This part of the website is dedicated to keeping everyone updated on the classroom pets - Kip the Gecko and the 200+ Tadpoles!
Kip is a Leopard Gecko. Here are 5 facts about leopard geckos:
- Leopard geckos live as long as 20 years
- Leopard geckos can grow as long as 10 inches (25 cm) in length
- In the wild, leopard geckos live in the desert and are nocturnal
- Unlike other geckos, the leopard gecko doesn’t have sticky hands, so he can’t climb walls and other vertical surfaces like the many of his relatives
- The leopard gecko is one of only a few gecko species that has distinct outer ears and eyelids
Kip's Gallery of photos
Photo Updates 3/29/2020
Kip loves James. He runs out of his hide when he hears James' voice. He also gives James lizard hugs on the back of his neck.
April 16, 2020: Kip went through a whole body shed. He walked out of his leg shed like they were gloves while in his bathtub. Afterwards he fell asleep on his rock with his head propped up on his water bowl.
Videos of Kip
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Tadpoles
The tadpoles arrived in our classroom on Monday, March 16, 2020 as a mass of eggs courtesy of Gretchen and Kenny Hibbs. They started hatching on March 17th and by March 19th most of the tadpoles had emerged. Just by looking at them, I'd say we have 200+ tadpoles. There are at least 3 different kinds of tadpoles in all. I'm not sure what kind of frogs they will turn into.
I will try to keep updated pictures and videos of the classroom tadpoles. As of March 23, 2020, they are residing in my house since the school has been locked down.
The tadpoles arrived in our classroom on Monday, March 16, 2020 as a mass of eggs courtesy of Gretchen and Kenny Hibbs. They started hatching on March 17th and by March 19th most of the tadpoles had emerged. Just by looking at them, I'd say we have 200+ tadpoles. There are at least 3 different kinds of tadpoles in all. I'm not sure what kind of frogs they will turn into.
I will try to keep updated pictures and videos of the classroom tadpoles. As of March 23, 2020, they are residing in my house since the school has been locked down.
Images: March 16, 2020
Images March 18, 2020 Courtesy of Dr. Westfall
Images March 20, 2020 ~ Almost all the eggs have hatched
Image March 23, 2020 ~ Bringing the tadpoles home. Dr. Westfall & I thought it was the best decision since the school is on lockdown and being disinfected. I also brought home the African Frog and all the plants from the fish tank.
Video Progressions of the Tadpoles. Date is listed on all my YouTube videos
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Video: March 23rd - The trip home was slow. It is hard to drive with 5 gallons of water sloshing in your front seat but I did it without losing any water. One problem - I lost the slope to my gravel and I can't fix it without hurting the tadpoles.
Video: March 28th - The tadpoles smell horrible! And I found out that the "little tadpoles" were not tadpoles they were mosquito larvae. So they live on the front porch now. Gretchen Hibbs thinks they are Wood Frog & Bull Frog tadpoles. The Bull Frog tadpoles I've nicknamed "King Tadpole." They are huge!
Video: April 23rd - Today I released the 1st and 2nd frog. Within the next couple of days, I'll be releasing #3 & 4
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Video: April 23rd Current Tank
May 1, 2020 - As of today, I've released 22 frogs into the creek bed beside my house. Here are some pictures from some of my releases.
May 3, 2020 - My daughter and I released 15 more frogs into the creek bed. On May 7th we sent 14 more frogs to be released by my son's girl friend's little brother. These two releases brought the number up to 51 successful releases.
May 14, 2020 - I knew I had more frogs to release, I just didn't know how many. I lifted the rocks up on the shallow end of the tank and found so many that they were stacked on each other. I released 44 frogs in all bring the total number of successful releases up to 95.