Recommended Critter  Ambassadors

Name - Life span -  Food -  Clean-up  - Handling by children               

Mongolian gerbils: Living up to seven years, these animals prefer to be in groups of 2-5. They eat seeds, grains, and nuts. They have solid waste, so smells are minimal. Cages can usually just be dumped without extensive washing. Gerbils are very active, even in daylight. Because they are ‘wild’ in colony groups, they do not like to be handled, but will take food from your hand if trained as youngsters. Gerbils get along very well with each other – a cute social example to share with students. Gerbil groups will entertain you, charm you, and leave you wondering why you still have cats and dogs at home!

Fish: Some fish will outlive humans if cared for properly. I recommend a 20-30 gallon freshwater tank to start. You can stock a max of 1 small fish per gallon, less if you have larger fish. You will need a minimum of 6-8 fish for a 20 gallon tank to get the micro flora going. A variety of community fish (no goldfish) will provide lots of observing fun for all ages. Lots of experiments can be done just by rearranging plants and hideouts in the tank and observing behaviors. Feeding is easy and can be done by children with supervision.

Redworms (vermiculture): Used for composting and teaching invertebrates, these are a self renewing colonial invertebrate. Worms eat vegetable waste, coffee grounds, egg shells, fruit skins, etc. They are easy to set up and maintain, and there is no ‘clean-up’ in the usual sense. They are excellent for students to handle, observe, etc. More details on the Invertebrate Module pages.

Mantids (seasonal): Finding and keeping a female mantid can be a great fall learning experience. You will need to have a supply of crickets or other insects for her to eat, but the reward will be an egg case which can be kept outside till it hatches in the spring, producing many tiny replicas of mantises! These tiny insects will clean mites and other pests from ornamentals and food plants.

Silkworms (seasonal): Silk worms go through the same life cycle as any butterfly, but the end result is a silk cocoon which can be connected to your social studies curriculum. No live food is necessary – they eat a mulberry leaf ‘oatmeal’ which is easy to prepare.

Butterfly larva (seasonal): Monarchs and painted ladies are the classics for watching developmental stages. Connecting to study of Mexico, relationship to milkweed toxin, mimicry, and predator/prey relationships are possible.

Ants: Antfarms  can be very fun to observe, and maintenance is minimal. From what I have read, the ‘giant’ versions are the best for the ants.

Malaysian giant hissing cockroaches: These unusual insects are huge, interesting, and very hardy. They need a dry terrarium environment and a 5 – 10 gallon mini tank can support 3-4 of the insects.