'Y' IS FOR 'YABBIES'!

A, B, C, D, E, F.....  'Y'!  Y is for 'Yabbies'!  The amazing blogger, Deborah Stewart from Teach Preschool has fired up the early childhood blogging community by suggesting that we put together an  A - Z of preschool teaching.  Brilliant!  Deborah is celebrating 20,000 'likes' on her FB page... an absolutely amazing achievement!  Her knowledge, influence, support and generosity have touched many of us in the blogging community so it is a real honor to be offered the chance to participate in this wonderful experience.

PETS IN PRESCHOOL!

Okay, so when most people talk about pets, images are conjured up of something cute, furry and cuddly.  Mmmmm... yabbies most definitely do NOT fit this brief!  In fact, some folks might suggest that they are down-right ugly!  Whatever your opinion might be, they do provide an opportunity for a great deal of learning about the cycles of nature and the need to maintain healthy well balanced ecosystems for living creatures to survive and be successful.

The beauty of yabbies is that they are a very low-maintenance and easy to keep pet. 

Yabbies are essentially a freshwater crayfish, native to Australia.  They can generally be found living in rivers, streams and farm dams.  Yabbies live for 5 to 7 years and can be found in a multitude of hues as they have the ability to change their colour to help with camouflage in the wild.  They can grow up to 30cm long and weigh 350g!

To keep yabbies you need a tank set up in much the same way as you would for fish.  However, don't fill too close to the top as they may crawl out!  It is important not to over crowd your tank as yabbies are very territorial and will prey on each other if they have to compete for space.  Yabbies breathe through gills so it is very important to keep their water clean.  You will need an aerator and filter in the tank and it is important to replace the water at least once a month.  Do not allow uneaten food to remain in the tank beyond two hours as this will decay and impact on water quality.

Make sure you place gravel on the bottom of the tank as yabbies love to dig.  And it is also important to provide them with long vegetation and little 'hidey holes' as they generally burrow along the banks of rivers and streams in the wild to keep moist.

Yabbies are omnivores and will eat almost anything.  They are 'scavangers' and will wait for food to float down to them from the surface.  It is very important not to overfeed.  Add food every second day and wait for it to be eaten before you add more.  A good feeding schedule would be, small pieces every two to three days.  A commercially produced food can be purchased but they are happy to feed on small pieces of vegetables, fruit, meat and fish.

Yabbies grow by moulting their skin every three to six weeks.  When this happens they become less active and stop eating.  On the day of moulting they appear motionless.  Yabbies moult by splitting their tail along the back and then flicking it off.  It is best to leave the old shell in the tank as they will eat this to provide a good source of calcium.  After moulting, the yabbies skin is very soft and delicate so they are likely to hide away until they grow into it and it hardens.

So there you go, a great low maintenance preschool pet.  If you don't live in Australia, I am sure there are similiar alternatives.  Crawdads in the US I believe?  Or how about hermit crabs?  Aquarium pets are particularly valuable in helping children develop an understanding of the delicate equilibrium that exists in nature and the impact that man can have on upsetting this very sensitive balance. 

.... W, X, Y and Z!

Don't forget to check out the extra 25 characters of the alphabet!