School pets - don’t panic!

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Redkay75

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Hi all,

I have read the thread about why piggies don’t make good classroom pets but this isn’t what I’m proposing!
We have a small special primary school in Cheltenham and want to have some school pets. We have an outside area about 5m x 5m outside a therapy room, with 10 foot fences and gated entrance off the playground. This is where we are proposing to build a big outdoor run with tunnels and hideaways and bridges, trays with grass growing, a shed or hutch for overnight. Areas for children to sit supervised b(it’s all gated with padlocks so it would require adult supervision) and read or chat to the piggies. When cold they would be in a smaller pen and hutch indoors in the therapy room with up to 3/4 children and 2 adults max at any one time.
One of our Nurture and Thrive practitioners is going to be primary carer taking the piggies at weekends and holidays, with me as backup if they go away.
I understand that no animals really makes a good CLASSROOM pet but with this as an arrangement for 3 piggies, what do you think?

k
 
Hi,

it’s great that you have put so much consideration into correct housing and care for the piggies; though I would still recommend against it. Piggies like a quiet and consistent environment.

That’s just my opinion, I’m just not a fan of any animal being a classroom pet.


I’m sure others will be able to advise further, re suitable classroom animals. It’s refreshing to hear someone doing research first.
 
Thanks Bradshaw, it’s the one thing many of our kids don’t have access to animals or they do but in unsuitable situations, mostly dogs in flats! 😬

Our children have social, emotional and mental health needs and we have had so much benefit from equine therapy and are looking into local Pets As Therapy providers too.
We want to encourage our children to be happy outside and how to relax. We won’t encourage too much petting, just caring for and allowing the animals to choose if they want to interact. I’d love to get a herd of more but that causes issues with who cares for them at weekends and holidays or splitting them across 2 different houses which would be bad.
K
 
My son's primary school had an equally well thought out set up, but for chickens and rabbits. They looked confident and happy. Would a less prey afraid animal be better than guinea pigs?
 
Our school had chickens. And you get eggs too! 😃
 
There are some bunny owners on here who can advise. My childhood bunny and the bunnies at my son's school were very confident.
 
As part of a reputable rescue I can say that some of the most traumatised piggies we have ever seen have come from well meaning, well intentioned situations as classroom pets. That is why we will never adopt our piggies out to be classroom pets. The thread linked above sets out very clearly why guinea pigs do not make suitable classroom pets. Whilst you can say that it is in the interests of the children to learn about care giving etc to the classroom pets, it is most certainly not in the interests of guinea pigs to end up in that environment. Sorry to speak so plainly, but as a member of a rescue I feel it is my duty to speak out in behalf of the piggies who have no voice.
 
I can only agree with the others and will never get on board with classroom pets.
Rabbits are prey animals also and would not be suitable for a classroom. Rabbits permanent space requirements are considerably larger than piggies and would not be able to be shut into a hutch at all.
 
Hi!

It is great that you are trying to think this through but unfortunately while your concept looks very tempting at first glance, there are lots of species, climate, security and practical considerations that unfortunately speak against it. As always, the devil is very much in the detail.

I know of only one outdoors free-roaming set-up in Germany that is outstanding; even that relies on access to a large indoors room for the winter, weather extremes and for caring for the ill and frail. the courtyard space is fully enclosed with aerial protection (metal grid to prevent foxes, cats and bird of prey etc. from getting in) and takes a whole team of dedicated volunteers to keep it going even though it is a privately owned place (no breeding but not a rescue, either). The recent record summers and massive droughts have been a huge challenge which is sadly only going to get worse; especially when there is a sudden jump in extreme temperatures like the one in Canada. Germany has already had 35 C in June this year... :(
Faszination Meerschweinchen

My biggest consideration would be that guinea pigs are not hardy and that they are definitely not heat-proof. They are also very vulnerable to anti-social activities outside of school hours. We hear pretty regularly of attacks, break-ins, hutch theft (with the guinea pigs still inside) or even arson on hutches and guinea sheds on private property. School property makes that even more likely and inviting. Human predation is an issue that needs to be taken very seriously.

