The Signal: When it comes to furry friends and pet ownership, it’s dogs and cats galore. But there’s a growing population of underrepresented and underserved home pets: small animals.

Small animal subreddit growth is being driven by increased adoption by US households. Ownership of fish (remember the rising at-home aquarium trend we reported on last year?), birds, rabbits, reptiles, and other small animals (think iguanas, ferrets, hamsters, and gerbils) has skyrocketed from 2012 to 2020

  • Fish: 7.2m households → 13.1m households (↑82%)
  • Birds: 4.6m5.7m (↑24%)
  • Reptiles: 1.8m4.5m (↑150%)