Should Your Child Take A Pet Chinchilla To School?
If
your child asks you if they can take a pet chinchilla to school, please
show wisdom and tell them no. There are obvious reasons why. Under no
circumstances should a child take a pet chinchilla, or any pet for that
matter to school (unless it's a seeing-eye dog). They should not be
stored as pets at school.
The
chinchilla and schoolchildren operate on two different schedules. When
the chinchilla is up at night, the children are sleep. The chinchilla
cannot be surrounded by a lot of noise, and schoolchildren make noise.
It's just in their nature. The chinchilla needs relatively no light or
as little light as possible in order to get some sleep. They can get
stressed if they don't get enough rest due to lights and noise. The
stress can lead to them biting their fur, spraying urine and acting
unfriendly.
Another
reason why your child should not bring a pet chinchilla to school is
because they need a large case and constant supervision, especially
when they're being let out of their cage for exercise. They also
require constant attention every day. Bring a pet chinchilla to school
will hinder the everyday regimen for them. Temperature is another
concern. The chinchilla has to remain comfortable and not too hot.
They
cannot stand high heat or humidity. If the air conditioner goes out for
any reason, the chinchilla would start to get hot and sweaty. If there
were an emergency, more than likely, the teacher would be responsible
for securing the animal's safety in addition to the students. That
would be too much on the teacher because her first priority is the
safety and welfare of her students.
Your
child's classmates probably have an agenda in mind. They probably want
to take turns holding the animal. What they don't realize is the
chinchillas like to move around and not be held or petted. They are
very independent and get irritated if you try to hold them. Chinchillas
like to roam free and most times are hyperactive. They must be dealt
with gently and not manhandled.
Some
of the children might see the chinchilla as something to play with, but
don't realize how fragile the animal is. The children must also control
their temper when they realize that the animal doesn't want to play
with them. Then they'll be ready to retaliate against it. If they drop
it, whether it is accidental or not, their legs and feet can be
fractured. This in turn, can cause amputation in that area and
eventually they succumb.
There
may be students in the classroom who have allergies, and they may be
allergic to fur. So if they were to come in contact with the animal,
they could suffer itchy skin, watery or itchy eyes, or other allergic
reactions. So allergies are definitely something that needs to be taken
into consideration.
Having
a chinchilla would be too much for students to handle. Besides, schools
have rules in place forbidding students from bringing pets to school.
To prevent a fiasco with students, teachers and most of all parents,
it's better if the child does not bring a chinchilla to school.
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