I am trying to add to my daycare and get away from just having plastic toys. I'm considering getting a daycare pet or two. You all know I don't have much money, so the pets have to be very affordable! I was thinking hermit crabs and fish. Do any of you have pets specifically for daycare (not your family dog or cat)? What type of pets do you have and what are the pros and cons of having that pet for daycare?

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We have a beta named Betty. She is just a daycare pet. The kids like to feed her and watch her dart around.

We have had other fish but, they died and flushing them down the toilet while saying what we loved about them was the favorite topic for weeks.

We also had a hermit crab. He died too and was rather boring.

In the summer we bring in locust, praying mantis and other things we find outdoors. We have an aquarium that they live in. Our praying mantis lived for 4 months which was great as they don't have a long life span.

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In the past, my personal children have owned hermit crabs, turtles, and hamsters. My ex-husband and I had fish. So, I know how to take care of a variety of animals.

I also know I want to get a couple of plants for the daycare. Anyone have any suggestions on good, sturdy, non-poisonous, kid friendly indoor plants?

I think I'm going to see if I can find some bigger rocks, like Geodes and the different types of rocks. My father used to be a truck driver and he would bring back all kinds of stuff from his trips. When I was young, I really liked the different colored geodes he would bring home. He also had a run once near where Mt. St. Helen erupted and brought back some volcanic ash. I thought that was the coolest thing!

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I've had fish- I find cleaning the tanks to be a pain and a bit slimy. In the future, I would consider a beta because it is less maintenance.
I've had a hamster- loved him- was a bit expensive buying that recycled fluffy bedding, food is affordable though. I was very sad when the hamster passed though- lives on average 3 years.
I've had hermit crabs and frogs that all died in a short time frame.
Butterflies that you send away for are fantastic- but obviously that only lasts a few weeks from caterpillar to adult- but very cool.

My suggestions: beta fish or a class plant (that sounds easy and good to me ).

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I don't recommend a hamster....most of them are not very nice or easy to handle. Plus they smell bad, up all night long on that wheel I wanted to throw out the window and the only thing they are really good at is pooping.....

Fish are great, I like them the most of all the pets we have had

growing tadpoles are super fun and super awesome. it takes time and a lot of tadpoles, but we did it and the kids thought that it was the most amazing thing ever. We let them go once they were frogs, that was too messy after that. Hard to feed and hopped out of the tank a few times, that was fun...NOT

I have never owed a tank turtle, but I hear a lot of them are poisonous, but I believe anything I hear. lol


every spring we do do butterflies. go to carolina science supplies, they send you the larva and in weeks you have beautiful butterflies to release. Word of caution, if you get too many female in a batch they will start to kill each other and create a blood bath scene. So I would say give them about two days after coming out of their cocoon and then release them.

That's all ive got. I like the seasonal stuff that you only have to care for temp. Besides the fish.

We leave to go on vactaion or are gone for extended periods, I didn't want to have to think of another animal to find care for.

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We have a glow fish, a cricket house, an ant farm, a worm farm and a gecko.. I really want a spider, that may be the next addition.

The preschoolers have jobs related to the pets-which they love.

Our snake cage used to be in the daycare space, but we had to upgrade because he outgrew his other cage and it's just too big.

In the summer we raise butterflies and release them.

We start our garden indoors every year and grow plants. Right now we are growing a (secret) bulb in a clear vase (so we can see the roots). It's a hyacinth, and I have a book that I put together about 5 possible flowers. They are narrowing their guesses down as the flower grows. 1 they were able to eliminate right away (sunflower) as they grow from seeds and this is a bulb.

They are very educational. Some of the vocabulary words we have picked up and are used in regular conversation are; insectivore, exoskeleton, nocturnal, slimy, miniscule, etc.

They are all on one bookshelf, with the rest of our science stuff. Magnifying glasses, beakers, scales. I also really want a microscope, they have them for kids that I've been eyeing.

I like science.

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We have a tank of tropical fish & shrimp. We used to have aquatic frogs in the aquarium but licensing has outlawed any frogs because of salmonella. (I mentioned to them that aquatic frogs live in the water, but they just said no. No frogs of any kind.) The frogs added a lot of life to the tank because they swim up and down and play a lot of funny games. I would highly recommend adding them to your aquarium if they are allowed in your area. These are not land frogs, and they are not African Clawed Frogs. They are small aquatic frogs, the body is about 1/2" long and they get along well in an aquarium of fish.
Fish are a science project, a calming area, a place to learn colors, size, spatial concepts. All kinds of good learning there.

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I so want to steal this from you....can you share more with me....this sounds so amazing a boy oh boy do you have some pets going on.

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We borrowed some hermit crabs once, and found them boring because they're nocturnal.

Once we had a guinea pig in the classroom I used to teach in. I did not want a guinea pig--until we got one. I found it to be surprisingly friendly and intelligent and fun. The kids loved it.

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I have a beta fish. We have to have a living thing to meet QRIS....Many have plants or hermit crab....some providers have rabbits..

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One pet I would definitely NOT recommend is a turtle. We had two at our daycare for years, and they were more trouble and expense then anything else. And they smelled pretty bad.

