I would suggest looking into a different classroom pet
besides a hamster, perhaps a guinea pig. 1. Hamsters are
nocturnal creatures and do very little during the day, the
children will be caring for and observing a lump in the
corner of the cage. 2. Because of the fact that they are
nocturnal, because of their size, and because of the busy
nature of a classroom, they have a tendency to be extremely
nippy. Even the nicest of hamsters may bite if woken from
sleep, especially if the classroom is loud and their stress
level is up because it is difficult to sleep. If you
purchase a hamster from someplace like Petco, Petsmart the
vast majority of them have not been socialized and will bite
just for the heck of it and you will have to spend a good
deal of time working with the hamster before you can even
think about bringing them into the classroom.
3. Because of their size hamsters are more fragile and even
a child handling them carefully can sometimes injure them.
Also because of their size, should a child lose hold of them
you will find them hard to catch and easy to lose track of.
The last thing you want is a child to open the cabinet and
find the hamster you lost a week ago lying dead and they can
crawl into almost any crack.

Although larger animals can bite too they are less apt to do
so then hamsters especially when handled frequently.
If space is an issue I would reccommend getting a gerbil
instead of a hamster as they are diurnal and aren't as nippy.

As for the legistics. Cover all the basis, while laws very
from state to state. Most health departments have very few
rules when it comes to classroom pets, but to cover your
rear I suggest the following
1. Have the animal vet checked (even if you end up with a
hamster) A vet can't determine everything from a simple
physical, they will be able to determine overall health.
Many vets will do this exam for free if you have proof it's
a classroom pet. Banfield the vet inside Petsmart has always
taken care of my classroom pets physicals free of charge and
they have even reduced the cost of treatment if they get
sick. They have been great
2. Send a letter home to parents to make sure they are aware
of the fact you will be bringing a pet into the classroom.
Invite them to ask any questions and voice any concerns
before Fluffy magically appears. You may discover a child is
extremely allergic to a certain type of pet and its a heck
of a lot better to find that out before the child has an
anaphylactic reaction.

> I teach grade three. I'm thinking about getting a hamster
> this year as a classroom pet. I guess I will have to
> check it with my principal first, regarding school
> regulations, health regulations, etc. I think it would be
> a good way to teach the science curriculum to my
> students, "Animal Life Cycles".
>
> Hi! This is my first time posting on this board. I teach
> grade three and am thinking of getting a classroom pet for
> the first time ever, after eight years! I'm excited about
> it, but want to check out all aspects of this before I
> commit myself to this.
>
> I'm thinking of getting a hamster, as I had hamsters as a
> youngster and remember them as being fun, while quite low
> maintenance.
>
> My rules for my students regarding the pet, whatever I
> decide to get, would be to keep it's living environment
> clean, to feed it, to exercise it, and to treat it with
> love and care. Of course someone (myself) would have to
> take it home over long weekends and school holidays. I
> would also have to get permission from my administrative
> team to have the pet in the classroom, look into student
> health concerns such as allergies, etc.
>
> Are there any other issues that I am overlooking? Please
> advise me if that is so.
>
> Also, what types of pets do you as teachers have in your
> classrooms? What have you had successes/failures with?
> To be honest I've also thought of getting beta fish as I
> have two at home, but they just don't seem to have the
> personality to keep students engaged for long, much as I
> *love* my fish.
>
> Any help that people here can give me in making a decision
> as to whether or not I should go ahead with getting a
> classroom pet and what type of pet I should get would be
> greatly appreciated!
>
> Thanks for your help!
>
> country hicks.
>
> Is there anyone here who has a classroom pet, specifically
> a hamster? If not a hamster, what type of pet do you have
> in youc classroom? I was thinking also of beta fish, as I
> have two at home and they are quite low maintenance, but
> they just don't have the personality that a hamster would
> have.
>
> Thanks for your input!
>
> country hicks

Share This Post | Report This Post

Next Post >>

Posts on this thread, including this one