Real Experiences
Small homes, honestly told
Every story here was written by someone who actually lives it, and read by a moderator before publishing.
22 posts
Small lizard — Our unexpected summer visitor
A little brown lizard appeared on our terrace in Valencia one summer. My daughter named her Lola, although we had no idea whether she was female. She often appeared near the same flowerpot w…
A Dedicated Black Widow Enclosure
I live alone in a one-bedroom apartment and keep a black widow spider as an experienced invertebrate keeper. Her enclosure originally occupied my desk, but I disliked having it beside cables…
The afternoon we lost Teresa
To the most wonderful Tortoise. Our Hermann’s tortoise, Teresa, is twelve years old, with a yellow-and-black shell and dark grey legs. One afternoon, she vanished from her garden enclosure.…
The missing slipper collection
To Oscar! Living with our ferret, Oscar, meant accepting that things occasionally disappeared. First it was my slipper. Then my husband lost his. We blamed each other until I saw Oscar dragg…
Studio — Giving our dog and cat their own spaces
Our dog, Bruno, and cat, Cleo, share our studio, but they don’t share the same idea of personal space. Bruno wanted to follow Cleo everywhere. We moved a bookcase, fitted secure cat shelves…
Adapting an Apartment for an Older and Younger Dog
Our older dog, Max, liked quiet afternoons. Our younger dog, Ruby, thought afternoons were for wrestling. In our one-bedroom apartment, we fitted a gate across the bedroom doorway so Max cou…
Dwarf hamster — The night Milo disappeared
Our dwarf hamster, Milo, escaped one evening after I failed to close his enclosure properly. We shut the room door and spent ages searching, checking every corner twice. It was amazing how s…
Our husky’s coolest corner
Our adopted husky, Nala, lives with us in a one-bedroom apartment near Málaga. During our first summer together, we moved the sofa away from the coolest tiled corner and fitted blinds to red…
Puppy Toilet Training Corner Before Full Vaccination in a Studio
Bringing our puppy, Teddy, home meant rearranging our studio before we had even unpacked his toys. After discussing local infection risks with our vet, we set up a temporary indoor toilet tr…
The aquarium that replaced our sideboard
Our guppy family started with a small group of adults, followed by tiny babies hiding among the plants. Before bringing the fish home, we replaced a wobbly sideboard with a proper aquarium s…
Studio — Making room for two guinea pigs
When we brought home our two guinea pigs, Pippa and Daisy, we realised our coffee table occupied the best place for their enclosure. We sold it and rearranged the armchairs, leaving room for…
One-bedroom apartment — Giving our tropical birds room to fly
Our small flock of four zebra finches lives together in a spacious indoor flight cage in our one-bedroom apartment. To fit it properly, we removed a decorative shelving unit and moved the di…
The song I still remember
To my ever loved PACO: My father kept two canaries in separate roomy cages beside each other, one yellow and one white. The yellow one, Paco, always began singing when Dad switched on the ra…
We Moved the Bookcase Before Bringing Home the Snake
One Children’s python · Small apartment When we started planning for a Children’s python, we thought the hardest conversation would be convincing my partner to share our apartment with a sna…
The Cat Who Claimed the Window Seat
When we brought our adopted cat, Pepper, home, we had carefully arranged a cosy bed beside the sofa. She walked past it, inspected the living room and settled on the chair where we usually f…
Living With Two Cats in a Small Studio in Paris
I live with my two cats in a 22 m² studio in Paris. At first, I worried that the space would feel too small but creating separate sleeping areas and following a simple daily routine made a h…
A Dachshund, a Desk and 24 m²
I work from home in a 24 m² apartment in Seoul with Kongi, my five-year-old dachshund. People assume a dog in a small flat must be unhappy.. What it really means is having a very structured…
What My ockatoo Taught Me About Quiet Mornings
Living with a parrot in a small apartment is mostly a lesson in routine. My cockatoo lives with me in a 32 m² flat in Melbourne. Her cage is only where she sleeps. During the day she is on a…
Two Ferrets in a Tiny Home on Wheels
We live in a 21 m² tiny home on wheels in Oregon with two ferrets, and honestly, they suit this life better than a cat would. Ferrets sleep an enormous amount, so the question of space is re…
Two Free-Roaming Rabbits in One Room
I rent one room in a shared flat in Nairobi and my two rabbits live free-range inside it. No cage at all. The room is about 14 m². I gave up a bookcase and built a low platform instead, with…
Adopting a Senior Cat for a 9 m² Room
My room in São Paulo is 9 m². The shelter suggested a senior cat and it was the best advice I have ever received. Oswaldo is eleven years old. He sleeps around sixteen hours a day, wants a w…
Two cats in a 19 m² studio
When I moved into my 19 m² studio in Lisbon. I was convinced I would have to rehome one of my cats. Two years later they are both here and honestly, calmer than before. What changed everythi…