Reptiles and amphibians can be very interesting pets in the classroom. They are generally less familiar to students than mammals. I have found my students to be very curious about them, though initially they have many misconceptions. Sometimes the animals, particularly the snakes, are even thought of as "bad" or dangerous. There is nothing like firsthand experience to begin changing ideas and attitudes.
Like any animals in captivity, special care must be taken to provide appropriate habitats. There are many resources for finding information. Pet store salespeople sometimes know, but sometimes don't. It is worth asking for information, but donÕt stop there. Field guides often have sections on care. There are books available on most commonly kept species. Pet stores often carry a selection as well as local nature centers and natural history museum shops. Also, check your library and the Internet. Companies which supply live specimens to educational institutions also provide pamphlets on care and feeding. (See selected list of resources at end.) Research prior to acquisition of a pet is always preferable, but may not always be possible. You may find yourself as I have on occasion, doing a crash course in the care and feeding of some creature that shows up unexpectedly in your classroom.
As a rule, it is not a good idea to go collecting in the wild for classroom pets. It depletes wild populations and in many cases is illegal. Furthermore, a wild animal will often languish and die in captivity. Wild animals may bite out of fear. Certain animals may be kept for student observation for a short time, but should be returned exactly where they were found. However, studies have shown that snakes in particular do not survive when not returned to their individual home range.
Some teachers I know raise their own mice to feed their snakes. I prefer not to do this, and purchase mice at a pet store instead. Some pet stores will kill the mice for you. If your snake has been conditioned to eat dead mice, this is handy. Teaching snakes to eat dead prey may take patience, but is a worthwhile precaution. Normally, snakes in the wild only go after live prey. In captivity, this can be dangerous. The snake may not be hungry or may be inaccurate in striking, and a frightened mouse will bite. In captivity, neither the mouse nor the snake can get away. A snake that is bitten can develop infection and die. If the snake is fed live prey, one should observe feeding. If the prey is not immediately taken and killed by the snake, it should be removed from the cage. Snakes that eat goldfish, worms, or insects are generally not in danger. Captive snakes donÕt need to eat more than once a week, and can go longer with no problem. In fact, when they are getting ready to shed, they may go a couple of weeks without eating even when they are offered food. Sometimes they will refuse food for several weeks for no apparent reason. Be sure they have access to a functioning heat source if this happens. As a cold blooded animal, a snake's metabolism will slow when it gets cold. Even when kept warm, species that normally hibernate may not be hungry in the winter. This is true of turtles, too.
As I already mentioned, I have three snakes. This means that no one snake gets all the handling. It is somewhat stressful for these animals to be handled. By alternating and giving rest days to individuals, we are able to minimize handling stress. I also have three box turtles, and it works for them, too.
Water turtles tend to eat more meat and fish than the terrestrial species, but they love their vegetables too. Our thirty year old red eared slider eats cat food and greens (lettuce mostly). Sometimes I give her bits of raw meat or fish. In her plastic pool, we provide a block of calcium for her to chew. These are available at aquarium and pet stores. She is very healthy, and was originally purchased as a hatchling (about the size of a quarter). Like our snakes, she too was captive bred. At first, it was easy to keep her in an aquarium with a rock pile island for her to climb out on. A basking light was kept on during the day for warmth. She out grew all the aquariums we have, and now lives in a child's plastic wading pool with a light above her rock pile island. During the summer, she is in a pond outdoors. A basking island is important for aquatic turtles. If an aquatic turtle can not dry off, they may develop a fungal infection of the shell. Should your turtle develop such an infection, pet stores carry effective treatments that can be easily applied.
Taking on a turtle as a permanent pet can be a very long term proposition. Samantha is thirty and probably has many more years to go. Turtles live a long time so be prepared for the commitment. Turtles have also been known to carry salmonella. The water that a turtle lives in can be a breeding ground for disease so it is important to keep it clean. I always insist that children wash their hands thoroughly after handling any animal as a safety precaution.
A favorite activity in our class is to raise tadpoles to frogs. We collect a few frog eggs in the early spring. (It is also possible to purchase them from a supply house.) Then we watch them grow and change. The quality of water they are kept in is critical. It needs to be free of chlorine and other chemicals added to tap water. It is usually recommended that it come from the same pond as the eggs. This has been very inconvenient for me in recent years, so I have simply taken water from my fish tank. This chlorine in this water has been neutralized and the pH level is monitored for the fish. It seems to work for the tadpoles as well. Food for tadpoles in the early stages can be pond algae or if that is not available, boiled lettuce. Boil the lettuce a few minutes until it is soft and let it cool before giving to the tadpoles. As the tadpoles develop legs, some species will eat a bit of egg yolk as well. Be sure to change the water frequently as spoiling food can foul it quickly and kill the tadpoles. Once the tadpoles become frogs, we release them where the eggs were collected. A word of caution, if the eggs were purchased from a supply house, it is important to know whether the species is native to your area before letting them go. Non-native species of all kinds have become a problem worldwide when they crowd out the native species. We certainly donÕt want to contribute to the problem. Also, if the frogs are not native to the area, they may not fit the habitat and simply die. Either way, it is best not to release them unless they are an indigenous species.
The educational benefits of herps in the classroom are many including changing erroneous ideas. They are also useful for teaching about adaptations, life cycles, and the interdependence of living things. As with any pet, the caregivers and handlers must be responsible - a valuable lesson for everyone.
Some of these books may be purchased through Amazon.com.
Lucy teaches at the Chestnut Hill Academy in Philadelphia.
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