You will also require aerial protection; guinea pigs are not safe to live in an environment open to the air. Rats will kill guinea pigs if they can get at them - an open hutch or run is a clear invitation to do their worst. Keep in mind that they can get through very small cracks. In urban areas you are very rarely far from a rat.
We are contacted with distressing regularity by owners of outdoors piggies who have found theirs dead in the morning and evening, for no apparent reason but likely from a sudden bad fright due to a predator trying to get into the hutch. We have also seen videos of foxes getting over those kind of fences you have.

Guinea pigs are a species that has evolved living in thick undergrowth that is well insulated against the extremes of weather; they don't have the most efficient way of regulating their body temperature and react quickly to larger swings, whether that is seasonal or just larger day/night jumps.
They are crepuscular as a species; i.e. they are most active at dawn and dusk (when temperatures are at their most moderate) but spend the middle of the day and the nights mostly resting/sleeping and digesting with the occasional quiet browse - that means that school hours will coincide with their day resting period. They also move from their denning area to their feeding grounds in larger herds along paths in the undergrowth and instinctively avoid wide open spaces because they are very vulnerable to predation from aerial or larger predators there.
So the idea of going to watch piggies happily graze on the lawn is not what the reality is going to work out like.
Guinea Pig Facts - An Overview

Then there is the issue of climate change - is it really appropriate to keep a species that struggles with the extremes of weather outside in an increasingly volatile and unpredictable climate? Guinea pigs are neither hardy, don't deal well with too much damp weather, storms, fireworks and definitely don't cope well at all with the heatwaves and heat spikes we have seen in recent summers when we have been inundated with distraught owners having lost theirs and people with piggies with heat stroke or life-threatening heat exhaustion wondering why their piggies are lethargic and not eating.
Cavies already need protection in much lower temperatures than you would expect. The traditional moderate UK summer was OK for piggies to live outdoors during the warmer half of the year. The new world sadly isn't.
In the age of massive and very rapid climate change, outdoors piggies are extremely vulnerable to the extremes of the weather.
Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike
Cold Weather Care For Guinea Pigs

Unlike the wide-spread held opinion, guinea pigs are neither easy nor cheap pets. They produce A LOT of waste poos in both runs through the gut that they need to fully break down and digest the tough and nutritious hay/grass fibre that is the mainstay of their diet; good quality hay is not quite cheap - especially not at the amounts they go through. Their quarters need ideally twice weekly cleaning in order to keep vermin low.

They will require keeping a daily eye on them and a weekly weigh-in and health check as they can go downhill very quickly; round the clock syringe feeding support when very ill and their vet treatment can quickly run into the hundreds of pounds once you are looking more complex medical treatment (especially longer term twice daily medication) or a life-saving operation. Do you have that kind of dedicated time and the budget to cover these welfare needs? The biggest life-time budget in any pet's life is vet care. There are no cheap pets. If you want to provide an example of animal welfare, then you will have to address all five animal freedoms.
A guide to vets fees, insurance and payment support.

Piggy trios are the most difficult constellation to get right. So that is unfortunately another spoke in your wheel; especially as no welfare conscious rescue will rehome already stably bonded, healthy and guaranteed not pregnant piggies into a school setting.
Boars, sows or mixed pairs; babies or adults?
Rescues, Shops, Breeders or Online? - What to consider when getting guinea pigs

Please rather consider working with the RSPCA along their well though-out and extremely carefully considered guidelines and contact them for what you can do in our own area to become an animal friendly school: RSPCA Animal Friendly Schools Guidance
 
Wiebke said:
Hi!

It is great that you are trying to think this through but unfortunately while your idea looks very tempting at first glance, there are lots of very basic and very practical considerations that unfortunately speak against it. As always, the devil is very much in the detail.
I know of only one outdoors free-roaming set-up in Germany that is outstanding; even that has access to a large indoors room for the winter, weather extremes and for caring for the ill and frail. It is fully enclosed with aerial protection and takes a whole team of dedicated volunteers to keep it going even though it is a private place and neither a breeder nor a rescue. The recent record summers and massive droughts have been a huge challenge, which is only going to get worse; especially when there is a sudden jump in extreme temperatures like the one in Canada. Germany has already had 35 C in June this year... :(
Faszination Meerschweinchen

My biggest consideration would be that guinea pigs are not hardy and that they are definitely not heat-proof. They are also very vulnerable to anti-social activities outside of school hours. We hear pretty regularly of attacks, break-ins, hutch theft (with the guinea pigs still inside) or even arson on hutches and guinea sheds. School property makes that even more likely and inviting. Human predation is an issue that needs to be taken very seriously.

