Many of our pets have been adopted. It takes a lot of time to properly
care for another living creature. We all work hard to make sure that our pets are as happy and healthy as they can be.
Bumpy is a Land Hermit Crab.
Land Hermit
Crabs need to change homes when they grow, so we need to provide our crabs with extra shells that are 1/3 bigger than their
current shells. Hermit Crabs,like our Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, have a hard exoskeleton that does not grow
as they grow.So they will shed their exoskeleton and grow a small amount very quickly, until the new exoskeleton
hardens; this is called molting.
One of our
new friends has EXTREME allergies. The Gerbils will not live at school. They will live at Miss Hope's home but they
WILL visit school often!
·
Sad news: Mei Mei
died suddenly on Saturday 10/10/10 She was adopted from a former student of mine and was 4 years
old when she became our class pet. She lived happily with us for 2 years before passing at the age of 6. Guinea pigs do not
have a very long life span (2-7 years) so she was very, very old for a guinea pig. Althoughit is very sad to have to say goodbye, we all have wonderful memories of her. The children in Miss Hope’s class
last year and this year took wonderful care of her. You were all amazing owners of Mei Mei and should be proud of the love
and care you gave her.
~Miss Hope
Meet Mei Mei
Our Guinea Pig
Our guinea pig, Mei Mei was adopted from a former student of Miss Hope's ( from 10 years ago!).
Mei Mei means "Beautiful" in Chinese.
Some quick facts:
Guinea pigs don't have visible tails.
Guinea pigs are born with fur and with their eyes open.
Guinea pigs eat a lot of food and need vitamin C.
Guinea pigs came from South America, and the Incas domesticated them.
Guinea pigs need to gnaw to wear down their teeth. Otherwise, their teeth will grow too long and then they won't be able
to eat.
In the wild these very sociable animals live in family groups (colonies) in burrow systems. Gerbils are
not only active during part of the night but have periods of activity in the early morning, late afternoon and evening. They
are fun to watch!
