4-H Pets Project
See this page in: English
What you'll do
Which pets would fit into your family? How could you be an excellent caretaker? Learn about a variety of small pets, such as birds, guinea pigs, iguanas, snakes or frogs.
Topics
- Feeding
- Housing and daily needs
- Choosing a pet
- Pet body parts identification
- Pet art
- Pet communication
- Handling
- Genetics and reproduction
Levels of learning
National 4-H pets activity books (for sale)
Birds as pets (Iowa 4-H)
Hamsters as a 4-H project (Iowa 4-H)
Healthy pets keep people healthy too! (Centers for Disease Control)
Fairs & exhibits
Prepare a video, presentation or display about
- How to select a pet. Which one fits your family? Why?
- How much does it cost to raise a pet
- Origin and history of your animal
- Animal species or breed
- Health, nutrition and exercise
- What is a therapy animal? How are they trained?
- Do a service learning project with animals and report on it. What was the service? What did you learn?
County fair judging - what's that like?
Guide to state fair
Record keeping
Some counties require record keeping for fairs.
What a judge is looking for in the 4-H pets project (evaluation sheet)
Future study and careers
You could study animal behavior or animal training. Therapy animals come in many shapes and sizes.
Animal care workers groom or train pets. Veterinarians, vet technicians and vet assistants care for sick cats and other pets. They may also research animal diseases and health. Wildlife biologists and zoologists study animals and their ecosystems.
Reviewed in 2018