Small pets are often the perfect choice for an apartment lifestyle. There are several reasons that you might want to consider a small pet versus a dog or cat. Maybe your apartment complex doesn’t allow regular pets like dogs and cats or your apartment is too small to have a larger pet. Maybe you aren’t in your apartment enough during the day to care for a regular pet.

These reasons, however, may not apply to small pets; and these pets can be just as rewarding as their larger friends.

Small Pets in your Apartment?

Before you even begin looking for a small pet to keep you company in your small apartment, you might want to stop by the leasing office and check on the rules for small pets. Your apartment lease may state that dogs and cats are or are not allowed, but more than likely, it doesn’t mention anything about a sugar glider, a guinea pig, or any other small pet.

Once you have found out your apartment’s small pet policy, you can begin your search of the some of the most fascinating animals.

Apartment Friendly Small Pets

Some of the best small pets for an apartment are the ones that are perfectly at home in a cage. Not to mention, if the pet is in a cage all day, it probably isn’t going to chew on your furniture when you aren’t at home.

1. When previewing the apartment you want to rent, tell them you have a pet.

Always tell the apartment rental staff you have a pet. Answer any questions they ask honestly and be completely up-front about your animal. It’s much easier to find a pro-pet apartment to rent in the first place rather than find one in the 30 days you have after receiving an eviction notice! It’s also no fun to live with the worry that your “little secret” is going to get discovered. Spend the time finding an apartment that will welcome your pet and you will be happier.

2. Make sure your pet is up to date on all vaccinations, and that you have the correct city and county animal permits.

First of all, have your pet vaccinated, whether or not you need to rent an apartment. You owe it to your furry friend to take care of them, and this includes regular vet visits and vaccinations. Get documentation from the veterinarian that your pet is up to date on all vaccinations, and take this with you when you go to rent an apartment. Many apartment complexes won’t rent an apartment to you unless you can prove your pet is up to date on vaccinations and has the appropriate permits. Different apartment communities have different pet rules and requirements, be willing to work with them and they will be more willing to rent you an apartment.

3. Consider getting a cat.

Ok, if you have a dog already, this doesn’t really help, but if you are looking for a pet and an apartment you should know that it is easier to find an apartment that takes cats than an apartment that takes dogs. Optionally, consider getting a small dog. It’s much easier to find an apartment that takes dogs under 35 pounds than one that takes larger breeds of dogs.

4. Ask anyway.

Apartments that take pets, or “pet friendly” apartments as they are often called, often do not even advertise the fact that they allow dogs or cats in fear of a large influx of renters with pets. If you find a great apartment to rent that has vacancies, and you ask nicely, they might just say yes.

5. Use ApartmentSearch.com

Use ApartmentSearch.com to find a pet friendly apartment. Using our apartment search form you can quickly and easily find an apartment that will take your pet without spending time driving from apartment to apartment asking if they take pets. Also, if you use ApartmentSearch.com you can get up to $200 back in cash and rewards just for renting an apartment. You could even spend some of that on your furry buddy – then both of you would be happy!