You will also require aerial protection; they are no safe to live in a run open to the air. Rats will kill guinea pigs if they can get at them - an open hutch or run is a clear invitation to do their worst. Keep in mind that they can get through very small cracks. We are contacted with distressing regularity by owners of outdoors piggies who have found theirs dead in the morning and evening, for no apparent reason but likely from a sudden bad fright due to a predator trying to get into the hutch. We have also seen videos of foxes getting over those kind of fences you have.

Guinea pigs are a species that has evolved living in thick undergrowth that is well insulated against the extremes of weather; they don't have the most efficient way of regulating their body temperature and react quickly to larger swings, whether that is seasonal or just larger day/night jumps.
They are crepuscular as a species; i.e. they are most active at dawn and dusk (when temperatures are at their most moderate) but spend the middle of the day and the nights mostly resting/sleeping and digesting with the occasional quiet browse - that means that school hours will coincide with their day resting period. They also move from their denning area to their feeding grounds in larger herds along paths in the undergrowth and instinctively avoid wide open spaces because they are very vulnerable to predation from aerial or larger predators there.
Guinea Pig Facts - An Overview

Then there is the issue of climate change - is it really appropriate to keep a species that struggles with the extremes of weather outside in an increasingly volatile and unpredictable climate? Guinea pigs are neither hardy, don't deal well with too much damp weather, storms, fireworks and definitely don't cope well at all with the heatwaves and heat spikes we have seen in recent summers when we have been inundated with distraught owners and people with piggies with heat stroke or life-threatening heat exhaustion wondering why their piggies were lethargic and not eating. Cavies need protection in much lower temperatures than you would expect. The traditional moderate UK summer was fine for piggies to live outdoors. The new world sadly isn't.
In the age of massive and very rapid climate change, outdoors piggies are extremely vulnerable to the extremes of the weather.
Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike
Cold Weather Care For Guinea Pigs

Unlike the wide-spread held opinion, guinea pigs are neither easy nor cheap pets. They produce A LOT of poos in both runs through the gut they need to fully break down and digest the tough and nutritious hay/grass fibre that is the mainstay of their diet; good quality hay is not quite cheap - especially not at the amounts they go through.

They will need keeping a daily eye on them and a weekly weigh-in and health check as they can gown downhill very quickly, round the clock syringe feeding support when very ill and their vet treatment can quickly run into the hundreds of pounds once you are looking more complex medical treatment (especially longer term twice daily medication) or a life-saving operation. Do you have that kind of dedicated time and the budget to cover these welfare needs? The biggest life-time budget in any pet's life is vet care. There are no cheap pets. If you want to provide an example of animal welfare, then you will have to address all five animal freedoms.

Piggy trios are the most difficult constellation to get right. So that is unfortunately another spoke in your wheel; especially as no good standard rescue will rehome already stably bonded piggies into a school setting.
Boars, sows or mixed pairs; babies or adults?
Rescues, Shops, Breeders or Online? - What to consider when getting guinea pigs

Please rather consider working with the RSPCA along their well though-out and extremely carefully considered guidelines and contact them for what you can do in our own area to become an animal friendly school: https://education.rspca.org.uk/documents/1494931/0/Animal+Friendly+Schools+Guidance+(5).pdf/c7c5fe97-e5a6-fa47-6205-8d22d45cf7c2?t=1558518337650
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Thank you for your reply obviously very well considered. Are you basically saying that piggies should kept indoors then? If they are so vulnerable to weather changes and human interaction how does anyone keep them safely?
 
Redkay75 said:
Thank you for your reply obviously very well considered. Are you basically saying that piggies should kept indoors then? If they are so vulnerable to weather changes and human interaction how does anyone keep them safely?
Click to expand...

The general trend over the last decade towards more indoors keeping in the more welfare conscious in the UK; hutch owners are encouraged to bring their piggies under cover during the winter months as well as indoors into the coolest place during hot weather. In other countries with more volatile or extreme climates, this trend is even stronger. With the climate change, we are well on the way to becoming more like them much sooner than many people anticipate.

