We have 2 koi in my classroom. Their names are Flop and Meat. The plan is to train them to do tricks like play basketball and swim through hoops.
You can do that with koi? I didn't know they could do such exciting things. I am tossing about the idea of gold fish. They are easy to care for, yet provide a lot of color and interest. I have had them in the classroom before, and students love them.
I am NOT a pet person, but I'd like to be. I have had a beta fish in my room before. A teacher last year had a snake and another had a gerbil. One has frogs and snails.
I've had fish and frogs before... Make sure you read up on what they need first!! My frogs became stressed out and died. My fish were too close to the door in December and died from the cold. I didn't do pets this year (even though my husband really wanted me to!!). I might do something simple like a beta next time. That way it can sit on my desk and will be easy to replace.
I have had a gerbil and my friend has a hamster! Both are pretty easy, mine was easier because I had a different student take it home each weekend to clean the cage because I can't touch them (allergies) (worked for me) last year I had a fish tank and am doing the same this year. My other two teacher friends have turtles (bigger ones) and the kids love those! I have grown frogs from eggs but I let them go after they got a certain size.
Check with your district. We used to be able to have mice, gerbils, snakes, etc., but due to children's allergies, we can only have fish. No turtles due to salmonella. I have a beta and that seems to meet the needs of a classroom pet.
I don't have a class pet. I have in prior years, but it got to be a hassle. I have mealworms that the kids like!! Great for the lifecycle-easy and very low maintenance!!! Plus cheap!! I have shared the "offspring" with many other clssrooms.
I've written on here before about how much I like gerbils. They are active during the day and you can keep 2 together (unlike hamsters). They are desert animals and don't drink a lot of water, so they don't pee a lot and get the cage smelly! They are very easy to maintain. Plus, they're totally cute!
I don't have a class pet yet, but I want to get a couple of guppies this year. My mom told me that they are easy to care for and if you pick out a male and female then you can have baby guppies pretty easily.
Girls - Girls - Girls Hands down... best pet... a turtle or two. They are easy, don't stink, relatively inexpensive, and the kids LOVE them. No, they do not touch them. But they do watch them swim, eat, and write about them in their journals. They bring rocks for the tank and offer special treats like pond weeds. Kids love them and so do I!
Take a look at http://www.fish-school.com/ DH bought the kit for me as a Christmas present. My class last year started the training process and we got Flop to pay attention to the feed wand. The training sort of fell off when I was in the hospital and missed 3 weeks of school, but this new class is very enthusiastic about starting up. Fish trainer is one of my classroom jobs.
i bought two gerbils last week...a tan one named butterscotch and a black one named oreo. the kids instantly loved them the first day (last wed) then on thur oreo never made an appearance. friday they started asking where oreo was. i told them she was just shy and sleepy. well, about 9 am i checked in the igloo they sleep in and saw that she had died i texted my sister and she brought the hearse and returned it to petsmart for a refund. i was very sly about removing her during class because i had no idea if i should tell them or not. i decided not to tell them because they had only seen her once. i got a new one over the weekend that looks the same so i am going to let them think it is the same one. i know it's kind of lame to not tell them but they only saw her once. i wouldnt mind if i would have had this happened in the middle of the year but i couldnt believe it happened so soon!
I have a red beta fish (and a snail). (The snail has become big & it's really neat to watch him move). I also have 5 fire belly toads. They're cool b-c they make a barking sound & suction up the sides of the tank. I added a small goldfish & snail to help keep the tank clean.
I inherited a fish tank and a placostamus (spelling?) - the type of fish that is a tank cleaner. He seems fairly low maintenance so far.
I have had a pet every year. I love having class pets. In the past I have had a betta fish (lived FOUR years!) frogs (all died during the school year) gerbils (had to give them away when they started fighting) mice (one child was bit) and now I have a snake. The snake has been a pet at our school for many, many years. I am just taking over his care. Hopefully it all goes well! I haven't had the best of luck. I am considering getting another betta though. They are awesome! I hardly ever cleaned his tank (it had a filter) and he did quite well. I also never had to buy new food. When I go on vacation I just drop one of those 10 day feeders in there. GREAT, easy to care for pet!
Fish or Turtle I think it's coming down to a fish of some kind or a turtle. Some of the pets mentioned sounded really cool but too much work. Thanks for your help.
I vote turtle! Fish are a pain in the butt to move back and forth in the summer. And mine are going on 6 years old!!!
I'm not a big pet person, but there is something about watching a turtle swim that is just adorable. I might get a couple. You can only get salmonella by touching them, right? I wonder if parents would be too nervous, though.
Does anyone know if you can still purchase "sand dollar" turtles? You know...the little ones that are the size of a sand dollar (and just so happen to be in the book, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing).
I love fish, they're beautiful & relaxing. I love pets, but that's probably as far as I'd go regarding pets at school. They're the least amount of trouble.
I wouldn't ever ask this during the school year-but during summer school my kitten was able to come with me to school! Her neck was hurt in May and still hasn't healed. She came and sat on my lap (or my aide's lap) wrapped in a blanket the whole day. Everyone fell in love with her!
I have wished on numerous occasions to be able to have a classroom cat! How fun that would be! Turns out I will not be able to have gerbils in the classroom this year because of a student with peanut allergies. No biggie, I'm going to buy some big plants instead!
