# Instant Gratification!



## Edna (Mar 19, 2011)

Well, compared to tortoise incubation times. The doves in my classroom had the first egg in a clutch of two hatch yesterday, one day ahead of schedule. First egg was laid on March 4, so that's only 14 days! Before I left for the day, I was able to see the new little Squishy feeding. I don't want to say he's cute, because that would be a stretch, but the students and I are very excited. 

Lessons from having birds in the classroom:
Doves have to be fed and watered every day.
Keepers have to wash their hands after handling food/water dishes.
Doves make some noise and we have to ignore it sometimes.
"Aw, rats, better luck next time" when the first set of eggs didn't hatch.
Write down facts, such as when eggs are laid. It helps you know when to expect the eggs to hatch.
Search for information on the internet.

I didn't have my camera at school yesterday, so no pics yet. They'll be coming!


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## Torty Mom (Mar 19, 2011)

That's great Edna, and very exciting!! We have one teacher at our school that has 3 or 4 pets in her class!! She is of course the campus favorite! Thanks for sharing!


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## Kristina (Mar 19, 2011)

I raise Ringnecks, I currently have 8. They are great birds! I love when the babies first start to try to "bob-coo" and all that comes out it a funny little wheeze.


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## Tom (Mar 19, 2011)

I wish you were my little girl's teacher.


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## ChiKat (Mar 19, 2011)

How awesome!! What grade do you teach? I want to teach K-2.
I wish I could have a tortoise in my classroom when I have my own class some day...but I doubt there will be enough room for a big enclosure!
I'll at least do caterpillars/butterflies


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## Edna (Mar 19, 2011)

I teach 1st grade. Previously I taught Transitional First for 8 years, and K for 5 years. First has been my favorite, because I love how capable the kiddos are. By this time of the year they are each showing amazing *individual* improvement in their writing and I find that a source of joy every day.
My torts have all visited class, my leopards were delivered there, my students have built two tortoise habitats and they feel an ownership of the torts. But the torts have not spent the night there. I don't trust the school heating systems; we've had overnight power outages, as well as instances when the thermostatic controls on the boiler failed and the room temps were 105+ when we arrived in the AM. I would like to have a tort in the classroom next year, but if I do he will have to commute with me each day. The distance is nothing, but I'm not sure how a tort would handle the twice daily move from one enclosure to another. Sometimes the real lesson is "The cost to this animal is too great and our desire to learn about it and keep it in our classroom does not outweigh that."


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## Edna (Mar 19, 2011)

kyryah said:


> I raise Ringnecks, I currently have 8. They are great birds! I love when the babies first start to try to "bob-coo" and all that comes out it a funny little wheeze.



What colors do you have? This pair is one my daughter purchased as bulleyed whites, but they each have a tiny colored feather and all their offspring have been mostly-white pieds.




Tom said:


> I wish you were my little girl's teacher.



Why, thank you!! I always do my best and trust that everyone else is doing their best, too.


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## Kristina (Mar 19, 2011)

My breeders are two silky wildtype boys, one silky bulleyed white female and one normal feathered blue eyed white girl. 

I keep them all in a communal aviary, so I am never sure which one is the parent of which. Their first clutch I got a single normal feathered wildtype. The next clutch I got a normal feathered wildtype. The third clutch produced a silky wildtype and a PEACH! I was blown away by the peach, I wish I knew which parents were carrying THAT gene!

They are all handtame and pets more than anything. All four of my adults were adopted from a local bird rescue. They boys I have had since they were 8 weeks old and the girls I don't have any clue how old they are. They were kept in a cage with a bunch of hookbills and they were in BAD shape when they were rescued. 

I just threw a couple of clutches away, actually. I need to build a secondary cage before I have more babies. You can see my cage here - 

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-My-birds#axzz1H5Fg7Uia

I also have Diamond doves, SO CUTE! But no sucess breeding yet 

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-EVERYONE-loves-DIAMONDS#axzz1H5Fg7Uia


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## Tom (Mar 19, 2011)

Well Edna, I can do my best at professional basketball, but Michael Jordan is going to be able to do a whole heck of a lot better. I guess we all have our talents. Michael Jordan can't train a dog like me...

You sound like a GREAT teacher to me, and I suspect YOUR best might be a fair bit better than the best of some of your peers.

BTW, I think your torts would do fine, and get used to a daily commute, but I also know you are very capable of discerning that yourself. Let us know if you decide to try it.


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