Need Advice: Experts Only, please!

[jannb]

Let us know if you decide to take him and if you do try to get pictures.

 

[Andie]

I have taken a couple of my chams to a school for a specific presentation on one day. Nothing terrible happened. If you were planning to do this multiple times, I wouldn't say that's a good idea. One limited presentation with the right "ground rules"? A healthy more tolerant cham isn't going to expire from it. It will be a stressor, but a more social cham can get over it if you plan ahead. You can prepare a transport box just as you would for a vet trip....closed sided box with a perch wedged securely inside. Box the cham up indoors, let the box settle while you warm up your car, etc. A microwaved water bottle to buffer the temp extremes. Plan where you can put the cham in the classroom ahead of time so it is not going to be pestered by students. One thing I like is to point out to students that the cham's color will change as soon as he comes out of the box and reacts to the new surroundings. This will help focus their attention and keep them a little quieter.

Now the ground rules I would discuss with the teacher include things like:

1. This is a special presentation....the students must behave and treat their guest with courtesy and attention.
2. The cham stays on my arm...no petting. I will walk around the room with the cham so everyone gets a chance to see it up close.
3. The students must stay in their seats and not be flapping around making a commotion.
4. I'll be there for a specific amount of time, not all day.

A couple other things I usually ask the teacher are to have students prepare in advance; I may give them some basic info about chams so they can prepare questions, have an idea why the cham could be spooked by too much commotion, and so they show some respect for the presentation....make the most of the teachable moment. I also plan a portion of my talk to cover why buying animals like this at the local pet shop isn't a great idea, why wild capture just for human amusement isn't supportable, and why selecting pet chams from ethical breeders is preferable.

Thank you so much for the support and great ideas.

@jannb i would never take Wasabi out this young. I was only talking about Pixel. He's big, strong & healthy, plus oh so friendly.

Plus, since the class is so close to my house, I feel better about it.

Thanks, all! I'll let you know if it happens.

 

[rcc760]

I was actually wondering this too! I’m teaching at a high school and the kids are really interested in Charlie. I haven’t decided that I’m doing it yet, but I’ve been entertaining the idea. In this case, would you set up a temporary/butterfly cage in the class, or just take them in a box/carrier and let hem chill out with you? I worry about her not having access to her lights and water throughout the day.

 

[CJ's Exotics]

I was actually wondering this too! I’m teaching at a high school and the kids are really interested in Charlie. I haven’t decided that I’m doing it yet, but I’ve been entertaining the idea. In this case, would you set up a temporary/butterfly cage in the class, or just take them in a box/carrier and let hem chill out with you? I worry about her not having access to her lights and water throughout the day.

How old is Charlie?

 

[rcc760]

How old is Charlie?

Charlie is between 7 and 8 months, which makes me think she may be a bit too young to introduce her to my students. If you guys think it’s a bad idea, please let me know! I’m very open to your suggestions!

 

[CJ's Exotics]

Charlie is between 7 and 8 months, which makes me think she may be a bit too young to introduce her to my students. If you guys think it’s a bad idea, please let me know! I’m very open to your suggestions!

Seems a bit young, plus it is just not a great idea in general until you are prepared.

 

[Andie]

Thanks everyone, for the great ideas.
Pixel was awesome! He's an official ambassador for his species.

I put him in his old baby screen cage, with a branch and vines to hold. He rode in the car, seatbelted in, with windows down. (We had rare, warm weather) I wanted him to see where he was going, which I think was better than covering him.

the only time he seemed a little stressed was after he went onto my daughter's arm and proceeded to poop like nobody's business!

Other than that, he was totally fine.
I was able to answer the kids questions and warn them about doing lots of research before considering one as a pet. Told them the pros and cons of Cham keeping.

The best part is, I am now fairly cool in my kid's eyes, once again.

If I get pix, I will post.

 

[rcc760]

Seems a bit young, plus it is just not a great idea in general until you are prepared.

Makes sense. Thank you!

 

[absolutbill]

I'm so glad this went well - I'm late to the conversation, but am in the camp of taking a cham that's known to be calm into a situation like this with preparedness. All the points I was thinking of as I read though this were covered, and it turned out to be FAR less controversial than they've tended to be in the past. Hoping for pics from your adventure!