Meet Striker and Mini-Me

Hi there. It's Jenn from Finally in First. I am so excited to be contributing to this cute, new blog that Erica thought up. I'd like to introduce you to my corn snakes Striker and Mini-Me. 

I don't love the names but I taught 4th graders and let them vote when I got the snakes as babies.

STRIKER-We had to condition them to being held so the students held them every recess every day. This little guy did sometimes give you a nip, hence his name.

MINI-ME-When they were young, it was hard to tell them apart except that this guy was smaller. Combine that fact with the popularity of the Austin Powers movies (this was 4 years ago) and 4th grade humor and there we have it.


Why don't I just change the names? Easier said than done. I am lucky enough to work in a school that hosts about 60 animals. Most classrooms and the science lab have pets. To raise money to take care of all the food, cages, etc we ask families if they would like to "adopt" an animal for the year. By donating, the student gets a certificate, a picture holding that animal and dedicated visiting time twice a year.  It takes quite a bit of time to organize all of that so we don't change the names every year!

WAIT, DID YOU SAY THE STUDENTS TAKE YOUR SNAKES OUT TO RECESS??
Yep! In fact, when you walk around our campus, it is common to see students with large snakes around their neck or bearded dragons clinging to their shirt!

DO YOU FIND THE STUDENTS ARE AFRAID OF THE SNAKES?
NO! Most of the kids are dying for their turn to hold the snakes. The moms are another story. Many of the moms tell me they try to hide their true feelings because they think it is great that their girls have no fear.

HAVE YOUR SNAKES EVER ESCAPED?
YES! More than once! If I could change Striker's name it would be to Houdini! With the kids taking them out twice a day, there have been times the cage wasn't secured. Just shutting the top isn't enough. If the pin isn't in they can open it enough to squeeze out. The third time they got out I only looked for a few minutes and then we just went on with our day {although I did make sure the door stayed closed.} The parents came in HYSTERICAL when they heard and I told them not to worry, the missing snake would show up. They were floored that I was so calm. I assured them that I had learned from experience that they liked to hide initially but would find a spot to curl up after we had gone. Sure enough, the next morning a student found the escape artist in their book box!

See what fun you are missing?