# Advice for a school- we want a reptile!



## sjspicer (Dec 3, 2010)

Hi,
I'm a newbie to this forum, but need some advice. I'm taking over the running of a science department in a 9-13 year old middle school. I am thinking of having some animals in the science lab- its a safe environment for them I believe and they would be well looked after, but...

I'm after suggestions on animals which you good people would consider suitable- not necessarily limited to reptiles. I do have considerable experience of keeping animals (including in the past several snakes and lizards), but my animal keeping is currently restricted to my own 2 large marine aquariums.

I'm looking for an animal or animals for the lab that would:

1. Be relatively inexpensive to buy, and fairly long-lived.
2. Be a bit unusual.
3. Be fairly low-maintenance.
4. Be ok to be left over weekends (I would take them home over longer holidays).
5. Can be housed in a small vivarium or similar.
6. Not hide all day long...

Hopefully there will be plenty of suggestions! I'm also on the scrounge for kit to help us get started, to buy second hand or just, well, scrounge. Like all schools we don't have any money at all, so any animals would be bought by me- and I'm hardly loaded! We are based in Bedfordshire near J13 in Milton Keynes. Happy to swap stuff for marine fish keeping stuff such as corals or part with some cash if necessary.

Thanks in advance for your help!
Steve


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## Dan P (Aug 9, 2010)

From what i know there aren't many reptiles that could be left over the weekend without food. The only reptile that i can think of would be a snake as they don't feed very often, you couldnt leave a lizard alone over the weekend


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## chewy86 (Mar 12, 2009)

corn snake imo. Fits all of your criteria well.


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## Ophexis (Feb 19, 2010)

Dan P said:


> From what i know there aren't many reptiles that could be left over the weekend without food. The only reptile that i can think of would be a snake as they don't feed very often, *you couldnt leave a lizard alone over the weekend*


You can leave leopard geckos over a weekend without being fed when they are adults  Only issue is they aren't 'unusual' as it were - but you can get some rather stunning morphs.
I can't think of any lizards off the top of my head that meet all of these criteria, but inverts like millipedes or a mantis might be an idea!
For snakes a corn snake may be a good idea as well - not unusual but still pretty interesting.


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## Dan P (Aug 9, 2010)

The only thing with mantis' is that they dont live very long. If the children dont mind spiders then maybe you could get some sort of spider


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## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

Dan P said:


> From what i know there aren't many reptiles that could be left over the weekend without food. The only reptile that i can think of would be a snake as they don't feed very often, you couldnt leave a lizard alone over the weekend



You could leave Gecko's, so long as their food & water was topped up on a Friday afternoon they should be ok till Monday morning :2thumb:. Not sure what species aren't nocturnal which is what you really want as they'd be active during the day when the kids are about :2thumb:.


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## Ophexis (Feb 19, 2010)

corny girl said:


> You could leave Gecko's, so long as their food & water was topped up on a Friday afternoon they should be ok till Monday morning :2thumb:. Not sure what species aren't nocturnal which is what you really want as they'd be active during the day when the kids are about :2thumb:.


Electric Blue Day geckos are apparently barrels of fun, lots of personality 
Anoles, maybe a Madagascan Giant Day gecko...

These are diurnal and could probably manage a weekend.



Dan P said:


> The only thing with mantis' is that they dont live very long. If the children dont mind spiders then maybe you could get some sort of spider


That's a classroom I'd never be seen in! :lol2:


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## LukeRutherford (Jun 15, 2010)

you could get a snake, and buy a thermostat with a temperature drop for the nighttime, Im sure you could feed it on a friday, give it a full dish of water and it will be ok over weekend... just make sure you get a vivarium lock :lol2: Im no expert but im sure someone will come up with a better answer than me.


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## sjspicer (Dec 3, 2010)

Thats great advice so far, thank you, but please keep the suggestions coming. Our lab will have a 100litre mairne fishtank set up over the next month or so which will contain some soft corals, a few marine fish and inverts, so looking for one or two more animals to keep, possibly a repile in a viv, and an invert such as a millepede or spider.

