Need Help

[cpro67]

Hi everyone. I am new to the forum and am looking for some advise. I have a ball python and a bearded dragon and now my wife, who is an early childhood teacher, is looking at possibly getting a tortoise for her classroom. My questions would be
1. Is this a good idea at all given it will be in a classroom with children and
2. If you all think this is do-able, what type of tortoise should we be looking at.
By the way, we live in Chicago if that makes any difference. Any suggestions at all would be appreciated. Thanks a lot!

 

[egyptiandan]

I would have to say tortoises and turtles don't make good classroom pets. They don't do well with a lot of handling and small pink fingers always look like food.

Danny

 

[cpro67]

That's kind of what I figured. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Yvonne G]

I never recommend a tortoise for an indoor animal. They really do need a lot of sunshine to make their bones and shells hard and healthy.

This reminds me of a story! ("Oh no!" you say, "Not another story!")

I had a really nice box turtle. She would come over to the side of the pen and beg for food and follow me around as I was weeding in there. Real outgoing and not the least bit shy. A school teacher came over to adopt a class room animal. This was a few years ago, and the reason I've adopted the "No Classroom Pet" rule. She took one look at my "tame" box turtle and just had to have it for the classroom. If I'm remembering correctly, she taught very young children...maybe 1st or 2nd grade. I gave her all the advice on setting up an indoor turtle...lights, heater, etc. The teacher called me in a couple weeks and said she wanted to bring the turtle back, as it was sick. It didn't bring out the front part of its body...the head or front legs, just stayed closed up all the time and only pushed itself around with the back legs.

There was nothing wrong with that turtle. The only thing wrong was the kids had teased and tormented her so much that she was afraid to open up and come out of her shell. It took the whole rest of the year...about two months...to get that turtle to open up. And she never was the same tame animal that I adopted out.

A teacher can't be watching the kids all the time and you just can't trust small kids to leave turtles and tortoises alone.

Yvonne

 

[cpro67]

Thank you all for the advise. I love my other pets and would not want to cause harm to anything my family would adopt or purchase. After reading that story I will gladly persuade my wife to think of something else that she can use to educate and entertain her students. As for myself, I am getting the itch to find a new pet that will do well inside in the Chicagoland area. If anyone has any good ideas send em my way. Also, if any of you have any ideas on pets that may be suitable for a classroom I would love to hear them as well. Thanks again!!

 

[Jentortmom]

Does she like fish?? Mice, Gerbils, Rats???