Thinking about a class pet...

[lisa h]

I say no reptiles in the classroom unless you can bring it home on weekends and make sure it has propper csare at all times on the weekdays. Reptiles are sensitive. Get a mamle of some sort. Not somthing that takes sooo much care. Insect fish mamle....ect...even mamles are stretching it imo. Schools are hecktic.

I wonder if even bringing a reptile back and forth would be too stressful for it. I worry about mammals as well, as they need attention all the time. I think lots of attention during the week and then nothing on the weekend isn't the best idea for any mammal. I'd go with some sort of insect (mantis are cool!) or fish, or frogs or toads that don't require food everyday and don't really care if they get attention or not.

 

[JennyBug]

Most schools (sadly) don't allow turtles anymore due to salmonella worries (though, if you're a responsible teacher/pet owner, the cage is LOCKED unless you open it, which should solve the problem of Junior sticking the turtle in his mouth... just sayin'). I also wouldn't want something that would be easy to steal. I'm looking for a "look, but don't touch" sort of animal - not mean, but also not cuddly. I have a VERY strict "don't touch" rule when it comes to animals in my class because I don't want anyone getting bitten, stung, etc. (I don't want to get sued, and I don't want any of my critters euthanized).

One thing I'm trying to take into account is the fact that for a few months out of the year, this animal will be living in my home, so I want to make sure it's something I enjoy, and not a ton of work added on top of my mini-zoo.

I thought about a guinea pig or a pair of gerbils, but I worry about allergies and smell. You really can't have chinchillas (or shouldn't) in a classroom setting because they are nocturnal and stress easily (that's actually how I got two of my girls). Fish are hypoallergenic, as are reptiles, so that was why my line of reasoning went there.

How do you think a colony of pygmies would do? I know they are more mellow than regular chameleons, and their caging requirements would be easily met in a classroom. I could put lights/mister on a timer, feed big the evening before and big the morning after a weekend. Any thoughts?

 

[Julirs]

Pygmies are out if you classroom temps get close to or over 80 degrees ever.

 

[xanthoman]

i have never kept pygmies and im not down on kids or animal education, but its just my personal opinion that chameleons in general, dont make good kids pets , their care needs are to specific, and they just too stress oriented to make good childrens pets and i cant think of anything more stressful than a never ending stream of giant eyes looking in on you. i would think a red eyed frog or poison dart frog in a lockable glass exotterra would be a better choice. frogs seem to be oblivious to observation. it would also be a good intro for disscussing rainforest / deforestation and enviromental issues. jmo

 

[ijmccollum]

You want "look but don't touch" -- go insect.

 

[jojackson]

You could forsee some issue or another with almost any pet in a classroom full of little kids. About the only thing that would be minimum work, look dont touch, and lawsuit risk free might be fish or a snake, perhaps a frog or two.
Consider what you expect to get out of the idea in the first place. The kids wont really learn a great respect for living things if they cant interact and be part of the caring process, imo.
This might rule out fish, since adding a pinch of food, or carrying things for cleaning isnt too exciting.
Salmonella can be transferred from any reptile and amphibian incidently, turtles get a bad rap. A small tortoise might be ok, depending on care and how you keep the kids from touching heating/lighting equipment etc.
How old the kids are is another consideration, very young children might be happy to just look at frogs, older kids may be more (or less) enthusiastic.
Anything that requires live food (lizards, turtles, frogs etc) might be more work anyway.

I recently read about a class of young American children who won an opportunity to care for class pet for a year. It was a hatchling alligator from a florida Gator farm I beleive.

 

[pssh]

I vote fish! Or aquatic frogs! They're fun to watch. Bugs would be my second vote.

In my science class we got to raise madaka (spelling?) fish from eggs and take home the babies that hatched. We looked at them under microscopes. Unfortunately mine died from parasites and their stomaches exploded. I had them for a few months though.

I would not consider any animal (mammal) that required hay 24/7. That's allergy central right there. (guinea pig, bunny, chinchilla, etc.) plus guinea pigs require fresh veggies every day and all of those small furry fellas need time out of the cage every day.

 

[JennyBug]

I think I'll hold off on this year and brainstorm for next year. I have put a lot of thought into this and still can't come up with a definite answer, so it would be better to have nothing at all than to rush into getting something and regret the decision!

Thank you all for your help!!

 

[xanthoman]

I think I'll hold off on this year and brainstorm for next year. I have put a lot of thought into this and still can't come up with a definite answer, so it would be better to have nothing at all than to rush into getting something and regret the decision!

Thank you all for your help!!

probably the best lesson of all

 

[Mystical141]

You could get a snake

 

[kinyonga]

Mystical141...This thread is from seven years ago.