Classroom invert zoo needs help, please!!!

[Raventears]

Good afternoon, all! I am writing to ask if anyone has any inverts to donate to our classroom invert zoo? The kids have been 'bugging' me (please forgive the horrible pun!) to expand our current zoo, but our budget is currently non-existant, so I have to bite the bullet and ask for your help. My students want different milipede species, scorpions, T's, vinegaroons...well, you get the idea. I teach 9-12 grade students Applied Entomology here at our highschool for 4 years now and we hae built up a modest collection of both live and pinned inverts. I have found that the students are much more involved and interested when I allow them to at least look at the different species in our zoo. I do house HOTS though we have a strict hands-off policy (our administration has approved and appreciates this, of course) when it comes to students being around the HOTS. If anyone has any slings or other inverts they are willing to donate to our classroom 'zoo', my students will greatly appreciate it! I am willing to pay shipping out of my pocket if need be, I just cannot pay for inverts and shipping since I have to buy crickets every month as it is. Thank you for your generosity and consideration of our classroom inert zoo.

Oh, and we need Dermestids to start a colony with so I can show the kids how they clean skeletons next year (planning on the colony being large enough by next September or October to do those lessons if I can get a hold of the Dermestids). Thanks again!

 

[Moltar]

What part of the country are you in? I may be able to hook you up with some live velvet ants although I couldn't keep one alive in captivity when I tried last year... Apparently they have a very convoluted life cycle.

 

[AzJohn]

I sent you a PM. I've got a some Arizona natvies collecting dust.

John

 

[Acro]

Try posting in the Classifides for better results. :5:

 

[Raventears]

Thank you!!

I will try that! I appreciate the tip!

 

[ryan88]

sent you a PM

 

[Raventears]

Thank you to all who are willing to help us!

Thank you, thank you! The kids are excited to meet any inverts we end up bringing in. Oh, we do have about a million (well, it seems like it there are so many) orange isopods that need to be culled, if anyone wants them...we hate to euthanize them since they are such good cleaners, but they are also very good at reproducing in our tanks. We could trade them for additions to our zoo or send them for just a few dollars plus shipping, to make it worth the kids spending a class counting the dearies out...unless you just want a "lot" of them and want to pay shipping. THanks!
Keeley

 

[Sukai94]

Post some pictures of your invert zoo! I am sure I am not the only one curious to see it.

 

[clam1991]

ditto show some pics of what you have

and how do you feed em with no money?:?

 

[bhoeschcod]

Clam is that you?howed it go at your brothers house?[yes i know! :} ]
Yeah it is propably best to post up pics.

 

[Raventears]

Fundraising, mainly...

To pay for feeding inverts...We 'quietly' sell snacks between classes and at lunch (crackers, water, etc.) to the students in order to pay to feed the zoo. It is a lot of work for not too much money profited each month, but at least it helps keep crickets/produce, etc. in stock. We occasionally raise enough money to pay for substrate, but I still buy the kritter keepers for them since the snack business isn't too lucrative. I usually throw in money to it when I can, but I don't often have extra money as I am a single mom, so any expendable income is pretty much tapped out. We do not have any school budget money for the zoo endeavor since our CTE coordinator doesn't think that the 'zoo' has as much of an effect on the kids as it really does. These kids learn tolerance, respect, and responsibility through this zoo. I hope one day that she realizes this and changes her mind, but until then I am going to keep on plugging away the way we are in order to keep it going and growing. I traded recently some isopods for dubia roaches, so we will try to feed the roaches and eliminate the crickets, which will save us about $75-$100 per month if we can get all of the inverts to switch...wish us luck!!!
Pictures...I am working on starting a website for our classroom zoo, the kids took pics this afternoon to start the process. I will post them to the page once I get the domain and page hosted...will work on that this weekend. Once the site is up (I have to get parental permission to post the pics with underage students in them that show faces, so I will start out with other pics-hands and inverts, etc.... and once I get permission for the students who are under 18 I will post those pics too. I will post here when the site is up so you all can see what we have started with and built up. In the last two years since I started it up in the classroom.
Thanks to you all for keeping up with our 'zoo'!

 

[mike12348]

I traded recently some isopods for dubia roaches, so we will try to feed the roaches and eliminate the crickets, which will save us about $75-$100 per month if we can get all of the inverts to switch...wish us luck!!!

Just a warning, it could take awhile (months) for a dubia colony to start reproducing at a good speed depending on how many roaches you have. You might be stuck with crickets for awhile.

 

[HankyPankyRoe]

I've got tons of hissing roaches if you are intereted. I've also have a few other kinds too, such as the Tiger Hissers & Dwarf Hissers i could send your way. Easy to care for. Mine love fish food, crushed dog/cat food & fresh fruit and veggies on occasion.

I would be willing to take some of the isopds you have.


Shipping is free!

 

[Raventears]

I will work on website this summer

I just wanted to let you know that I will be building a website for our classroom invert zoo online this summer. I will post the URL once I figure out what it will be!
Keeley