Good Classroom Pets

[Hayden]

There's this crazy rumor flying around my school that I'm an animal enthusiast, so my bio teacher asked me to pick out a pet for her classroom. No one under 15 will be in contact with the animal. It's important that the animal is small and not temperature sensitive, but other than that, anything goes.

 

[shmifty5]

Personally I'd recomend fish, a well put-together and thought out Betta Sorority will demonstrate some interesting behaviours, such as territorial disputes, heirarchy , color change (to some extent, many of my girls will gain and lose and change colors depending on how the tank is functioning), and if the tank is planted it will give a good display of fauna/flora relationships (habitat, food, oxygen-waste cycles, etc), and with the added benefit of observing aggression dispersal, the bettas in the pet trade currently have augmented aggression, even the females are more aggressive so when you keep bettas in groups it's much easier to spread out that shared aggression, and who knows, maybe your class could try out breeding. Plus you can keep 3 or 4 females in a 5 gallon tank, bettas are a 1 gallon per fish type of fish, for the best results however I'd recomend a 10 gal with plants for 5 or 6 females, size doesn't matter with sororities so you can have small fish with much larger fish (my one females is 3 times the size of my smallest female), and if you set up the tank properly you should be able to keep ghost shrimp with the females and/or a snail (snails will produce lots of waste, so keep to 1 snail, preferably a standard mystery snail, some of the other species will ravage aquatic plants, and you can give them a treat with a piece of lettuce), keeping an amphibian is hard work and sometimes the classroom tank doesn't get as much attention as it needs, this can kill some amphibians or lizards, Bettas will be able to live in filthy water for extended periods of time (don't try it out at home) so mainting a delicate tank isn't needed and they can function at room temps just fine, they prefer heated tanks but this isn't a must.

Alternativly your class could look into Tarantulas, many of them don't need a big tank and some of them are extremely hardy (such as a Honduran CUrly-hair or a Chilean Rose) and very freindly (the Honduran Curly-hair is by far the most friendliest of any T species I have come accross), or if your teacher is fast and very careful he/she could keep one of them more agressive or poisonous species (no one has died from a T bite yet), most of these will require a small heat-pad or something similiar to keep them warm enough but these are cheap and usually don't impact energy consumption.

If the class is set on an Ampbibian I would suggest an Ambystomatid, like the Tiger or Blotched salamander, these guys are very hardy and don't need an absolutely massive tank (I'd say that a 10-15 gal would be the smallest you coudl use), my Tiger/Blotched mix doesn't need a lot, some food every week, a little misting every now and then to keep his bedding moist, and occasional a run-around (exercise) and he is good to go, but the downside is that these guys are long-lived, your teacher would need to care for him/her for a long time and many teachers aren't prepared to make such a commitement, this is why I suggested the fish, they live for maybe 3 or 4 years before they die, I have never seen a bettas make it past 5, and they are very easy to transport (small plastic cup with a lid and water).

In any case, I hope your teacher/class is responsible, an animals life isn't something to be played with and their care must never fall into a lapse, this can spread a wrong message to the younger students, and always ensure the critters care and well-being always come before the entertainment of the class or of the individual.

 

[SludgeMunkey]

I would avoid amphibs for the classroom. Most schools and teachers do not have the climate control to handle them. Fish are probably the best way to go. As silly as it sounds goldfish and similar hardy species are best.

 

[shmifty5]

I would not recommend a goldfish, these fish grow very large and need a large tank with heavy filtration.

 

[Bellabelloo]

Giant snails ?

 

[Greatwtehunter]

Cynops cynaurus would be a good candidate. They can handle the normal temperature range of a school room, extremely active by day, and would probably breed while in the classroom.

 

[Jennewt]

One critical thing is... what animal experience does the teacher have? Ultimately, the responsibility for care will fall on him/her. For some folks, an aquarium is no problem, for others it's a disaster. If the teacher hasn't kept an aquarium in the past, I think that a reptile with a terrarium setup might be a better bet. Snakes are especially good as education animals because they teach kids not to fear snakes. There are also a number of lizards that make good, easy pets.

 

[JWERNER]

One critical thing is... what animal experience does the teacher have? Ultimately, the responsibility for care will fall on him/her. For some folks, an aquarium is no problem, for others it's a disaster. If the teacher hasn't kept an aquarium in the past, I think that a reptile with a terrarium setup might be a better bet. Snakes are especially good as education animals because they teach kids not to fear snakes. There are also a number of lizards that make good, easy pets.

I don't see why someone with no past experience should not be allowed to gain such experience. Theirs no other way around learning it but to experiencing it.


I have to agree with Justin. Cynops are an awesome idea!

