Our Classroom Zoo
Yes, the animals described below are (or have been) in our classroom this year! Sadly, one of them has -- well, passed away. Read the critter's bios to see which ones we still have.
You might be wondering:
You may have many more questions... well, read the stories below and if you still have questions, e-mail me!
You might be wondering:
- Do we get to hold all of these critters?
- Who takes care of them?
- Do any of them bite?
- Are any of them poisonous?
You may have many more questions... well, read the stories below and if you still have questions, e-mail me!
“Cupcake”, the Rat
Throughout my teaching career, I have always had a rat as a classroom pet. Each rat was carefully hand picked from the pet store until Cupcake came along. Perla, a former student (now in high school), stopped by one afternoon to say hi. Her visit was the most pleasant surprise (in more ways than one). As I approached her, I realized something was moving in her hair. She reached up and slowly pulled out a tiny creature and handed it to me. The most precious baby rat ever sat in the palm of my hand and looked up at me. Perla pleaded, "Mrs. Alli, I saved it from being eaten by my biology teacher's snake! Won't you please keep her?" Her timing was perfect. We had just lost our class rat to fatty tumors just two months before. With no cage at school, I placed the baby girl on my shoulder and headed home. She rode quietly, nestled in my hair, the entire twenty-five minute commute. My husband retrieved a rat cage stored in the garage and soon the tiny baby was asleep in her new home. For two and a half years, Cupcake was, without a doubt, the star of our classroom zoo. Sadly, she developed a mammary tumor and passed on. On a lighter note, we are planning to add a new rat to our classroom this year.
“Hurley”, THE Beared Dragon
Makenna, a former HTMMA student and fellow animal lover, donated Hurley to our classroom zoo. Makenna literally has a zoo of her own at home. In addition to taking care of her own animals, Makenna is a "foster parent" for up to fifteen rats, mice, and rabbits in her home all at the same time! Way to go, Makenna! Makenna felt that the addition of Hurley to the classroom zoo may help fill the void left by Cupcake's passing. She knew Hurley would be happy in the classroom surrounded by curious students. And happy she is! What an actress. She never lets us down with her performance at feeding time. She is hand fed live meal worms and crickets. Watching her munch down on a plump, juicy meal worm is always a spectacle. We never get tired of seeing her chase, catch and then lazily crunch on live crickets. Also, it is not unusual to see Hurley proudly perched on a student's shoulder during class time. This is just an observation, but when I see Hurley quietly sitting on someone's shoulder during independent reading time, I wonder, do you suppose they are both enjoying the book? Hmmmmm.
“Rib and It”, the Fire Belly Toads
I purchased two fire belly toads years ago when I first started teaching. I suppose their names, Rib and It are self-explanatory (r-r-ribbit, r-r ribbit). My students and I assembled a large terrarium habitat for them with lush plants, rocks, small ponds and a waterfall. Each week, I faithfully buy crickets at the pet store to feed the frogs. Also, to keep the frogs healthy, a student pours vitamin powder into the bag of crickets and gently shakes the bag, coating each cricket. The students laugh and chant, “Shake and bake, shake and bake!” Even after 12 years, feeding time is a popular event. I get just as excited as the students when we sprinkle the little critters into the tank and watch the toads snatch them up, one by one. What a sight to see when the cricket’s legs dangle out of the toads’ mouths and the students cheering them on. Rib and It are currently on loan to a class of second graders this spring.
“Goldie”, the Special Goldfish
Goldie is a survivor. She was a feeder fish fed to Kicky and Stacey (former pet turtles) that survived in their tank for over a month. Although she was supposed to be a meal for the turtles, this little feeder fish dodged and dashed about the tank, escaping death far longer than any other fish. One day, a student gazed into the tank, looked at me and whispered, “Mrs. Alli, I think Goldie (he called her) is special. I don’t think she is supposed to die. Can we put her in the fish tank?” Before I could react, he retrieved the fish net stored under the sink, scooped her out of the turtle habitat, and plopped her into her new home. And there she still lives today. Goldie is no longer considered a feeder fish, but is now a goldfish. Goldie energetically dances in front of the aquarium glass each time a student approaches her tank, anxiously waiting for her daily pinch of goldfish food.
“Tank and Dunkers”, the Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches
During my second year of teaching, I naively bought two Madagascar hissing cockroaches from a local pet store. It wasn’t long after that that I was in for a huge awakening. I remember the day so clearly, when a student lifted off the top from the tank and shouted, “Teacher, teacher! I think some other bugs moved in!” I walked over and could see maybe thirty tiny insects huddled together on the rim of the aquarium. A closer look revealed that these creatures were baby cockroaches, all thirty of them! What was I going to do with so many cockroaches? Sadly (or maybe it was a blessing in disguise), only two of them made it to adulthood, Tank and Dunkers. The cockroaches like to eat fruit, veggies, and food pellets with protein. When you hold them, they actually do make a hissing sound!