But please, feel free to make suggestions or criticise the idea! I've kept green anoles, a green iguana and several small snakes in the past so have a general idea of their care requirements.

Steve


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## LukeRutherford (Jun 15, 2010)

one problem with spiders, because of their hairs the children may have an allergic reaction... tbh Id go for maybe a corn, garter , or a small colubrid. as for lizards, leopard geckos, crested geckos .... with your tank... what about musk turtles, terrapins maybe get a nice set of fire bellied toads?


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## Xerse (Sep 22, 2010)

chewy86 said:


> corn snake imo. Fits all of your criteria well.


Exactly as i was thinking whilst reading this aswel.

Very cheap to keep, will be more than fine for a weekend alone. :2thumb:


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## Barnacle (Sep 16, 2010)

In your fish tank for the classroom, a musk turtle setup would be great  They don't get to a large size unlike most turtles and are very active. I love them


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## sjspicer (Dec 3, 2010)

Barnacle said:


> In your fish tank for the classroom, a musk turtle setup would be great  They don't get to a large size unlike most turtles and are very active. I love them


Unfortunately it'll be a marine (salt water) tank- I have plans on what'll go in it... And I can stock it pretty much for free from my own tanks.

Steve


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## NickBenger (Nov 18, 2010)

I wouldn't put a spider in there from a teaching point of view a lot of people are scared of spiders and you'll probably end up having to either get rid of it or just have a lot of trouble...

Perfect animal would be a corn snake imo, but if im right from what i've read they can't go in an aqaurium tank?...dno maybe someone else can answer that.


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## Sid.lola (Jan 10, 2008)

Foxsnake. Cared for exactly the same as a corn, mine never hides, really really friendly and gorgeous chequered pattern on their bellies. Mine was only £20 too


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## sjspicer (Dec 3, 2010)

Hi there- I know of a few schools with tarantulas and they don't really have problems with them from a "people being scared of spiders" point of view at least- any children who don't like them just keep away from them!

I would be buying a viv or suitable home for any animal we bought- the aquarium will have good old fashioned water in it for some fish.

Thanks everyone,
Steve


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## jamess& Alice the beardie (Nov 14, 2010)

a snak maybe ? or like someone else said a spider if the kids didnt mind 
let us know what you get though !


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## LukeRutherford (Jun 15, 2010)

a spider has hairs and the children could be allergic to it without even knowing, and if they were harmed or allergic to it you will probably most likely get the blame unfortunately. what about a tortoise? I know they are expensice being around £80+ but think they live well over 50 years works out like £1.50 a year buying the animal itself, the food is cheap , the setup is fairly cheap, the kids can handle it, will be cool to watch etc?


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## jamess& Alice the beardie (Nov 14, 2010)

oh yeah that was abit stupid of me saying a spider !
but yeah a tortise my cousin has one called bruce! they are great fun......
acept from when they poop on your hand in a pet shop !


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## ducks (Mar 28, 2010)

I think a spider is an excellent idea... Get one that stays out in the open. I advise very strongly against any handling with the kids - I suspect you'd already thought of that, the risk assessment would be a nightmare and the repercussions huge if something went wrong! There are some really attractive "pet rock" style spiders which the children would probably love. Well, most of them... :whistling2:


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## ducks (Mar 28, 2010)

if the spider stays in the tank there is absolutely no reason whatsoever for the kids to come into contact with any urticating hairs.

ETA - the other advantage is that they are incredibly straightforward to look after and could be left over weekends and half terms with no problems at all; depending on the species as long as you left them with fresh water you could quite possibly leave them for the easter and christmas holidays too - popping in once to check up on them might be an idea, but if you get an adult, two weeks without feeding is not an issue at all.


