Carolyn N. Kinder
Care Of An Animal In The Laboratory
Ecology also involves the interrelationships between animals and plants and animals and the physical environment.
Student Activities
Activity Take care of an animal in the laboratory through one life cycle, or at least for several weeks.
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A. Choose an animal to care for.
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B. Refer to the Reference Booklet on Animal Care and other references for information.
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C. Obtain the animal and raise it in the laboratory.
Summary
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A. Make an oral report of information gathered on each animal to share information.
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B. Make a written report of information gathered on each animal to be used as a reference by others.
Beginning the animal unit in first semester creates the following problems: During Christmas vacation and semester break the animals are left without care or to the teacher’s care. Student interest in the labor of cage care begins to wane after a few months. At the same time, they become personally attached to their animals (despite efforts to teach objectivity) and will not tolerate the removal of the animals from the classroom even though the needed data has been collected and tedium for their care has set in.
Beginning the animal care unit in February or March avoids all the above problems. Student enthusiasm for their animals is still high by the beginning of summer vacation so that the year ends on a note of enjoyment of the project. At the same time the arrival of summer necessitates the termination of the project, thereby placing the onus of getting rid of the animals on the calendar instead of on the arbitrary decision of the teacher. Also, it is useful to have a project with commands high interest, as animal care does, in the latter part of the year when other academic interests begin to slump.
Student Activities
Insist absolutely that cages, food, and the care chart are in the classroom and ready BEFORE the animal is brought in. It is intolerable that a teacher be required to supply a temporary cage and food for a mouse which an overenthusiastic student brings in before preparing to care for it.
Ordinarily, students can supply their own animals, preferably by catching them in the local environment. A few, such as fertile eggs for incubation, need to be supplied by the teacher. Students supply the food for their animals unless the school has a petty cash budget.
To obtain fertile eggs (chicken, duck, etc) write to your State Agricultural Department, capital of your state, and request names of producers of eggs you desire.
The Animal List
The unit on animal care usually needs no special motivation. Rather it usually needs holding down to manageable proportions to prevent the classroom from overflowing with cages and tanks from floor to ceiling.
To keep things manageable, limit the type and number of animals permitted in the classroom. From the extensive list below, make up your own list for distribution to the students. In your first year of conducting this unit, your list of permitted animals may properly be quite limited. As you acquire more equipment, more teaching know-how, and accumulate a backlog of animal references and reports, your list can become more extensive.
Asterisks indicate animals which are important in future biological work.
Tank Animals Cage Animals
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*guppies chicks, quail, other fowl
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other tropical fish small mammals (mice, etc.)
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*tilapia skinks, geckoes, chameleons
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small marine fish other small vertebrates
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sea urchins
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sea anemones
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sea cucumbers
Insects
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other marine invertebrates
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*crabs (hermit, rock, mole, etc.) *fruit flies
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snails, (all kinds except African) grasshoppers, crickets
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*tide pool animals *cockroaches
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planaria butterflies, moths
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tadpoles dermistid beetles
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*daphnia grain and cereal beetles
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*brine shrimp praying mantis
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protozoans stink bugs
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fresh-water mud dwellers meal worms
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marine mud dwellers mosquitoes
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turtles aphids
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crayfish ants
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any other available animal bees
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termites
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any insect which is a local pest at the moment
Terrarium Animals
toads and frogs
sow bugs (isoped)
spiders
earthworms
