My Pets

Gah, I find this really hard because I really just…don’t believe in classroom pets. :-/  I’ve had very bad experiences with it personally, and I rarely hear GOOD stories about classroom pets. So the whole thing just seems like a horrible idea to me.

That said…I guess these are the ones I would suggest if the teacher is really willing to put the effort in and make it work out for the animal, not just the classroom & kids, along with my reasoning.

- Invertebrates: I saw a post discussing this recently…I can’t recall if I reblogged it or not. If I remember, I’ll try to find it. There’s a fair number of invertebrates with pretty easy diets, not a lot of special temperature/humidity needs, can be kept in small tanks (5-10g) & are big enough to be interesting to watch. Also generally pretty cheap to buy, set up, & maintain. Bonus of teaching kids the interesting parts of bugs, their important role in various ecosystems, etc. Examples include roaches, other beetles, preying mantids, isopods…I’m sure I’m forgetting some. 

- Mice: NOT to be hands-on for the kids; can keep a couple females together in a small enough tank to be reasonable for classroom - 20-30g; don’t need particularly special temperature/humidity; relatively easy diet to manage in classroom setting. 

- Gerbils: Also not to be hands-on for kids; again, can keep a pair of same sex gerbils in a similar sized tank as mouse; also a relatively easy diet, no special temp/humidity needs. They do need plenty of digging space & care must be taken with enrichment because they’ll chew it. 

These are really the only mammals I’m comfortable even suggesting. I’m still hesitant because both are prey animals that can be easily stressed by noise, so I would consider it necessary for the teacher to watch behavior & health and be willing to remove the animals to their own home if the noise & activity prove to be too stressful. I’m not comfortable listing any other mammals - most need much more space than most classrooms are willing or able to provide, or they need more hands-on socializing, or they have more specific care needs that could get tricky.

- Crested gecko: Similar to above, this is the only reptile I think I’m comfortable with suggesting. I’m not as great on reptiles, so there might be some other potential options. But most reptiles need special heating, lighting, need live prey or frozen rodents for prey, etc. All of that gets a lot more dicey in a classroom setting where heating elements may not be allowed or may get turned off by cleaning staff. Crested geckos don’t really need special heating/lighting (but care does need to be taken that they don’t get too warm, some classrooms can have issues with that), they can be fed a balanced commercial diet that’s easy to prepare, they can be kept in a relatively small tank, they’re fun to watch. 

…That’s all I got. Fish can be more difficult to move since the tank must be drained, it would likely be harder to do water changes in most classrooms, etc. Otherwise I’d suggest possibly a betta fish in a 10g tank. But ehhhhh. Birds are an absolute no, hermit crabs require too elaborate of a set up to really be ideal in a classroom (and are not easy to dismantle for taking home on school breaks). 

I’m sorry, I’m not sure how helpful this was! There just aren’t a lot of animals that really are reasonable to have in a classroom setting for the vast majority of classrooms & teachers. If a teacher is very dedicated & has permission from their superiors, they could check into curriculum-based programs that some places run - I remember my Fisheries & Wildlife courses discussing a fish program of some kind. I know sometimes there are programs with chicks in more rural areas, but I’m also rather skeptical of how good those are - it just depends on who the chicks go home with & the care they get. I’m guessing most just turn into farm hens, but still. 

What if… goldfish… were horses?

Okay guys: I need your help.

Its accountability time.

I need all your photos and evidence of products labelled “perfect for [x]” species when it very clearly is not. Examples: A. A product that claims to be a “complete” hermit crab enclosure. It is not large enough, contains no substrate, does not have water conditioner, nor does it have salt mix. It is NOT a complete habitat.

B. A product that claims to be “ideal for bettas.” This product is NOT because A. Its too small and B. The filter is too strong for such a small tank. (Additionally, it has a purposefully deceptive photo of a gourami in the tank - I would NEVER keep a dwarf gourami in a tank that small)

I need more images and examples of blatantly wrong and misleading advertisements on pet care labels.

Why? Because I’m gonna sue the absolute shit out of them. And anyone who helps my cause will A. Help it further along, causing pet supply stores to be honest with their claims and B. Likely get a slice of the settlement. Now, I’ll be honest, an ideal settlement would be twice what the companies make off these products in one year donated to the ASPCA and other animal-welfare organizations - I’m genuinely not looking to get a cent. But the possibility of getting reparations remains.

So I need your photos. I need your peer-reviewed studies. I need your stories of animals suffering and dying in these environments, and your stories of your animals thriving in others.

My goal is to cause the FDA to test every claim like this - making it that much more difficult for companies to swindle people into abusing their pets for the company’s profit.

I’m first going to contact the FTC (Federal Trade Commission).  They’re the ones who enforce false-advertising claims. Hopefully they will agree with me and that will be that.

If they do not agree with me or if I need to challenge the companies directly, I will attempt to settle outside of court with a Cease and Desist order: they will not be able to claim these are “ideal” homes without third-party testing and verification.  This will ideally also result in a settlement that includes them making a large contribution to the ASPCA.

If you’re the kind of person with “unfollowing anxiety” I want you to know it’s okay to unfollow me

 I don’t care if we’re mutuals, friends in real life, family, whatever

Found this neat infographic :D

With bettafix/melafix: I’ve heard both that it helps and that it hurts…I don’t have a personal opinion on it because I don’t know how it’s supposed to help or hinder…I’ve heard that it coats the labrynth organ and you can easily overdose the meds and kill your fish. But I’ve also heard that as long as you use less than the dose prescribed on the bottle, it can be beneficial.

I DO know that it’s basically tea tree oil, so if you ever use it, err on the side of caution.

I wonder if the intended effect is to make the fish rest more? Kind of like taking niquil for a cold…it doesn’t cure the cold, but it makes you sleepy so you rest more and your body can concentrate it’s energy on fighting that cold…

With Epsom salt: Unscented, pure stuff…or aquarium salt in case you’re worried you may use the Epsom salt incorrectly♡

With ANY sick betta: The cleanest warm water you can give them will do wonders! Especially for things like fin melt/fin rot :)