The Bronx Zoo is 281.7 miles from Ovid. Even the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester is 51 miles away. Point being – those in the South Seneca Central School District looking to see some exotic animals better be ready to travel.
Unless, of course, they have access to MS/HS Agriculture Teacher Patty Parsons’s classroom – room 108. If that’s the case, you don’t have to travel at all. That’s because Parsons’s classroom moonlights as its own mini zoo, with nearly 20 different creatures getting their own high school education.
So it’s no surprise that students are always eager for Mrs. Parsons class – they get to spend time with these animals while they learn, often taking them out of their habitats for cuddles, treats, and companionship.
“I’d have to say our chinchilla, Stella, is my favorite,” senior Elizabeth Dendis said. “She has an absolutely amazing personality and loves to cuddle and sit with us while we do our work.”
Dendis elaborated on what it’s like to be at school with so many unique and interesting characters cohabitating in the classroom.
“The biggest thing I have learned,” she said, “is exactly how much care goes into these animals and all the different, but very specific, qualifications that all the animals need to thrive. I definitely find it more interesting and engaging to have the animals in the classroom. Since we spend the time that we are not doing chores learning about the individual animals I find it very helpful to have the real life animal to compare to. It is also always the best part of the day to de-stress and snuggle with the animals.”
Mrs. Parsons said taking care of the animals is a lot of work, but gets help from the students, and loves having them be a part of her classroom. She gave a full rundown of all of her animals, and here they are:
Andy is a Flemish Giant: “He is about a year old, so should be about as big as he's going to get! He really loves fresh greens and carrots as a snack! Everyone loves Andy because he is so big!”
Raisin is a Lionhead Mix: “We aren't sure of his age. He came to us from another ag program that was looking for homes for their rabbits. Raisin is a sweet guy!”
Oreo is a black and white mix rabbit: “We aren't sure of her age. She came from the same program that Raisin came from. Oreo can be a little grumpy, but she sure likes her greens!”
Chinchilla: ”The chinchilla, Stella, came to us from the Wayne Fingerlakes BOCES Animal Science Program. Stella is about 4 years old. She has been a big hit with the students and staff alike since she came to our program! She loves to run on her wheel, hide out in her hut, and take dust baths!”
Degu: “Grimace, our male degu, was donated to our program from another Ag program in Eastern NYS. Grimace is a fast little guy and likes to evade us when we are trying to get him out of his cage! Grimace also loves his dust baths!”
Hedgehog: “Sprinkles is a hedgehog that belongs to one of the students in our Small Animal class. Sprinkles isn't very active during the school day, but she is willing to come out and visit! She is sharp and spiky, so we have to be extra careful when holding her!”
Hamster: “Muffin is a hamster that we got at the beginning of the school year. Muffin is active mainly at night, so we don't get to see her unless we wake her up. She does have a hamster ball that she will roll around the classroom with!”
Blue-Tongued Skink: “Blue is a Blue-Tongued Skink who came to us as a rescue. We are not sure if Blue is male or female. Blue loves to eat earthworms, quail eggs, and blueberries! Blue wasn't very comfortable being handled when he first came to us, but now Blue enjoys being handled!”
Leopard Gecko: “Mushu is a male Leopard Gecko that came from the same program that we got the Degu from. Mushu likes to keep himself tucked away under his rock for most of the day because he loves to be warm! Mushu's favorite food is mealworms.”
Bearded Dragon: “Jolene is a female juvenile Bearded Dragon. We got her through a Pets in the Classroom grant this past fall! Jolene gets to go home with Mrs. Parsons on the weekends because as a juvenile, she still needs to eat fresh insects multiple times a day. Jolene enjoys eating crickets and Dubia beetles. It has been fun to watch Jolene grow! She has at least doubled in size since we got her in the fall!”
Red-Footed Tortoise: “Tabitha (Tabby) is a female Red-Footed Tortoise that belongs to Mrs. Nina Redmond's family. Tabby has been living in our classroom since this past fall since her main owner has gone off to college. Tabby may be a tortoise, but she can move around the room pretty fast, especially when you aren't paying attention! Sometimes it's like a game of hide-and-seek to find her! Tabby loves to take a bath in her swimming pool once or twice a week. Her favorite foods: lettuce, cooked chicken, and bananas! She is fuve years old.
Parakeet: "Banana is a male parakeet that came from the same Ag program that the Degu and the Leopard Gecko came from. Banana loves to sing and chatter, especially when Mrs. Parsons is trying to teach! Banana really enjoys his millet treats!"
Fish: "We have two fish tanks in the room. One tank has the Beta fish that the 4-H afterschool kids set up last year. The other tank has several tropical fish in it and is still in progress!"
Quail: "While picking up the Parakeet, Degu, and Leopard Gecko, Mrs. Parsons was sent home with several quail eggs from the school's Ag program. Students in the Intro to Ag class put the eggs in the incubator and we were able to hatch out some quail! We have three quail and all three have started laying eggs! Quail mature at 6-8 weeks. The quail are known for their unique noises!"
Parsons also noted that they try to be creative with how they sustain caring for so many different animals.
“We try to be more sustainable in our insect consumption for the animals, we have a mealworm set up and a Dubia roach setup that we are raising both of these bugs in. This helps to offset the costs of purchasing insects for our lizard friends!”