I think a betta fish is a great idea. They are inexpensive and easy to take care of. And their colors are so pretty. If you are thinking of a mammal, maybe a rat would work. I've heard they are very friendly and intelligent. I've always wanted one.

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We actually have a bunny. We got her for a personal pet to be friends with our existing rabbit but she was too mean to the poor thing, so I moved her to the daycare room. The bedding is the most expensive thing. We buy a huge bag of food that lasts forever and she gets any scrap veggies we have- left over lettuce, tomatoes etc.
the kids LOVE her. She's still very young and my kids are young so I hold her and let everyone pet her so they don't squeeze her too hard. She's litter box trained so sometimes I bring her out and make everyone sit down in our play area and let her hop around. If anyone gets up, bunny time is over because I don't want her stepped on or someone to fall on her.
She's super sweet! She's been handled since day 1 so she loves to be held and petted. She usually curls up right under my chin and is happy to stay there until everyone is done petting her! Her name is "pip" haha

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I have had many class pets.

Hamsters and gerbils bite , so those were a watch only type of pet . And they draw blood and hang on when they bite so not good with little ones who can't not touch.

G-pigs were great , they are very vocal and the kids loved giving carrots , they do not bite as easily as the smaller pocket pets . They do need a bigger cage than what most pet stores sell though and like to be in pairs .

Fish were nice , we had a small 10 gallon tank .

We have done the butterflies . they were ok but since you have to release them not fun when the kids cry .

We have a gecko now and while she is cool she is nocturnal so the kids only see her in the morning before she crawls back into her house .

I do plan on getting chickens ( hopefully in the next few weeks ) , that is my new project .

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We have a beta fish the kids named Nemo - he hangs on the wall. He is low enough so the children can feed and watch him but him being on the wall prevents him from being knocked over. The kids love it.

Pros: The fish is pretty cheap. The water conditioner was $3, food was $3 (both will last well over a year) fish was $4 and the tank was $20. The kids love feeding him, he eats twice a day once in the morning and evening. Maintenance is pretty easy.



picture upload

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We have a 10 gallon tank with 3 gold fish. They don't really need a fancy tank, but because I have toddlers I wasn't comfortable with a glass bowl. A heavy tank is a better option there.

We go looking for milkweed with monarch larvae in the spring, and just bring a few in to hatch (last time I used a glass cookie jar and just opened it for air for a minute every day).

A great science and math activity is to have everyone guess how many days the it will take for the crysalis to hatch. We documented a lot. You could have the kids draw what they see, take pictures, and then take pictures when you set them free. Great for a parent bulletin board or your FB page, too!

Don't forget a bird feeder right outside your window! The kids could make some, too, with peanut butter and bird seed. Then, watch for birds, document which ones you see, etc. I got this book, and it's probably our favorite of all the books we have.

http://www.amazon.com/Wild-About-Wis...s+of+Wisconsin

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Thank you all for your suggestions. You guys have a good variety of pets. I went to some stores after posting my original post and after getting some prices and learning about the needs of the different pets I had in mind, here's what I came up with that is very affordable and as little maintenance as possible.

Indoor plants
Planter pots for outdoor plants - I tried planting plants in the ground outside, but my dog kept running over them and completely destroyed them. I think if I buy a couple of bigger planter pots and put them in the corners on my porch, my dog won't be able to trample on them.

Bird feeder for the outdoor birds
Beta Fish
Possibly Hermit Crabs - I know they're boring, but when my daughter had them before and let the daycare kids see them every once in a while, the kids did like them. It taught them patience. They would sit really still and quiet waiting for the hermit crab would come out. But they are the most expensive of my list. So, I will wait on getting them, if I do decide to get them later.

My ex and I used to have a fish tank. I loved it. We had shark, neon tetra, angel fish, snails, frogs, a sucker fish, and a variety of little freshwater fish. It was very relaxing to watch. I would love to have another tank of fish like that, but it does cost a bit more than I really want to pay.

I know that turtles can give you salmonella poison. So I knew not to even consider turtles.

I've seen the butterfly thing in a couple of catalogs. But I've never bought them. But maybe this year, I will get them. I LOVE butterflies. When we went to Key West once - years ago, we went to the butterfly and nature conservatory. They have an indoor butterfly garden with tons of butterflies living there. My older daughter stood still and after a minute or so, she must have had 50 butterflies all over her! It was the neatest thing to see.

I have also seen the see-through planters that DaycareDiva mentioned. I just never bought them either. I think I will plan to buy them this year too.

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I never knew you could hang a Beta fish tank on the wall! That looks really neat!

I also like the idea of having the kids draw pictures of the class pets, reading books about them, doing activities related to them, and learning more about the class pets instead of just feeding them. And like Heidi said, pictures of those activities would be great to put on the daycare Facebook page.

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The best room pet we ever had was a pair of dumbo rats. When I opened I took the group to the pet store & let them pick the room pet- that was their choice. Smart, active, easy to take care of, LOVED attention from the kids, and the kids thought they were cool. We had a small cage for cleaning times but we built a large (3 feet tall/ 3 feet wide/ 1 foot deep) out of closet wire shelving, cable ties, a underbed storage box, and some scrap wood for ladders. It was great till I relicensed and didn't have my normal rep. The lady I had FREAKED & kept coming up with BS issues till she admitted she wouldn't relicense me till I got rid of them. So much more interesting than a hamster or fish.