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## alspider (Jul 19, 2009)

ts are boring though (sorry to offend people) but collectivley between l parahybana,g rosea,and p regalis if they have moved a foot within a month id be suprized.we had the p regalis at work for a while as the managers thought it was a empty tank because it was always hiding.as said though easy and cheap to care for


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## Janine00 (Sep 20, 2008)

Fire bellied toads are quite active during daytime, and can be quite fun to watch... they chase a little digi penlight like mad things.... also good to watch feeding... could have a half land half water set up for them in a smallish tank, would be fine over weekend without food as long as well fed rest of time.

My western hognose snake is extremely active a fair amount of the daytime and a great character.... hisses like a steam train if not feeling very sociable... however, if you wanted students to handle, could be a problem, as they are mildly venemous (risk assessment nightmare)!!

Not sure but I believe most millipedes etc can also pack a nasty bite so may be best staying away from them. Don't do spiders, so don't have an opinion on them.

Leo's sleep all day... beardies need a bigger set up and are fairly expensive to keep food and electric wise, although both are generally ok with being handled.

Corns are fairly well bomb proof most of the time and some are fairly active in the day, but no snake really likes being handled, but most tolerate it very well... all down to the individual snake though. Also, very cheap to buy and keep and long lived... with the right set up, could be a winner... just don't forget the viv lock!


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## ducks (Mar 28, 2010)

I am now off to find out about fire bellied toads, they sound brilliant.


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## LukeRutherford (Jun 15, 2010)

fire-bellied toads are awsome, would be great for the kids aswell.


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## Shellsfeathers&fur (Jan 18, 2009)

FBTs are fun and good to watch, but they are very good escape artists. :devil:You have to make sure the lid is fixed down. The babies we have have a glass tank lid with extra weights on as they can get out of the smallest of spaces, and the adults have a weighted down mesh lid.


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## sjspicer (Dec 3, 2010)

Popped into a reptile place today in Cambridge and had a good chat with a very knowledgeable fellow there- will probably be going for a pair of corn snakes in a suitable viv. Hoping to set up the viv over the Xmas break and introduce the hatchling/s soon after.

May also go for another tank at some point, but two is enough to start with (the marine fish tank in one lab and the viv in the other).

Thanks for your help and advice- if you have any other suggestions please do post as I will be checking back... 

Best wishes,
Steve


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## LukeRutherford (Jun 15, 2010)

don't house 2 corns together mate, I wouldnt , co-habiting is not a good idea, one cornsnake would be fine but when the corns get older they will need their own room.


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## jamess& Alice the beardie (Nov 14, 2010)

yeah that is true but wont they be okay to start off with and then need to be seperated in about 18 months ?


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## sjspicer (Dec 3, 2010)

The plan is probably to get one fairly small hatchling and see how it goes, and then introduce a second snake, in its own viv, but put together for a bit of nookie so we can raise hatchlings. Thats a long way off though. Starting slow.... With just one snake.

Steve


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## jamess& Alice the beardie (Nov 14, 2010)

oh right i understand now !
my freind has a corn called katy and they are really good 
when being handled they never stop moving!!! 
Good Luck anyway :2thumb:


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## grannykins (Oct 9, 2006)

I think you are right to go for corns - there are so many colours to choose from too. Sounds like the kids are going to have a cool science department!


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## jamess& Alice the beardie (Nov 14, 2010)

i know i wish my school had that!
:thumb:


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## Mal (Jul 22, 2007)

Its nice to see that a school is allowing such a project. I offered a setup to my sons school and they wouldnt entertain the idea. They had too many concerns about regulations, health and safety etc. The educational value of the idea was lost in the red tape. Well done for being proactive and setting up something that the kids can gain so much from.

One idea springs to mind. Do you have a local reptile shop ? It might be worth having a word with them and asking if they would sponsor such a project. That way you may be able to get equipment, housing etc free or at a very discount price. If you kept something that you could actually breed you would have the opportunity to let the kids see the full life cycle of the reptile you choose. If you did get a shop to sponsor you any hatchlings you raise could be offered back to the shop.

