Collecting and Keeping Pets in a Jar When you go out on a collecting trip to a pond the seashore or even to a nearby park or vacant lot it makes sense to wear old clothing It’s also a good idea to cover your legs and arms to prevent insect bites or scratches from thorns or other plant parts A pair of old sneakers rounds out your collecting outfit for most places To wade into a pond you may want a pair of high boots in addition to the sneakers Take along a pencil and index cards to keep notes on the observations you make Jot down such items as the date the time the exact spot you catch the animal weather conditions temperature other animals and plants you see nearby and any other things you notice The notes will come in handy when you set up a jar for the animal in your home They’ll also help you to understand how an animal survives in its environment Depending upon the animals that you collect you can use many different kinds of containers to carry them home One of the best containers is a heavy plastic bag You can fill it with pond or ocean water and tie it closed with a rubber rubber band It has the advantages of being lightweight and at the same time of being almost unbreakable
Glass jars are usually not a good container for collecting collecting in the field because they are difficult to hold on to and break easily Plastic containers of all kinds are much better for collecting Another useful container for collecting trips is a plastic bucket or pail You’ll be able to see small animals better if the pail is white or a light color plastic Other useful items include a thermometer for checking air and water temperature a small spade or shovel for digging and overturning rocks or logs and a net The kind of net depends upon its use Although you can probably purchase a small fishnet from most pet stores you will find that it’s not of much use in catching a frog in a pond or a butterfly on the wing To make a larger more useful net at home all you need is an old broom or mop handle a stiff wire clothing hanger adhesive adhesive or friction tape some mesh material see below and a needle and thread First bend the wire hanger into a loop Twist the hook part of the handle around the end of the broom handle and tape it tightly in place The kind of mesh material you need depends upon the use you have for the net A water net useful for pond or seaside animals requires a strong cloth with small holes such as scrim For an insect net use a lighter material such as tulle You can use any kind of mesh material if these are not available Cut the material in a circle five feet in diameter Now fold one inch around the wire loop Sew this in place with a strong nylon thread The bag should hang down about two feet to be most useful
Practice using the net outdoors before you leave on a collecting trip You’ll find that handling the net is a bit difficult difficult at first Try to make short quick sweeps with the net rather than a long wide arc Try to avoid catching the net in plants or bushes If the net does get caught try to free the mesh carefully with your hands rather than pull it away It’s a good idea to prepare the jars you will keep the animals in at home before you collect any animals for them The best kinds of jars to use are the one-gallon wide-mouthed glass jars used by restaurants for pickles mustard or ketchup Ask the restaurant man for the empties empties that he throws away If he has none on hand explain why you want them and ask if he will save some for you The jars must be completely clean before you place an animal in them Use a brush and a detergent to wash out the jar thoroughly then rinse away all traces of the detergent detergent under the faucet To be sure they are clean rinse the jars several times Even a small trace of soap or detergent can kill some sensitive water animals Let the jar dry completely before you set it up In most cases you will be using the water soil or plants that you collected along with the animal If you are going to use the water from a faucet for a pond animal you must let the water stay in an open container for at least one day Faucet water usually contains small traces of chlorine a substance harmful to many water animals The chlorine will escape into the air when you let the water age Don’t use the original screw type cover on the jar Instead use a nylon mesh or metal screen as a cover
