Funny you should ask...

Home

Chat

Blogs

Collection

Directory

Home : 2001 : August : 16

Funny you should ask...
By Julianne

My mom was just tested for allergies and guess what? She's allergic to my guinea pig! So they must be allergy causing critters. Aside from that issue, a guinea pig needs a pretty big cage. Do you really want kids lugging
it home over the weekend? If you want a rotating pet you might consider a gerbil, hamster or rat. I love rats, but not everyone does. They are calm, intelligent and not inclined to bite. The also can be kept in a smaller cage than a piggie.
Other pets to consider would be fish - goldfish don't require careful temperature control and are absolutely beautiful to watch. My fish see

me coming and beg for food! Or you can get a newt or small frog. Don't get the "fire" varieties as you have to know how to handle them.

You don't have to keep a pet year round, though. I order butterfly larvae in the early spring and we watch as they hatch, then turn them loose. You can also ask parents to allow you to have their container pet in class for a week. And some humane societies "rent" pets to classroom teachers. You can also try the local farm bureau. Ours will bring an incubator full of chicken eggs out to a classroom where they hatch and you get to feed the chicks until they get big and stinky. Then out to the farm they go leaving you pet-less!

Cheers!