March 2011

March is Small Animal Month at the BC SPCA, and we have more than 200 waiting in our shelters for forever homes.

Rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, gerbils, ferrets and many other small animals end up at the BC SPCA after being surrendered or abandoned, or as part of an unwanted litter.

When thinking about adopting a small animal, take into consideration how much you want to interact with your pet, how often you are willing to clean a cage, how much space you have for a habitat and if you want one or more of the same pet in one cage.

To help your students find out which small animal might be right for them, try our meet your match activity.

Keeping on the theme of small animals, what better way to celebrate than to promote a small animal with an undeserved reputation: the rat.

Rats are not viewed favourably by most people, but after watching the wonderful animated movie Ratatouille, viewers may look at rats a bit differently. Lovable Remy wants to be a chef. Trouble is, Remy is a rat, and rats are not an especially welcome site in a kitchen.

Despite his seemingly preposterous dream, Remy finds his way into a famous restaurant in Paris and guides a young chef-in-training to create masterpiece meals.

Ratatouille is a fun movie that will make you laugh, cry and hopefully improve your opinion of rats. Social, intelligent and fairly easy to care for, rats make great pets – just don't ask them to cook for you!

Get more BC SPCA recommendations online.

Some classrooms – and many children – have small animals as pets. 

Though they may seem like easy pets to keep, many of these small critters live in less than ideal conditions. Store-bought habitats often do not provide the right types of stimulation to keep small animals busy. 

It is important to provide a living space that somewhat mimics an animal’s natural habitat in order for them to express behaviours that promote well-being.

As a school club, you can learn about building small animal habitats and then share your knowledge with others. Visit classrooms in your school that have pets and offer to help the teacher create an ideal habitat. While you’re at it, take the opportunity to set up a display so that students can see how to create great habitats for their critters at home.

You may also want to share the BC SPCA’s policy on classroom pets with teachers in your school.  We hope that these guidelines will help ensure the best possible life for all classroom pets. 

William Wallace, a Kamloops man who withheld veterinary care for his 5 week old Pomeranian puppy’s broken leg, has been charged with animal cruelty. 

He is banned from owning animals for 5 years and was fined $250 and ordered to pay $558 in restitution to the BC SPCA for costs incurred in the dog’s care.

The investigation began when an SPCA officer attended the man’s home after he called the BCSPCA Spay/Neuter clinic for advice about his injured dog. The dog was found to be in need of immediate veterinary care which the owner refused to provide. 

The SPCA officer executed a warrant to take custody of the dog and get her the veterinary care she needed. 

Learn more about this and other BC SPCA news that you may want to include in class discussions online.