Lawn time is still encouraged, but it needs to be much more carefully judged. Indoors piggies need time to get accustomed to the outside and their gut microbiome also needs to get used to grass in spring again. It is best to think of treating guinea pigs like tender plants that also extra need support during hot weather.

Dumped guinea pigs usually don't survive in the UK for long and are - if they are found still alive - usually in a desperate state. There are no established stable long term 'wild' colonies of guinea pigs in the UK (not that guinea pigs haven't been domesticated and bred out for several thousand years and are as little equipped to live wild as domestic rabbits, if anything much less so); that says it all about guinea pigs being adapted to full outdoors living. It is very much one of the persistent misconceptions. :(

Some of our members have moved to insulated sheds but even they will have to bring their piggies inside in weather extremes.
 
To be honest, considering that piggies are like rabbits an easily stressed out prey animal species, they are simply not a good school or small children's pet. It takes a lot of time and personal effort to bring piggies round; you only get out of a pet what you put into them. They are not naturally born animated cuddly toys and their seeming docility is because they are actually fearing for their lives.

Here is more about guinea pigs and their prey animal instincts:
Arrival in a home from the perspective of pet shop guinea pigs
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips
 
I work in a special need school and although I am usually very against school pets I would like to think that there may be a way for the therapeutic benefits that animals provide to be offered without this being to the detrement of the animal. I would maybe suggest rabbits over Guinea pigs as rabbits that are well cared for and well socialised can be very sociable. And are more likely to approach children and tolerate petting without being handled. Also they're better at expressing when they're upset or unhappy. Rabbits may also tolerate going home each night and just coming into school for the day.

Things to consider...
Both rabbits and Guinea pigs are social and need to be kept in groups or pairs of their own species.
Where can they be kept when it's too cold/ too warm rabbits can be litter trained and could therefore may be able to free roam in the therapy area but Guinea pigs would need a large indoor space.
 
PS: Since guinea pigs are a ground roaming species, welfare recommended cages are A LOT larger than what pet shops are still allowed to get away with; we also recommend extra indoors roaming and enrichment time.

PS2: Rabbits are not recommended, either. They can be even more stressed out than guinea pigs when handled and it takes - again - quite a lot of effort to socialise them. By far not every piggy or rabbit is suitable for exposure to larger groups of strangers. The discussion about how suitable either species is for the current fad of therapy pets is still very much ongoing...
 
I too work in a special school and we have a 'school dog' owned by one of the senior team. The kids are allowed to take her for walks around site and she spends time with classes, closely supervised of course. Obviously she is very sociable and has the right kind of personality for this, isn't in school every day and gets some quiet time to herself when she is but this has worked really well for us as a school. Some of the benefits for the children have been amazing.
 
:agr: Although I still wouldn’t consider guinea pigs or rabbits as suitable for therapy pets to bring in. Could it be a dog perhaps? I can understand your reasoning behind having pets at school. What would also happen to them overnight while they’re at school? And what if you came in to find one ill? When would you be able to get him/her to the vet? I also think the constant change of environment for boars isn’t a good thing, even when they’re well bonded.

My children’s school had guinea pigs. They were taken on by one of the the staff as no one really wanted to have them at the weekends. They have fish in one class and school chickens as well. Perhaps those could be something to consider?
 
As the owner of both piggies and rabbits I would say that neither would make a good classroom species.

However when I lived in the UK one of my dogs passed the test to work as a therapy dog, and we were assigned to a elderly care home and a special needs school.
We visited once a week and worked directly with the teachers/careers at the school to agree times and what we would be doing at each visit.
It worked fantastically well and the kids were able to do different things depending on their levels of ability.
It was perfect because some kids would walk him (in a fully controlled and supervised setting), some would brush him, some would just pat him, some would draw him and one group actually baked and fed him treats.
It may be worth contacting your local PAT co-ordinator and asking if they have a suitable dog who could visit as this has a lot of options for kids of varying abilities.
 
Siikibam said:
:agr: Although I still wouldn’t consider guinea pigs or rabbits as suitable for therapy pets to bring in. Could it be a dog perhaps? I can understand your reasoning behind having pets at school. What would also happen to them overnight while they’re at school? And what if you came in to find one ill? When would you be able to get him/her to the vet? I also think the constant change of environment for boars isn’t a good thing, even when they’re well bonded.

