Here's what happened: Several hatched and were eaten by one hungry guy who grew, shed his skin, lived for a few more days, and then died this past weekend. I think their average life span is about thirty days. Our little guy (or gal...how do you know on a triops?) lived about 22 days. Noah was kind of bummed but then quickly rebounded and started his campaign for a new pet. We are considering a goldfish or hermit crab. Noah insists that they could fit into his carry-on bag a few months from now, but I am pretty sure they would be happier joining the other school pets. So any thoughts or advice? goldfish? hermit crab? or nothing until we move? I have to admit that the triop was fun and Noah did do a very good job of feeding him, but this is also a pretty busy time.
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Sounds like fun! Amazing how they can be so captivated by the smallest pets...
My vote would be for the crab... you can pick it up, watch in grow, get new shells for it to move into...
Joining the class pets would just be yet another goodbye! :(
Bringing it along might be a great trip and settling in distraction for him... if the airline would not quarantine the poor thing! Don't know much about that!
Hermit crab for sure.
Goldfish poop alot - they are the dirtiest fish and require lots of bowl cleaning.
I'm glad Noah enjoyed his triops - just the first in a long line of well loved pets!
I never had any luck with goldfish. Their bowl would get dirty quickly, and then everytime I would wash it and change the water, they would die. Went through several quickly before I finally gave up. Seems a hermit crab would be harder to kill. And then you already know my experience with an iguana -- nasty creatures!
Our hamster, though, has been easier to care for than I thought. And not as smelly as I had feared. But a hamster would definitely have to join the class pets -- they don't fly international very well.
I LOVE hermit crabs-- we've had several in the classroom over the years back when I was teaching. A couple months back, I was convinced that we were going to get some for home, so I read lots of things online and started writing a list of all the things I would need to buy to make it just the right environment for them... the list ended up being too much for us at this time, so the hermit crabs are being put on the proverbial back burner for now. If you end up going that route, I can share with you some of the stuff that I read about, if you're interested!
You could also do more temporary pets-- buying ladybug larvae or caterpillars and watching their life cycle, which has the lovely ending of releasing them outside. We did ladybugs in May last year, and painted lady butterflies in the summer, but I think those kinds of butterflies would be fine even this early in the spring. I use insectlore.com.
Man, that was a huge comment. :)
Hi.
We have a non-poopy goldfish who has been thriving since we got him (or maybe her) in August. . . and who doesn't require much attention or lots of bowl cleaning. Maybe it's bc he's Italian. lol.
In any case. . . make 'em wait on the pet until after the move. It'll just add one more stressor to the relocation event. Maybe it's a good idea to have that to look forward to upon arrival -- a new Italian goldfish, or maybe even a pair. Maddy named hers "Spaghetti." Original, I know ;)
I don't know much about these things, but would a virtual pet do the trick? He could have it now, take it on the plane and have something from home with him when he arrives. I know it doesn't replace a "live thing" but from what I hear they need to be "fed", walked", etc. I looked online and there are a zillion sites listed under virtual pets. It does look like they are all connected to the computer and you may not want him on yours all the time, but maybe there are some that don't require that. Just a thought, which may not be a good one, does it completely defeat the purpose of a pet? Who knows!
Do like the president - make the commitment to acquire a pet after the big change. While going through the move and everything, Noah can be researching what the best pet would be. Otherwise, I vote for the virtual pet during the move! Brilliant idea. Also the ladybug suggestion was good. I wouldn't want to take the pet traveling or deal with it while finding new accommodations for my own family. But that's just me.
(Our goldfish experiment turned into a 55 gallon freshwater tank and then a 75 gallon saltwater tank. Be careful!!)
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