Are you a pet expert?

1. What makes a snake’s eyes so unique?a) They are different colours depending on the

type of snakeb) They have no eyelidsc) They can see in the dark

Snakes have a clear scale over their eyes to protect them – this is called a spectacle.

2. How much stronger is a cat’s sense of smell than a human’s?a) 10 times strongerb) 50 times strongerc) 100 times stronger

Cats use their great sense of smell (as well as their good eyesight and hearing) to find prey, but they can also use their sense of smell to communicate with each other.

3. What defence mechanism do some lizards use when they are in danger?a) Running awayb) Shedding their tailc) Spitting at their enemy This is called autotomy and the tail will

wriggle on the ground to distract a predator. The tails have special blood vessels which seal quickly to stop the lizard losing blood. Most lizards will re-grow their tail, but crested geckos won’t.

4. Can tortoises swim?a) Yesb) Only in salt waterc) No Tortoises can’t swim – but turtles and

terrapins can.

5. What is a male rabbit called?a) A boyb) A buckc) An alpha A female rabbit is called a doe!

6. Where do hamsters store food?a) In their nestsb) In their cheek pouchesc) In their stomachs Hamsters will search for food, store it in

their cheek pouches and take it back to their homes (also called burrows) to eat later.

7. What animal does the word feline describe?a) Dogsb) Snakesc) Cats Canine is the word that can describe dogs.

Serpentine can describe snakes.

8. What happens if a salamander loses its tail?a) It grows a new oneb) It can’t ever mate againc) It can no longer survive in the wild They can also re-grow lost legs, but it takes a

long time.

9. What is the name for a female hamster?a) A doeb) A pridec) A ransomA male hamster is called a boar!

This quiz is designed for you to read out in your unit meeting. Girls can write their answers down, or you could make it more active (if it’s appropriate for the girls in your unit) by setting up three bases called A, B and C, and asking them to run to the right one for each answer.

It’ll take around 20-30 minutes to finish the quiz. The right answers to each question are bold and underlined.

10. What makes a great snack for a guinea pig?a) Chocolate buttonsb) Sawdustc) Fresh herbs Guinea pigs like a high-fibre diet that contains

lots of roughage, so tasty herbs like parsley are a great treat.

11. Why do hedgehogs have spines?a) They use them as a defence to protect

themselves from predatorsb) It helps them to navigate through the

undergrowthc) It makes them harder to spot The spines are made of hair which has high

levels of something called keratin, making them super-strong.

12. Why can some dogs find it hard when a new dog comes to live with them?a) They see their home as their patch and

want to defend itb) They don’t want anyone else to play with

their ownersc) They don’t think there will be enough food for

them both Dogs have unique characters and some

will be more accepting of new dogs than others.

13. What does it mean if your cat likes to lick you?a) It thinks that you’re one of its familyb) It thinks that you’re dirtyc) It doesn’t like you Grooming is an essential part of a cat’s day!

They can sleep for over 13 hours a day (not all at once!) and will spend lots of time keeping their coat in tip-top condition.

14. Which of the following foods is dangerous to dogs?a) Carrotsb) Eggsc) Chocolate Chocolate contains a chemical called

theobromine which dogs can’t break down as fast as humans can. Carob-based dog chocolates are safe for them to eat.

15. How many adult Syrian hamsters should you keep in one cage? a) Oneb) Twoc) Four Syrian hamsters like to be alone. Once they

get a bit older they become protective of their territory and don’t want to be around another.

How did your girls do?You can ask your girls how they did and read out the profiles below!

0-5 right answers: pet newbieYou’ve made a great start. With a bit of help you could be well on your way to being a pet expert!

6-10 right answers: pet loverYou’re on the right track but you’ve still got a bit to learn. If you keep it up, you’ll be a pet expert in no time!

11-15 right answers: pet expertWow! You really know your stuff: your impressive pet knowledge is fantastic!

Your girls can keep learning at a My Pet Pals workshopWhether your girls are pet newbies or you’ve got a unit full of pet experts, why not take them along to a free My Pet Pals workshop at Pets at Home? Your girls will learn about the five welfare needs of pets and find out more about how they can take care of animals responsibly. Plus, they’ll have a great ‘hands on’ experience, as they’ll be able to have a go at handling some of the animals.

Find out more at girlguiding.org.uk/petsathome

16. Rabbits can be described as ‘crepuscular’ – but what does this mean?

a) They only sleep during the night

b) They’re most active at dawn and duskc) They only sleep during the day

Rabbits spend much of the daylight hours underground in their homes, which are called warrens.

17. How does a chameleon’s sticky tongue help it out in the wild?

a) It helps them to grip onto surfaces when climbing

b) It makes it much easier for them to catch insects

c) It can hold water to help keep them hydrated

A chameleon’s tongue has sticky saliva, about the consistency of honey. There’s also a flap on the end which partially wraps around the insect.

18. Tarantulas have special hairs to smell the air – but where are these special hairs?

a) On their legsb) In their stomach

c) In their eyes

They use these hairs to taste their prey to make sure it’s edible. They also have special hairs on their legs that they use to hear!

19. What does a chinchilla like to bathe in?

a) Water

b) Mud

c) Dust Chinchillas come from a very dry, but very

cold, climate. Their fur isn’t waterproof so they clean it by having baths in dust to absorb grease and oils.

20. Where can you still find gerbils in the wild?

a) Hot parts of Africa, Asia and the Middle Eastb) Australia

c) South America

Gerbils are adapted to this hot, dry climate, and they hide in burrows during the hottest parts of the day.

21. What is a neon tetra?

a) A small lizard

b) A type of tarantula

c) A type of fish These fish are native to South America, with

a neon blue stripe on their sides above a silver belly with a red stripe.

22. What colour do some stoats turn in the winter?

a) Red, as this fur helps to keep them warmer

b) White, to help them hide in the snowc) Black, so they lose less heat from their

bodies

They don’t hibernate so need to be camouflaged from both their prey and predators.

23. How many eggs can a female flea lay in one day?

a) 50b) 70

c) 100

That means that during a flea’s lifetime, which can be up to 100 days (if they have lots of food available), it could lay 50,000 eggs!

Take it furtherThese questions are a little bit trickier and are designed for older girls. You can add them on to the questions above to extend the fun!

Are you a pet expert?

How did your girls do?You can ask your girls how they did and read out the profiles below!

0-8 right answers: pet newbieYou’ve made a great start. With a bit of help you could be well on your way to being a pet expert!

9-17 right answers: pet loverYou’re on the right track but you’ve still got a bit to learn. If you keep it up, you’ll be a pet expert in no time!

18-25 right answers: pet expertWow! You really know your stuff: your impressive pet knowledge is fantastic!

Your girls can keep learning at a My Pet Pals workshopWhether your girls are pet newbies or you’ve got a unit full of pet experts, why not take them along to a free My Pet Pals workshop at Pets at Home? Your girls will learn about the five welfare needs of pets and find out more about how they can take care of animals responsibly. Plus, they’ll have a great ‘hands on’ experience, as they’ll be able to have a go at handling some of the animals.

Find out more at girlguiding.org.uk/petsathome

24. What food do leopard geckos live on?

a) Salad

b) Biscuits

c) Insects They love to eat all sorts of insects! Pet

leopard geckos thrive on crickets, cockroaches, locusts and mealworms.

25. How many years have fish been around?

a) Over 450 million yearsb) 100 million years

c) 10 million years

Jawless fish related to species like lampreys and hagfish evolved over 500 million years ago. The type of fish that are most common today evolved over 400 million years ago, and became the most common type around 250 million years ago.