My children’s school had guinea pigs. They were taken on by one of the the staff as no one really wanted to have them at the weekends. They have fish in one class and school chickens as well. Perhaps those could be something to consider?
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The RSPCA strongly do not recommend keeping any animal species in classrooms for obvious welfare reasons, @Siikibam .

I would most strongly encourage both the poster and forum members to have a look at it; I have posted the link before and it is also in our classroom sticky guide. It is well worth reading since animal and pet education can be more effectively organised and achieved by other means than residential school pets. Thinking has moved on a lot. It is important that animal welfare is taught in schools. The RSPCA link is a REALLY good start to get doing it in a responsible and effective way.
Here is the link again to the excellent RSPCA page: Animal Friendly Schools Guidance
 
Wiebke said:
The RSPCA strongly do not recommend keeping any animal species in classrooms for obvious welfare reasons, @Siikibam .

I would most strongly encourage both the poster and forum members to have a look at it; I have posted the li nk before and it is also in our classroom sticky guide. It is well worth reading since animal and pet education can be more effectively organised and achieved by other means than residential school pets. Thinking has moved on a lot. It is important that animal welfare is taught in schools. The RSPCA link is a REALLY good start to get doing it in a responsible and effective way.
Here is the link again to the excellent RSPCA page: Animal Friendly Schools Guidance
Click to expand...
Thank you for correcting me Wiebke.
 
I understand why many people take a strong stance against this. (I have read the RSPCA guidance) but I do think the options have to be weighed up. For many of these children interacting with animals is the only time they can truly relax. Their whole body relaxes and they finally feel they can be themselves. Many children also live in homes that are not suitable for pets. Are not able to take care of pets and you cannot get that kind of interaction at zoos. This is a need and not a want for many children in special education. If children cannot have an outlet for this in a way that is safe for the animal parents will buy animals and keep them in poor conditions at home, take their children to petting zoos or children will try to keep secret pets without telling their parents. We are very privileged to have never needed the company of a therapy animal to feel safe and loved. I wish we could find a way to make this available while keeping the pets safe rather than putting a wall up and denying people constructive advice on the basis that school pets are bad when it's so much more complex than that. I think a lot of people are picturing an animal in a small cage in the corner of a crowded classroom or being picked up and fussed over constantly but this doesn't have to be the case.

P.s pray animals like rabbits and Guinea pigs have a calming quality that animals like horses and dogs don't provide. And may be suitable for children that are scared of dogs.
 
Sweet Potato said:
I understand why many people take a strong stance against this. (I have read the RSPCA guidance) but I do think the options have to be weighed up. For many of these children interacting with animals is the only time they can truly relax. Their whole body relaxes and they finally feel they can be themselves. Many children also live in homes that are not suitable for pets. Are not able to take care of pets and you cannot get that kind of interaction at zoos. This is a need and not a want for many children in special education. If children cannot have an outlet for this in a way that is safe for the animal parents will buy animals and keep them in poor conditions at home, take their children to petting zoos or children will try to keep secret pets without telling their parents. We are very privileged to have never needed the company of a therapy animal to feel safe and loved. I wish we could find a way to make this available while keeping the pets safe rather than putting a wall up and denying people constructive advice on the basis that school pets are bad when it's so much more complex than that. I think a lot of people are picturing an animal in a small cage in the corner of a crowded classroom or being picked up and fussed over constantly but this doesn't have to be the case.

P.s pray animals like rabbits and Guinea pigs have a calming quality that animals like horses and dogs don't provide. And may be suitable for children that are scared of dogs.
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The child is relaxed, but the guinea pig would more than likely be stressed. I wonder whether accessing nature could bring the same calm.
 
Would it be possible to set up a small garden in that spot that would attract wild birds? That way they could still enjoy the animals but not have them as class pets.

My daughter's teacher set up an area in her classroom that was a "vet clinic". It had toy animals and doctor toys for the children to care for "sick" animals. Or another thought could be to use that outdoor area to pretend with toy animals and make nature habitats for the toy animals. We have this set up at a couple of the parks and museums that I take my children to. They enjoy playing on the stumps, logs, and rocks and making places for the toy animals to live and hide.

It sounds like you really enjoy the children you work with and want the best for them. They will remember all the wonderful ways that you helped enrich their lives. Bless you for all the hard work that you do! :hug:
 
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