So you want a pet but you also want to live as green a lifestyle as you can – which pet do you choose? It’s probably pretty obvious that a gerbil is going to have a smaller carbon footprint than a horse, but what about the slightly less popular pets such as budgies or snakes?

Dogs: Great companions but also meat eaters. Their waste also tends to go into plastic bags which take thousands of years in landfill before they decompose.

Cats: One of the most popular pets to have but they are meat eaters. They also tend to catch a lot of local wildlife which isn’t brilliant for the environment!

Horses: Those exercised in heathland are going to have a lower carbon footprint that those in fields. However they tend to eat a lot, raising their carbon footprint, and many require transport (e.g. to and from shows) which again ups their carbon footprint. On the plus side, their waste makes for excellent garden compost.

Budgies, Exotic Fish & Snakes: Be careful where these have been sourced from. If they have come from overseas, they may have a large carbon footprint associated with them. If they have been illegally caught or traded from rainforests or coral reefs, this is also tends to be bad for their home environment.

Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Gerbils, Hamsters, Rats: Tend to be bred and sold in their home country therefore small transport carbon footprint. Don’t eat large quantities of food nor do they need much in the way of toys or amusements. The waste they produce can often be used as a fantastic garden fertiliser.

So, the answer is that smaller pets tend that don’t require huge amounts of attention are likely to be the greenest pets to have. However, the way that you look after your pet (e.g. how you dispose of your dog’s waste or how many shows you take your horse to) will have a massive effect on how ‘green’ your pet is. The best bet is to pick an animal that you personally want to keep and then adapt the way you look after them to fit in with your green lifestyle credentials.

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