Meet the Girls: Daisy and Chrysanthemum

I want to introduce you to my classroom pets, Daisy and Chrysanthemum!  They are guinea pigs and are only about 7 months old.  They were purchased through a Petsmart grant (click {here} to read more about how I got Daisy).

Daisy

Chrysanthemum

Click {here} for more photos of the girls.

This is their cage in school.  I made it using directions from Cavy Spirit, my favorite website about guinea pigs.  Click {here} to jump right to their cage webpage. 

My students love the guinea pigs and think that they are hysterical.  The piggies love to jump on top of their house and squeak at us for veggies or run laps around their cage.   They each have distinct personalities.  Daisy is mellower and Chrysanthemum is loud, rude, and fast!  Chrysanthemum likes to yank food out of your hand or Daisy's mouth, while Daisy takes it gently.  I love reading the journal entries when they come back from a weekend with a family.  It usually takes them about one night to settle in and then their personalities come out.  

All of my students are allowed to pet the guinea pigs with supervision.  A few students earn guinea pig time as a reward for a good day and meeting all their goals on their behavior chart.  A few of the ABA students in the building work to earn carrots to feed the guinea pigs, then their teacher takes them to my classroom where they get to sit at a table and hand feed them.  

Stay tuned for more of Daisy and Chrysanthemum's adventures and photos!