best classroom pet 1st grade!! No hamster..still not sure about fish..but if good fish ..name it!!?

Answer 1

Hermit Crabs make good pets. They are easy to care for and interesting to watch. They can "pinch" but its not really painful and it doesn't break skin like some animals bites. They also have "personalities" and if handled will be very friendly. At times, they will dig under the sand and molt and they will change their shells every so often. This would make a good science tie in.

Lizards also make a good "look at" pet but would not be good for hands on contact.

Goldfish are good fish that is really easy to care for. All they need is a bowl and fish food, no fancy filters are required. Same thing for Betas but you can not put two males together. you can however mix goldfish and betas together in the same tank

Answer 2

So,you want something small that you can keep in a cage,right?

Most people immediately go for fuzzy and snuggly or wet and wild. Why not go scaley? Anoles are wonderful little lizards that don't get horribly large.

Guinea pigs -are- wonderful creatures for 1st grade pets. I've got a baby and her mother right now. After 6 and a half years of owning guinea pigs,I've been bitten once. And it was a tiny chew-not even a real bite.

If you DO get a fish,be prepared. Fish aren't as easy as plunking them in a bowl and expecting them to live. They can cost more than either of the above pets,in the long run. Goldfish will need at least 20 gallons for a single fish (and you won't be able to put anything else in there other than plants) so I don't recommend those. However,you could get a male or female betta,a 10 gallon setup and the fish would be delighted. You could even add some zebra danios (my male betta loves his three tank mates) or cherry shrimp for extra color. Buy a $50 10 gallon tank set up at wal-mart,the food,whatever decorations you want (be it fake plants,real plants or castles and the like) and the gravel? And you're set for quite some time.

They WILL require a heater. Bettas are tropical fish-they thrive in temperatures between 75 and 82 degrees. Any colder and they'll get sick easy-any hotter and the same thing happens. Bettas ALSO won't die so easily if they don't get fed on the occasional day. For all I don't suggest it,it's nothing to panic over if it gets forgot about one day,once in a while.

Answer 3

Guinea Pigs makes a good classroom pet. Out of all the pocket pets they tend to nip the least, are large enough for young children to handle with out harming the animal and most don't mind being handled. Many actually call out for attention.

Fish are good too, I'd recomend a Betta or Gold Fish. They are eazy to care for, and don't require a heater. (if there is ever a power outage during the weekend and it breaks the heater your tropical fish will die). Both betas and goldfish.... from my expierence are very social fish, they are always begging for food.
Oscars are very social fish, and will seek out any attention, however they do get overly excited around feeding time, they are very large at maturity, and could easily nip the childrens fingers if they put them in there. Dont think it will really damage their little fingers but it might hurt. They also require a variety in their diet of flake food, pelleted staple and small live fish.

I wouldn't recomend a Birds, Rabbits, or Hamsters. The rabbit is more flighty and fragile - they can break their own backs if not handled correctly. Hamsters are notoriouse bitters. Birds will disturb your class with all their churping and squacking.

Guinea pig would probably be the best.

Answer 4

Personally, I would get 3 or 4 female or male guppies and 2 or 3 cory cats, plus some 2 or 3 ghost shrimp and an otoclunis. I would buy one of those 40-50 dollar 10 gallon aqurium kits that come with a heater, filter, plants, hideouts, food, dechlor etc.... They are fun fish to watch and always seem to be moving.

Another pet I would consider are gerbils, if you think the kids wouldn't squeeze them. As long as they get a lot of handling when they are young, they make great pets and are fun to watch dig tunnels and eat cardboard tubes. If you do go w/ gerbils, be sure to get 2 males or females, they hate to be alone.

Also, hermit crabs. You could get 3 or 4 small ones in a ten gallon, they usually are very social. They luv to climb and also are pretty fun to watch. If you tank them out of their home they luv to cwalk about on the carpet, but do require baths and moist air.

Another pet I think would be good are guinea pigs. THEY EAT CARROTS RIGHT OUT OF YOUR HANDS, LIKE TO BE CUDDLED, and make lots of differnet noises to get your attention, very affectionate, probably best out of all pets. They have 70 and below dollar kits for guinea pigs a t petco, come w/ almost everything u need, beeding, food, water bottle etc...

Answer 5

Well the obvious fish is a betta, but keep in mind that:

a)Betta need temps in the 75 to 85F ranges. Contrary to most posters they need warmer water than most fish.

b)Betta will eat as much food as you give them. Kids will want to feed and feed the poor starving fish. In reality he only needs about as much as his eye ball 5-6 days a week.

c)He can be kept in a small container with no filter, or air stone, but he'll do better in a filtered 2.5-5 gallon tank.

d)He's a very territorial fish, and a loner. He can't have a betta friend male or female. On the plus side the kids will love his reaction to a mirror. He'll flare his gills, posture, and basically go shark raving mad. Just note while they seem to like it. Don't do it 24/7 as it's a bit stressful to be stimulated all the time.

See http://bettatalk.com/betta_care.htm

Other fish recommended by others:

Goldfish- These guys are basically small pond fish. You'll need 5-10 gallons per fish long term.
http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/care.html

Molly- Interesting fish, breed like mad, but not very hardy. They do best in basic (7.5+ pH) hard water. In acid softer water they tend to die easily. Often adding salt to their water can help a lot if they aren't doing well due to water chemistry. You'd be better off with a one of their relatives. Guppy for example.
http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/fish-popular.html#livebearers

Answer 6

Wow in classrooms vote u dont just decide and same for the pet my science teacher had a vote everyone chose fish.

Answer 7

The best classroom pet would probably be a male betta or mollies. Betta's dont require heater or filtration.. although above it is mentioned that goldfish don't either.. that is not true goldfish are very messy and won't live long in a bowl. Betta's are very easy to care for and will make it over a weekend without food, some people even suggest skipping a day of feeding them to help clear their digestive system... Bettas can live in bowls because they breath air through gas and liquid :)

Answer 8

If you buy a class pet for the classroom allow the children to pick out a few names and than they can vote on the name.

You want something that is low maintenance because you aren't going to have enough time to dote on it.

Fish is a good idea. Also man kids like hermit crabs.

Answer 9

fish are good...a little boring...but good. i wouldnt recomend a beta fish, in my experience they die easily. Goldfish are always good traditionaly pets. just make sure you change the water on a regular basis and be sure that no forign objects other than like food are introduced into the fishes inviroment. they can get really quite sick. other than that you could get a turtle. kids love turtles...

Answer 10

This may sound strange, but when I was younger my teacher had a hedgehog. It was great. Everyone loved it. They are something that most kids wont have at home so they show a special intrest in it.