
- Cost
- Low. A heated, filtered tank of 5 gallons or more is the main spend.
- Noise
- Silent, apart from a soft filter hum.
A planted tank of small tropical fish
- Care
- A weekly partial water change and filter check. Schooling fish such as neon tetras need a group, not a pair.
- Cost
- Medium. The tank, light, heater and a sturdy stand cost more than the fish.
- Noise
- A low hum that most people stop hearing in a day.
A shrimp and snail tank
- Care
- Small tanks of cherry shrimp and snails graze on algae; they need steady water more than daily feeding.
- Cost
- Low. A small filtered tank, plants and a few dozen shrimp.
- Noise
- Silent.
Only with a committed owner
Workable when one person truly owns the pet and takes it home.
A resident office dog
- Care
- One employee's dog that comes in daily and goes home every night, so weekends sort themselves out.
- Cost
- Little to the company beyond water bowls, a bed and cleaning.
- Noise
- Depends on the dog. Some bark at every knock and delivery.
Leopard gecko
- Care
- Eats live insects a few times a week, needs a warm side to its tank and can live 10 to 20 years.
- Cost
- Medium. A terrarium, heat mat and thermostat up front, then insects.
- Noise
- Silent, and asleep for most of the workday.
Office cat
- Care
- Food, water and a clean litter box every single day, weekends and holidays included.
- Cost
- Medium. Food, litter and yearly vet visits add up.
- Noise
- Quiet, but it will walk across the keyboard mid-call.
Pets to skip at the office
Lovely at home, wrong for a workplace that empties every evening.
Hamster
- Care
- Mostly awake at night, so it sleeps through work hours and is grumpy when woken.
- Cost
- Low to buy, but the cage needs a weekly clean.
- Noise
- The wheel squeaks all night.
Rabbits and guinea pigs
- Care
- Fresh hay and vegetables every day and room to roam. Guinea pigs are happiest in pairs, and rabbits chew cables.
- Cost
- Medium. Big enclosures, daily fresh food and vet care.
- Noise
- Guinea pigs squeal loudly for food, often at the sound of the fridge.
Parakeets and parrots
- Care
- Daily time out of the cage and a lot of attention. Feather dust bothers people with allergies.
- Cost
- Medium to high, and larger parrots can live for decades.
- Noise
- Loud, especially in the morning and when bored.
A goldfish in a bowl
- Care
- Goldfish grow far bigger than people expect and make a lot of waste, so they need a large filtered tank, not a bowl.
- Cost
- Cheap fish, expensive tank.
- Noise
- Silent, which is the only part that suits an office.
Thinking of a resident dog? Run a trial first with our bring your dog to work day checklist and rules for owners.
Who looks after the office pet on weekends and holidays?
Write this plan before the pet arrives. It is the part most offices skip.
- Write a care card. Food, amounts, cleaning days and the vet's number, taped next to the tank or cage.
- Run a weekly sign-up. Two names per week for feeding and checks, so the owner isn't the only one who knows how.
- Plan the long weekends. Fish manage with an automatic feeder you have tested for a week first. Anything furrier needs a visitor every day.
- Book the holiday breaks early. In September, decide who takes the pet home over the December break, and who covers summer vacations.
- Know who calls the vet. The owner decides on treatment, up to a spending limit the company has agreed in advance.
- Plan for the owner leaving. Name the next owner in writing. A pet should never be the last thing nobody packed.
Allergies, fears and a one-page pet policy
Ask everyone privately before you decide, and keep asking. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America says no dog or cat is truly non-allergic, and their allergens cling to fabric and clothing. A tank keeps the animal out of the air.
- Which pets, where they live, and which areas stay pet-free, such as the kitchen and one meeting room.
- The owner, the backup and the care plan, with phone numbers.
- How anyone can raise an allergy or a concern privately, and how quickly it gets acted on.
- Who pays for food, supplies and the vet, and the spending limit.
- What happens if the pet has to leave: the owner takes it home, or a named person adopts it.
- A review date, six months in, to ask the whole office how it is going.
Pets for the office, without the pet
Most of the fun, none of the weekend rota.
- Desk plants. A spider plant or a terrarium asks for water once in a while and forgives a missed week.
- A pets channel. Everyone's pets, every day, with zero allergies. Ask for one photo on Mondays to get it going.
- Visiting therapy dogs. A trained volunteer and their dog come in for an hour, then go home. Ask your landlord first.
- One dog day a year. Take Your Dog To Work Day, every June, with rules and a dog-free room.
- A shelter afternoon. Volunteer as a team at a local animal shelter, then share the photos back at the office.
- A plant workshop. Everyone builds a small living thing for their own desk, with a host leading the hour.
For desk plants, see our succulent terrarium how-to and office plant facts. For the channel, pick a name from our group chat names. For therapy dogs, Pet Partners, a US nonprofit, takes workplace visit requests, and local therapy dog groups may run visits near you. For a team shelter day, start with our volunteer opportunities.
A plant for every desk, built together. A live-plant kit ships to each person and a host leads the hour, with today’s price. Book about 3 weeks ahead.
Compare our virtual terrarium, herb garden and zen garden workshops, or get a free quote with your date and headcount. We reply within 24 hours.