I would also suggest to stay away from Goldfish. The fact that they are so hardy brings forth a misconception I'm sure we are all aware of and that's its true maintenance requirements as well as the aquarium foot print needed for housing even just one.

 

[michael]

Cynops or Pleurodeles. Both are very forgiving.

 

[Abrahm]

Logistically speaking I think a terrestrial, easy to move animal would be the best. A school teacher is going to have to care for the animal over spring break, Christmas vacation, Thanksgiving and summer break (depending on school.) Some schools will not allow teachers in the building over these breaks or at least certain portions of it. A lot of schools are not air conditioned.

Breaking down an aquarium once a year or transporting an aquatic animal (or animals) to a new location can be a huge pain. I'd recommend avoiding fish, newts and other fully aquatic critters for that reason.

Most terrestrial salamanders are too temperature sensitive and a hot summer (or late fall, early spring) day could be the death of them.

Corn snakes, king snakes and leopard geckos would all be excellent animals as they are low maintenance and easy to maintain. Snakes have a slight edge as they don't use live food. Of course they are all nocturnal, so that's not terribly desirable. Of course most diurnal reptiles require expensive lighting.

Fire belly toads might make good candidates. Their ideal temperature range is essentially room temperature. The semi-aquatic thing, could again be a problem, but I think it's a lot easier to deal with than a fully aquatic set of animals.

As for mammals, a lot of them can be quite noisy, smelly or possibly even an allergen to students. Some are social which could require huge amounts of space to properly house them. Birds are right out as they are loud and often social. A classroom would be a bad environment for them. Both birds and mammals usually need a lot of space and that is usually at a premium in a class room.

So my vote would be for fire belly toads, corn snakes, king snakes or leopard geckos, which are quite easy to care for and are easy to find and reasonably cheap.

I don't see why someone with no past experience should not be allowed to gain such experience. Theirs no other way around learning it but to experiencing it.

Well, the teacher does have to take care of the animal and might not have time to do the footwork or want to learn the skills with an audience watching. Some situations are not appropriate for learning.

 

[Azhael]

Certainly a classroom is not the ideal place to start gaining experience with newts...It´s not like having them at home where you can monitor them, offer a greater variety of foods, avoid extreme temps or move them if necessary. I´m not saying it can´t be done, of course, i´m just saying there are better choices.
It´s obvious that you can´t build up experience without having any, but there are ways and ways of gaining that experience, and if something goes wrong in the classroom, it´s the animals that will pay the price...not exactly fair.

I agree that milksnakes or kingsnakes are a much better option. They require minimal care, are very visual and very hardy. If there is a heat wave, the snakes will endure it, but the newts are likely not to.

 

[allegoriest]

Goldfish are just poop machines, and will make nothing but a mess you'll always have to clean. (Was just talking about this earlier today, heh...)

One of my close friends is a teacher, and all the kindergarten classes had african clawed frogs and watched them grow from tadpoles to froggies. She somehow ended up inheriting many of them at then end of the year when the others didn't want them. Apparently they can get to be pretty big, and after so much growing, they also turn into poop factories, but, they'd need a tank by then. They also don't know how long they'll live either. I've never had a frog of that type, but its the pet most teacher's I've known have had.
However, if the water isn't cleaned frequently, it might turn into a salmonella factory. D:

 

[fishkeeper]

Another advantage of snakes is that they can be held and taken out for presentations. A major disadvantage is their prospensity for escaping. If a newt manages to get out-well at most you have a crispy critter. If a snake gets out(and it doesn't take much!)...you now how a creepy animal on the loose and a headline in the school newspaper.

If I were to do a newt tank in a classroom I would def. go with Pleurodeles or Cynops cyanurus. My only concern with Pleurodeles is that it they would be a MAJOR distraction and source of dirty jokes during breeding season! I can only imagine the possibilities with HS students.

Tarantulas and roaches will do but they might not be as popular as the aforementioned and are severely lacking in the cuteness factor(though roaches are certainly handleable and both are definetly intriguing).

 

[Hayden]

Hello everyone!
So, I guess I forgot to mention that it will be me taking care of these animals. Clearly, lapse of care or lack of knowledge isn't a concern.
I also forgot to mention that I am limited by what my mom will let me have in the house on spring breaks and such, so nothing with less than two legs or more than four.
I really like the idea of Cynops cyanurus. They'd be easy to acquire, easy to care for, but still exotic to most other students. Plus, no offense to the Pleurodeles, which I very much like, the Fire Bellies have a little extra cuteness, which would be good to get all students interested.
I also like the idea of a leopard gecko. I used to have one named Sprinkles, way back when. Plus, with a leopard gecko, you lose the whole water aspect, so it'd be easier to monitor and care for.
Any thoughts on picking between the two?

