Considering Cavys (Cavies?)

[lipsy]

Hello! I've been doing a lot of preliminary research on guinea pigs (although apparently I haven't figured out how to pluralize "cavy" yet... ha!), and I'm considering getting a pair for my 4th grade classroom.

Now, before anyone freaks out on me...

I'm not doing the "traditional" classroom pet thing. The children will be "responsible" for feeding the pigs only in name - these are MY pets that are primarily MY responsibility! They'll come home with ME on weekends, not different people, etc.

I currently own a domesticated hedgehog named Passport. Talk about a high maintenance pet! Hedgehogs are nocturnal and not especially "petable," so he's never been a class pet option. He has quite the cage setup... and he loves digging around in his aspen chips. He is so awesome - so non-traditional though that people sometimes aren't sure what the point is!

Anyway, I'm glad to find this site. I'll post photos when I get my boys.

[Percy's Mom]

I'm very glad to see that you're doing a lot of research before adopting cavies. It's also a good thing that they will be coming home with you on the weekends, and I would assume holidays, summers, etc. I'll also assume that you would be able to provide them with unlimited hay and daily vegetables that they need in addition to plain pellets and water.

Do you have a plan set up if something should happen in the middle of the night though? Will you be able to get to them if, for example, the power goes out in the school during the night, and the air conditioning is not working? What would you do if you come in to school one morning and one of your cavies has died overnight? Additionally, is there room in your classroom for a large enough cage and space to store supplies for them?

I don't want to rain on your parade, especially when you're researching before adopting your new family members, but these are just a few of the issues involved with classroom pets.

[Piggersrule]

My brother-in-law works at a school as a maintance worker working 2nd shift. He was telling me about how one of the janitors would delibrately pick on the pigs that a teacher had in her classroom. He would go into the room and poke at them, make them scream, tease them with food and then not give it to them, he would squirt them with the waterbottle and he would chase the all around the cage until the pigs were to exhausted to run anymore. I wouldn't trust my pets to be housed anywhere but my own home.

[rabbitsncavyluv]

Do you have room in your classroom for a C&C cage?

The pigs shouldn't be left alone at night. I've heard of people breaking into schools and hurting the animals. Anything can happen. They're also prey animals. What if they get ill and no one notices til too late?

Are the pigs able to go home with you every summer and vacation?

Can you afford a $300 vet bill? What if there are allergies to the hay, bedding or pigs? These are things to consider.

[Percy's Mom]

Originally Posted by rabbitsncavyluv

What if there are allergies to the hay, bedding or pigs? These are things to consider.

Thank you for mentioning this. Are you or the school prepared to pay medical bills for your students if one of them has an allergic reaction to the pigs or their hay or bedding?

[daftscotslass]

Originally Posted by rabbitsncavyluv

The pigs shouldn't be left alone at night. I've heard of people breaking into schools and hurting the animals.

Exactly this happened to a day care near where I live. It was broken into and the guinea pigs let loose.

[lipsy]

Originally Posted by Percy's Mom

I'm very glad to see that you're doing a lot of research before adopting cavies. It's also a good thing that they will be coming home with you on the weekends, and I would assume holidays, summers, etc. I'll also assume that you would be able to provide them with unlimited hay and daily vegetables that they need in addition to plain pellets and water.

Do you have a plan set up if something should happen in the middle of the night though? Will you be able to get to them if, for example, the power goes out in the school during the night, and the air conditioning is not working? What would you do if you come in to school one morning and one of your cavies has died overnight? Additionally, is there room in your classroom for a large enough cage and space to store supplies for them?

I don't want to rain on your parade, especially when you're researching before adopting your new family members, but these are just a few of the issues involved with classroom pets.

Thank you for your reply! The proper diet of hay and vegetables is top on my list. We have a refrigerator upstairs that I can keep full of the proper stuff. I've already measured the back counter in my room, and it will accommodate a 2x5 grid cage quite well. I'm currently building it in my garage. I'm lucky to have a lot of storage space in my classroom.

I live in Colorado - evening heat is not a concern, but winter temps could be. I'm considering bring them back and forth each day. Would that be overly stressful?

I'm not sure what you're getting at about one dying overnight - is your concern for the children? I get to school much earlier than they do, so I would be able to properly remove the pet before they arrived. Is there something I'm not thinking of?

I appreciate your concern - I want what's best for the piggies!

[lipsy]

Originally Posted by rabbitsncavyluv

Do you have room in your classroom for a C&C cage?

The pigs shouldn't be left alone at night. I've heard of people breaking into schools and hurting the animals. Anything can happen. They're also prey animals. What if they get ill and no one notices til too late?

Are the pigs able to go home with you every summer and vacation?

Can you afford a $300 vet bill? What if there are allergies to the hay, bedding or pigs? These are things to consider.

As I mentioned, they are most definitely MY pets. They will come home with me every summer and on vacations, and if they need to come home nightly, that's not a problem either.

I work on a military base. The likelihood of someone breaking into our school is extremely unlikely. I left my car in the parking lot after school one day, and I got a phone call at 8 p.m., asking me if I knew where it was.

I own a hedgehog, which hides its illnesses better than any other little animal I've ever seen! I'm used to weekly weighings and examinations. We have an emergency vet fund already, and if any of my students are allergic, I'll throw the kid out of my class. Just kidding - I plan on using liners instead of aspen or carefresh, and if they're allergic to the hay, then we'll have take the pigs home and they can visit every once in a while.

Thanks so much for your input!

[lipsy]

Originally Posted by Piggersrule

My brother-in-law works at a school as a maintance worker working 2nd shift. He was telling me about how one of the janitors would delibrately pick on the pigs that a teacher had in her classroom. He would go into the room and poke at them, make them scream, tease them with food and then not give it to them, he would squirt them with the waterbottle and he would chase the all around the cage until the pigs were to exhausted to run anymore. I wouldn't trust my pets to be housed anywhere but my own home.

I'm sorry for your brother-in-law's experience. I know my custodians quite well, and their love for animals is only surpassed by their love for children.

Thank you very much for your concern!

[lipsy]

Originally Posted by Percy's Mom

Thank you for mentioning this. Are you or the school prepared to pay medical bills for your students if one of them has an allergic reaction to the pigs or their hay or bedding?

Before they come to school, a letter will go home to all of the parents. If anyone has any concerns, then we'll discuss that at that time. There are a lot of pets at our school, and we haven't had any problems yet.

Again, I appreciate all of the thoughts!