Can someone help me!?

GUINEAP1225

Post   » Mon Mar 04, 2019 4:32 pm


Ok so I had this teacher last year and she had (stil lhad) a male guinea pig. I knew nothing about guine apigs when I was in her class. Now I can recognize that she is literally killing him. I am going to list all of the things wrong with his care. He is on a very small cage, he is obese becuase she feeds him ALOT of food, he rarely gets veggie sand when he does they are old and brown, he gets potatoes and leftovers which are too starchy, she gives him baths very often under cold water with no soap (AT SCHOOL) so his skin is dry, he has bad bedding, he is alone (he is not a circumstance where he needs to be), he has a very small “Snak Shak” hide which is to small for him to hide under, he has no toys or enrichment, he is very depressed and nervous all of the time, his water bottle is too low for his head, he doesn’t get hay, and he is paralyzed in his hips and below. I researched some about paralyzation in guine apigs and learned that under his circumstances it is diathermy from, his obesity, vitamin c or calcium deficiency, a stroke, or a spine injury (her and her students hold him wrong) A few of my friends and I were very worried for him and very very very sad. So we wrote her a very polite note telling her what we should do better. We didn’t yell at her or tell her she was killing him, we just told her some recommendations and tips on what she can do better. (If I can figure this out I will post a picture of the letter) Basically it was anonymous so we slid it under her door. The next days he yelled at all of her classes saying a very “uncalled for” and “rude” note was left on her floor. She said it was about kids being concerned for her and spreading rumors. And that if we were concerned about something to talk to her face instead of leaving a “mean” note. (I learned this through my friends in her class) It was bit mean or rude in any way. I had multiple people read it over saying how polite it was. We wrote an apology note but still said that she needed to help him. We are worried to give it to her becuase we don’t want to get in trouble or anything. Does anyone have any advice on what to do? Thanks and sorry for such a long novel😬

GUINEAP1225

Post   » Mon Mar 04, 2019 4:35 pm


If anyone knows how to post pics I will show you the note but if not I can just copy and paste the words (we typed it)

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Mon Mar 04, 2019 5:00 pm


I'd recommend that you talk to the principal. Take a copy of the note, and a link to this care guide: https://www.guinealynx.info/healthycavy.html

Some schools (yay for them) have banned guinea pigs as class pets. Maybe your principal would do the same.

GUINEAP1225

Post   » Mon Mar 04, 2019 5:26 pm


bpatters, thank you. I don’t think that our principal will ban guinea pigs becuase she really likes animals. Plus, we have a 7th grade science teacher who has her guinea pigs in a huge cage and a social studies teacher is getting some too and is keeping them in a large cage as well. We were thinking about telling our principal though. What do you mean by taking a copy of the note and the care guide? Like send it to her? Thanks again!!!!

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Mon Mar 04, 2019 5:37 pm


No, I was thinking talk to her. Maybe she'd consider setting some standards for classroom pets. And you could take her the link and a copy of your note to your teacher.

GUINEAP1225

Post   » Mon Mar 04, 2019 6:00 pm


bpatters, thank you so much! I was a little confused. We will try to talk to our principal and show her the letter and that link. Thank you so much for helping me, I hope this all turns out well :)

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Mar 04, 2019 8:25 pm


You might want to copy the form letter on this page and print it:

https://www.guinealynx.info/classroom.html

RomeAndSmores1

Post   » Tue Mar 05, 2019 4:37 pm


i wish i had something relevant to say but bpatters got the job done

GUINEAP1225

Post   » Thu Mar 14, 2019 10:55 pm


UPDATE-
Ok so I am so sorry I made anothe topic about someone else it wasn’t even about the same person and I think one of the regulators locked it becuase I am supposed to continue the convo on the smae topic and I am so sorry if You see this, it was about a different person. But then I made another post about this^ person and they said the same thing. I am so so sorry I had no idea!

But I am going to repeat what I said on my topic that got blocked about this^ person.

So we are taking y’all’s advice and talking you our principal, what should we include? We are printing out care guides and the letter we wrote to the teacher. Should we also mention that hamsters should be regulated too since there are a few in our school that are in critter trails? What else should we add? Thanks!

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Mar 14, 2019 11:48 pm


I think the most important thing is that small animals should be someone's pet and go home with them at night and on the weekend. Bad things can happen when they are left unattended.

rjespicer

Post   » Fri Mar 15, 2019 1:54 pm


Not sure if you want to bring it up, especially with the principal, but at some point, if there is evidence of abuse I would suspect it would become an ASPCA issue.

The possible downside of that though would be they could decide the most humane thing to do is to euthanize poor little fella.

I would focus on the diet (Hay and vitamin C especially), bedding, companionship and correct handling. Keep calm and avoid letting emotions get the better of you, keep it objective not subjective, stick to facts , use the care guides and research to support your case. Dont make accusations against the teacher (Principals have a habit of instinctively defending their staff), make it clear that this is a responsibility issue. I am not suggesting you try this but I would probably try and pitch it as an opportunity for the Principal to lead the way in responsible care of school pets, not just in their school but maybe even across the district. I may be cynical (blame Machiavelli and Sun Tzu) but I have found that people in positions of authority like it if they can make an idea seem like it was theirs and can be seen as a leader or innovator by taking credit for it. While it may not be true it is a small price to pay to ensure they little guy gets the care and attention he needs.

Imagine the headline "Local Principal sets new standards in responsible School Pet care, teaches students responsibility and ethics", Ok maybe laying it on a bit thick but as I said I am not suggesting you try that (it has to be done without making it obvious or condescending/patronizing)

Just my 2 cents

GUINEAP1225

Post   » Fri Mar 15, 2019 2:06 pm


Rjespicer, thank you so much! We will tell her all about guinea pig care and what goes into it. Hopefully she makes rules about keeping class pets🤞🏻 And we will try to have her do it for the whole district!

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