 

[JWERNER]

Hello everyone!
So, I guess I forgot to mention that it will be me taking care of these animals. Clearly, lapse of care or lack of knowledge isn't a concern.
I also forgot to mention that I am limited by what my mom will let me have in the house on spring breaks and such, so nothing with less than two legs or more than four.
I really like the idea of Cynops cyanurus. They'd be easy to acquire, easy to care for, but still exotic to most other students. Plus, no offense to the Pleurodeles, which I very much like, the Fire Bellies have a little extra cuteness, which would be good to get all students interested.
I also like the idea of a leopard gecko. I used to have one named Sprinkles, way back when. Plus, with a leopard gecko, you lose the whole water aspect, so it'd be easier to monitor and care for.
Any thoughts on picking between the two?

Leopard Geckos are another good choice. I would do those instead.


I still don't understand why a teacher cant care for a newt:rofl:. It makes no sense to me. Theirs plenty of time between class, after school, and during lunch periods. Not to mention that the Teacher would be present the 8 hours out of the day that we normally are not. Lots of us work and have kids to take care of. Its no different IMO except for the fact that while we are at work we don't get to interact with our Newts.

A snake is ideal as far as care but seriously its a school. Not to many school boards will appreciate a snake in a class room no matter how we feel about them.

 

[Abrahm]

If your mom says no snakes, I'd go with the Leopard gecko.

Leopard Geckos are another good choice. I would do those instead.


I still don't understand why a teacher cant care for a newt:rofl:. It makes no sense to me. Theirs plenty of time between class, after school, and during lunch periods. Not to mention that the Teacher would be present the 8 hours out of the day that we normally are not. Lots of us work and have kids to take care of. Its no different IMO except for the fact that while we are at work we don't get to interact with our Newts.

A snake is ideal as far as care but seriously its a school. Not to many school boards will appreciate a snake in a class room no matter how we feel about them.

Well, no one said they can't care for a newt, but if they are new to caudate care, a classroom wouldn't be the best place to learn. I know a few teachers and it's a misconception to think they have "plenty of time." Between classes they're getting ready for the next class, which might be a completely different subject than the last. During lunch periods they are eating, or watching the cafeteria or maybe getting printouts made. Teachers are busy, hard working people for the most part.

 

[shmifty5]

Leopard geckos are a good choice, the temp migth be an issue in a school environment but they are definately a dry and people freindly type of animal.

 

[Marcus]

Hey everybody,

I'm new in this forum and this topic is very interesting. I just finished my master-studies (M.Ed.) and my master-thesis exactly deals with this topic. The title of it is: "Molche gehen zur Schule - Ein Leitfaden zum Einsatz von Urodelen im Biologieunterricht". The translation would be: "Newts go to school - a complete guide to integrate caudates into the subject biology". The thesis deals with different topics. For example I wrote a chapter about didactics: Why should we handle with living animals in class (especially caudates) when everything can be also found in books? I point out the clear advantages of living animals for the subject biology and in the following chapters, I show on the one hand how newts and salamanders can be saved in their natural habitats (also around the school by building a pond for Ichthyosaura alpestris or Lissotriton vulgaris which are quite common around here) and on the other hand I give a manual how newts can be kept in school. I recommend several species with their special needs and integrate them into worksheets for class.
My advice is that the newts should be kept in the basement. A club for pupils who are led by a competent teacher should be responsible for the animals. The species I recommend are Ambystoma mexicanum, Ambystoma mavortium, Salamandra salamandra, Pleurodeles waltl, Cynops ensicauda popei (can also be kept on the first floor), Tylototriton verrucosus -dark aquatic morph (can also be kept on the first floor)
and Ichthyosaura alpestris apuana (can also be kept on the first floor). Of course the recommendation for the first floor is only valid for the German climate which similar to the climate of the northern United States or southern Canada.

Kind regards,

Marcus

 

[jclee]

It really comes down the kind of budget and space you have, so details on that might help us out. Marcus makes a good case for caudates, but I agree with those who've come out in support of leopard geckos. They're very handle-able, relatively low maintenence, low/no smell... the only drawback is that they're nocturnal, but I've found that if they're fed during the daytime, and/or if a nighttime light is on during class time when people would want to observe their movement, they won't sleep through class.

Actually, you might even be able to find one or two that need re-homing if you poke around on leopard gecko forums. These are such popular pets that people often get them on a whim, or without realizing how long they live, and I've seen give-away ads before. You may just have to go pick it up or pay a shipping fee. You could probably find a cheap tank on craigslist, too. The only real expense would be the heating equipment.

 

[Hayden]

Update:
I met a lady in my local pet store who needed to rehome her three beautiful cornsnakes. She offered us the snakes, a fifty gallon, a 150 gallon, all of their equipment and stuff for free.