Pet census reveals Victorians own more than 43,000 insects as pets

Victorians own more than 43,000 insects as pets and spend an astonishing amount of money to ensure the wellbeing of their non-human family members.

More than half of Victorians own pets with more than 43,000 of them being insects, new results from a Victorian pet census has revealed.

The census — undertaken by the Victorian government for FY23 — has made interesting findings, including the staggering amount of money Victorian pet owners are spending on the upkeep and wellbeing of their furry family members.

Victorian pet owners reportedly spent $6.6bn on their pets in the year prior to the study, with costs including $1.8bn in vet services and medication, $449m on pet insurance, $3.1bn on pet food, $299m on grooming and a whopping $382m on enrichment activities and toys.

The most popular pet for Victorians was dogs, with 41 per cent of pet owning households declaring a dog as part of their family.

Dogs were followed in popularity by cats, making up 24 per cent of pet owning households.

Most dog owners got their pets directly from breeders.

Of the estimated 1.4m households with pets, some of the more obscure pet choices included amphibians and lizards.

While there were more than 43,000 insects kept as pets, they made up just 0.3 per cent of all pets in the state.

The research included most popular pet names divided into animal genre.

Luna topped the list for both cats and dogs.

The report revealed Victorians spent $6.6bn on their pets over the 2022 - 2023 period.

Other popular names for dogs included Charlie, Ruby and Poppy and popular cat names included George, Lucy, Bella and Oscar.

There was a slight increase in pet ownership over the pandemic lockdown period and almost all pet owners said their pets had had a positive impact on their lives.

In good news for pets, 10 per cent of Victorians said they planned to get an animal in the next 12 months.

24 per cent of Victorian pet-owning households have cats.

Most dog owners said they got their dogs via breeders, while cat owners were more likely to rescue their new pets.

Of the 37,460 respondents, the people most likely to own pets in Victoria were younger than 55 who lived in houses or in rural areas.

Households with an income more than $120,000 per annum were more likely to own a pet, as well as households with children under 18.