What do you have for a classroom pet(s)? What would you like to have? I've just been hired for a biology/environmental science/anatomy & physiology position and I'm wondering what's easy to take care of. Even plants! Any suggestions?
I knew a first grade teacher with a white rat. She kept the rat in a ball and in ran all over the classroom all the time. hmy: The kids LOVED it. I don't know if I want to deal with all that yet. Some teachers at my school have fish, but no rodent animals as far as I can see. I love how homey the rooms feel with pets...but it's a LOT of responsibility.
Our school science ab has tadpoles/frogs, a snake, a tarantula, some huge millipedes. We have a 'no fur or feathers' rule. Other teachers in the building have had lizards, fish, hermit crabs.
The teacher next to me has a fish tank that she inherited at the beginning of this school year. It makes her room really smelly, even though she seems to spend a lot of time cleaning the tank. It always looks really gross too. I don't have any classroom pets. I've never really wanted any, and watching her deal with the fish this year has really cemented that for me.
I had a 6th grade teacher (elementary school still in the district I went to) that had all kinds of pets. We had a snake, a hamster, baby ducks, and a guinea pig that had babies. We loved it. Even knowing that, I'm just not willing to take on the responsibility. There are so many more important things on my plate! I'd never want to be spending my planning/after school time cleaning up/caring for a class pet.
Our district has no official policy. When I inherited a room I said I did not want any critters in it. Had everything removed before I started. A science teacher across town collects anything she can and puts it in her room. Some of the animals I have real issues being held in a cage, but none of it is illegal.
I have had rats, mice, turtles, millipedes, and now I have leopard gecko, a hermit crab, and one tough fish (I got them in the mail. The 2 glowing ones died, but the gray one has held on.
I agree on the rabbit. A co-worker had one years ago and her room was horrible. It stunk all the time.
I have a guinea pig as a class pet. I make sure to clean his cage at the beginning of the week. I found this odor absorbing packet I put in his cage that lasts for 3 months. He's fairly low maintenance and the kids love him. I don't let him out in the classroom ever though.
I have an Australian bearded dragon which are super mellow and a great class pet. Super tolerant of the kids touching it, etc. I also have a Berber skink which doesn't like to be fooled with as much but is more active in its cage so more interesting, at times. He even uses a wheel like a gerbil. They both are omnivores so they are easy to feed. When they were little I took them home so they would eat over the weekend, but now they stay at school unless it is a long weekend. I raise butterflies and tadpoles seasonally, and the snakes visit, but I won''t feed them live food so they go home for my sons to feed them. My leopard gecko died this summer but they are also an easy classroom pet but aren't active during the day. I have also done red worms in a compost box and fish but the fish were more trouble than it was worth.
I have two cats at home so I would never want a classroom pet to have to cart back and forth, since it would inevitably be living with us much of the time and our cats wouldn't be very friendly to any kind of small creature, furry or scaly... (I can see it now - "you brought us a new toy mom?? Thanks!") Some species of animals probably shouldn't be classroom pets anyway because the hectic environment with so many people is so stressful for them. I know many (or most?) small animal adoption agencies and rescue groups around here won't let you adopt if it's for a class pet because they feel it's not the best environment. Something to think about and research, I suppose. I have heard more protest about small furry creatures than reptiles/insects/amphibians though...
My daughter's 6th grade science teacher had a tarantula (among other pets) in her classroom. She would let it out and let the kids touch, etc. Then one day it got away and they couldn't find it until the very end of the year. It was about 3-4 months not knowing where it was. It would have freaked me out, I'm not a spider person. It turned out, it lived in the walls all that time.
I won a tarantula at a science conference. Spiders normally don't bother me, but when I opened the cage to water him he started moving and I decided that was it. I gave her to the 5th grade science teacher. I visit her, but that's it. :lol:
I wouldn't classify Guinea Pigs as low maintenance. They need fresh fruit and vegetables on a daily basis, exercise time outside of a cage on a daily basis, and cuddle time. They are very social animals. They need to have their nails clipped monthly and an annual vet visit along with rabies shot. I have two that travel back and forth to school with me (cat carrier). Students sign up for exercise time and cuddle time with permission note from home. Both of my gp are rescue and my students know. Part of having a classroom companion is teaching/showing students HOW to care for an animal. They are long term commitments.
If all the small, furry pets, I found that guinea pigs had the least odor and were the most responsive pets. I kept them in a large fish tank without a lid.
I got mine from another teacher who no longer had the time to take care of him. We make sure he gets food in the morning and afternoon.
Well! I've had the following at different classes; -Turtle...The children loved him and we took him outside during outside play. I moved, they got a new teacher who took him home and never returned him. They still can't figure out what this crazy teacher did to poor Speedy. I am going to find out from my old boss if she ever found out what happened. -Fish...It was pretty cool, but it was just for looking, and Pre-Kindergartners would rather touch pets. -Guinea pigs...Pretty cool and fun animals, BUT needed a LOT of daily care. My assistants did not like changing the stuff, so I ended up doing most of the work. -Rabbit...Cool, but unpredictable. A lot of work involved too. I've killed 5 diffenbachias (sp?), so I know my right thumb's not green. I would consider the d/bachia; hard to take care. The easiest plant to take care of is the aloe vera. It's my medicine plant; for cuts & burns. Have fun with your new calling! Rebel1
I had many different classroom pets through the years - tadpoles, frogs, fish, parakeets, turtles, African frogs, snakes, caterpillars, baby chicks from eggs, snails and slugs, mosquito larva to mosquitoes (inside a closed jar), Eastern toads, Hermit Crabs etc. But the best (I think) were the Giant African Millipedes. They were easy to care for and fascinating to observe. My inner city kids loved them all, and the science centers got them interested in earth science and the natural world. Then, back in 2007 or so, all pets were banned in the Providence School System - supposedly because of student allergies. That included fish and reptiles which are practically hypo-allergenic. Just one more thing that made school interesting and fun for my kids - removed by TPTB.
we have guinea pigs, hamsters, ants and worms in our room. The hamsters are not as much fun. But everyone enjoys looking at them when they come out to play. My next door neighbor had a hedgehog, but it didn't come out during the day, and little more maintance. If it was allowed it would get a lizzard or reptile of some sort. Have fun! smiles.
If you do decided to go the pet route check out: http://www.petsintheclassroom.org/ You apply for the grant and they send you coupons to get you started on the equipment that you would need. I got an aquarium that way.
We can't have furry pets. In my lab I have African land snails, stick insects and a big tank of fish. The easy to keep and they can manage on their own for 2 or 3 weeks at a time.
I know we can have fish. I would like a Geko of some sort because it would be easier for me to transport the cage home on holidays. I know we are not allowed to have furry creatures.
I've had an African Clawfrog for 21 years. I change his water once a week and he eats one earthworm a day. That's it. Don't get one if you're not going to clean and feed it though because that's what they need to survive.