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For the fish tank check craigslist , people give them away all the time .

I got a 55g tank for our bearded dragon for free , it would have been over $100 if new from the store.

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Dave,

She wouldn't even let you keep them in a room that the daycare kids didn't go in? I'm sorry that you had to get rid of the pets you had grown to love. I don't believe in 'getting rid' of pets. They are part of your family, they get to know your house as their HOME and the family members as their family. I can't get over her not allowing you to just keep them in another room.

I have 2 cats. I don't think I could have a hamster, mice (honestly, I couldn't handle having mice or rats, just not my thing... nope, couldn't do it - snakes neither!), lizards, or anything that a cat would eat that would at some point need to come out of it's tank. I know cats would eat fish, but if I got fish, I'd make sure they had a lid on their tank. When I was married and had fish, we had two cats also and the cats LOVED watching the fish! Kept them occupied for hours!

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Second Home,

You're right, I might find a good deal on a tank through Craigslist or yard sales.

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It just occurred to me, I now have 3 boys, ages 17 mos, 3, and 4. I need dinosaur stuff!! Science + Boys = Dinosaurs!!!

Oh, and an erupting volcano like we did in our elementary science fair projects! Yeah! I'm going to have fun with this!!

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And I have the shoe box from my new work shoes. I can use that to make a dinosaur diorama! Hot doggie! My little creative mind is coming alive!

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I would think the only problem with fish is that they often don't live very long (underfeeding/overfeeding), unless you have a lot of fish in a tank that look similar or are willing to run out to get a replacement fish every time one dies to avoid frequent crying/awkward life and death conversations with daycare kids.

I remember in 3rd grade I had a really cool teacher, she knew us well because we lived across the street from the school and my older cousin's were in her class. She had 2 chinchillas and a tarantula that she brought them to school every day (though the Tarantula freaked me out a bit). She also used to let me bring my hamster a few times a week (we lived with my aunt across the street from the school, I even took a school picture with him).

I think small mammals (hamsters, guinea pigs, chinchillas, rabbits) are pretty good and you can get cool cages with tubes and attachments plus little balls they can run around the room in. Most are low maintenance, you just need to change their cage lining about once a week and make sure they have food and water everyday (also don't forget to give them love, some fresh air at least once a day). Though sometimes they may bite (my first and third hamsters didn't but my second one did) and if you have cats you may want to make sure they aren't in the room when you take them out.


The lady I used to work for had a dog and a bird but the dog was more of a part of her daycare then the birds. At a preschool I did student teaching at they had a rainbow gecko, but they do usually prefer to eat live crickets which can freak out some kids (boys usually think it's cool though). The special ed foster school I did service learning in had a bearded dragon, two geckos, and two bullfrogs that one student each week was responsible for feeding (though they were upper elementary to middle schoolers).

Some states also have guidelines on what animals you can have. The state I live in now says: (15) Reptiles (e.g. lizards, turtles, snakes, iguanas) frogs, monkeys, hooked beaked birds, baby chicks and ferrets are prohibited unless they are housed in and remain in a tank or other container which precludes any direct contact by children. And I heard there was a debate a few years ago in CA about turtles in daycares/schools (something about salmonella?).

But everything depends on what animals you are comfortable with.

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Nope she wanted them gone. Guess she realized as soon as the license arrived in the mail they would go back into the classroom. Oh it was a frustrating experience, especially knowing she wasn't going to be my rep. The only reason I had her was my normal rep had a temporary transfer to another area to cover a leave or something. Luckily the local pet shop found someone for me who wanted them and their "home" cage both for their own kids.

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Dave,

I've been through God only knows how many reps in the past couple of years. Every one of them tell me something different and I have to argue with them that the previous rep told me or let me do/have this and that. It's really frustrating.

It's a shame that you had your inspection before your regular rep got there. He/She might have let you keep them. It's sad that you had to give your pets to someone. But I'm glad that you were able to find them a good home.

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I have 2 cats. I can't get anything like a hamster or lizard. My cats would think I brought home a nice dinner for them! It wouldn't be good for the hamster or lizard! Honestly, I've envisioned my younger cat pulling the lid off the fish tank. I'm not even sure if the fish would be safe around her!

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wow you have my cats they cant get lots of things open. You can buy fish tank lids that lock. I had to get one due to that very reason. My cat served himself breakfast.

I came out ready to set up daycare and what do I see, it was like garfield......he was sitting there with a fish in his mouth, lid on the floor. He took off running the second he saw me. This was a 50 gallon tank too.

I went to petco and got a locking lid.

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Daycare,

Yep, that would be my younger cat; fish in mouth, and running as fast as she can while I'm yelling, "Dagbalstit cat!!"

I didn't know they have locking lids for fish tanks. That's a great idea! If I decide to get a fish tank, I'll have to look for one with a locking lid. Thanks!

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