Popular Pets in the United States Quiz

Answer: Freshwater fish

According to worldatlas.com, in 2018, there were about 171.7 million freshwater fish being kept in homes throughout the country. One of the reasons for the popularity of freshwater fish as pets is the ease of maintenance. Though fish aren't exactly cuddly, they are often regarded as enhancing the decor of a home and relieving stress. Popular pet freshwater fish include neon tetra, guppies, oscar, mollies, and bettas. Saltwater fish are also popular pets, with 11.2 million owned.

Answer: Zebras

According to worldatlas, Americans owned approximately 13.3 million equine pets in 2018. Equine animals include horses, donkeys, and even zebras. Believe it or not, owning a zebra is legal in some states, and as many as 3,000 inhabit the backyards of households in the U.S., according to the International Zebra-Zorse-Zonkey Association (IZZZA). Zebras, however, are extremely difficult to train and tend to be aggressive.

They can also escape easily, as happened with two zebras in New Braunfels, Texas in 2019 and with two other zebras in Sacramento, California in 2010 (where it is actually illegal to own zebras).

In 2010, there were a few breeders in the U.S. offering Plains zebras for up to $7,000.

Answer: parakeets

Most pet birds live 10-15 years, are kept in cages, and enjoy toys such as paper to shred and bells to ring. In 2018, about 5.7 million people in the U.S. owned a total of 15 million birds, according to statistics from World Atlas and the American Pet Products Association (APPA).

The APPA conducted a survey of pet bird owners and found the most popular pet birds to be parakeets. Parakeets make up about one fourth of all pet birds. Next in popularity are cockatiels, followed by canaries.

Answer: Labrador retriever

According the the American Kennnel Club, the Labrador retriever was the most popular purebred dog breed from 1991 to 2018. As of 2018, it's held the top spot longer than any other breed since they started keeping track of popularity in the 1880s. These dogs are known for being friendly and easy going. Bulldogs came in at number 5 in 2018, beagles at number 6, poodles at number 7, and rottweilers at number 8.

Answer: false

In 2018, there were about 93.6 million cats in the U.S. compared to 79.5 million dogs, according to World Atlas. However, that doesn't mean more people owned cats than dogs. People are more likely to own multiple cats than multiple dogs, and, in fact, in 2018, more households in the U.S. had a dog than had a cat, making the dog, if not the most populous pet, the most popular one.

Answer: Massachusetts

According to a July 28, 2014 Washington Post article, "Where cats are more popular than dogs in the U.S.-and all over the world," Arkansas is the most dog-loving state, with a ratio of 1.35 dogs to cats. New Mexico also prefers dogs (at a ratio of 1.32 dogs to cats). Ohio has more cats than dogs, at a ratio of 1.39 cats to every dog, but it's not quite as cat-loving as Massachusetts.

Answer: Corn snake

According to "Reptile Magazine," the corn snake used to be the most popular pet snake until the ball python eclipsed them. Unlike the corn snake, however, the ball python is native to central and western Africa and therefore needs some humidity in its cage.

The U.S. government banned the importation of the Burmese python, which has become a threat to the Everglades, in 2012. The same year, it banned the yellow anaconda.

Answer: Socks

Socks was the name of Bill Clinton's cat, though he also had a dog named Buddy. Millie was George H. W. Bush's springer spaniel. Checkers was Richard Nixon's famed cocker spaniel, and Bo was a Portuguese water dog belonging to Barack Obama.

Answer: Ferret

Though a popular small pet in the United States, ferrets are not rodents. The domestic ferret belongs to the species putorius, which is the same species that includes the European polecat. It is cousin to the otter, weasel, and badger. Besides hamsters, Guinea pigs, and gerbils, other popular pet rodents include rats and mice.

Answer: Hamsters

Hamsters tend to bite more often than gerbils, mice, or rats. They can be aggressive when awoken abruptly, housed with other hamsters, or frightened. Despite their somewhat scary reputation, rats rarely bite unless provoked. Gerbils almost never bite, but they can jump and run away quickly and are therefore easily lost when played with by children.