In regards to animals, the smaller diurnal geckos tend to be fast and wouldnt allow much opportunity for handling. Crested Geckos, Gargoyle Geckos, Leopard Geckos and African Fat Tails would do well. Although they are nocturnal they do tolerate being disturbed in the day. Often you will see them basking out of their hides on warm days when they are settled in.

Snakes such as Corns or Royal Pythons would also be a good option. 

As others have said, a lockable viv is an essential. You may have to write a strict protocol in regards to handling the reptiles with an emphasis on hand disinfection and prevention of Salmonella. Most of these animals would be fine over the weekend. However you may have problems in the winter. Many schools turn the heating down very low at weekends. In winter the ambiant temps may get dangerously low. If the school had a powercut at the weekend in winter it could easily result in fatalities that wouldnt be noticed till the monday morning.

What ever you choose, I hope its a real success. The educational value of reptiles makes them a very worthwhile class room projects. You can use them as living examples to talk about adaptation, habitat, conservation, reproduction and even basic genetics. The kids in your class are very lucky to have such a forward thinking science teacher.


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## Reptilover (Jan 15, 2007)

sjspicer said:


> I'm looking for an animal or animals for the lab that would:
> 
> 1. Be relatively inexpensive to buy, and fairly long-lived.
> 2. Be a bit unusual.
> ...


I would say there are very few reptiles that meet all of the above specifications, as reptiles in general require additional/expensive care - as you would know with your past care. However, saying that, plenty of species of snake would be able to be left alone over weekends. Or you could even look into acquiring some other exotic/unusual pet, such as Giant African Land Snails, or even a Tarantula, generally cheap, unusual, easily maintainable, small setup and can be left over on a weekend. Plus, regarding the not hide all day long requirement, look into getting a species that is more of a display animal, that spends most of its time out in the open. 

Best of luck, and I wish my teacher was just as great as you, as our Science department has very few animals. 

:2thumb:


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## Supern3 (Oct 26, 2010)

Never had nout like this is my schools in south wales. Brilliant idea! 
Im 20 and just learning about the rep topics etc.
Wish id known as a youngster though..


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## bothrops (Jan 7, 2007)

alspider said:


> ts are boring though (sorry to offend people) but collectivley between l parahybana,g rosea,and p regalis if they have moved a foot within a month id be suprized.we had the p regalis at work for a while as the managers thought it was a empty tank because it was always hiding.as said though easy and cheap to care for


That's 'cos you've got the two most 'pet rock' spiders that exist (though I too keep all three of the above species! - TBH I'm suprised your para is so inactive - mines the most active spider I have)...still they're all better than my 'pet hole' spiders (starburst bab, cobalt blue)...






Janine00 said:


> Not sure but I believe most millipedes etc can also pack a nasty bite so may be best staying away from them. Don't do spiders, so don't have an opinion on them.


It's the centipedes that have a nasty bite and are a no-no. Millipedes make an excellent classroom pet.






OP - 

Things I have personally kept in my classrooms

Goldfish
Numerous stick insects
Maclays Spectre
various mantids
Hissing Cockroaches
Giant Millipedes
Giant African Land snails
assorted fruit beetles (great for life cycle stuff) 
Rats
painted lady caterpillar (and subsequent life stages!)
tadpoles (and subsequent froglets!)


Things I have seen kept in classrooms

corns
royals
bearded dragon
chile rose tarantula
Mexican Red knee tarantula
rabbit
anoles
guinea pig


Things I have taken into the classroom

Boa constrictor
corns
kings
milks
chile rose
mexi red knee
parahybana
atlas beetles
millipedes
roaches
GALS
sticks
African Pygmy Hedgehog
Beardies



However, now I have moved to FE/HE college teaching I have (literally) a whole zoo as a classroom rather than making my classroom into a zoo:2thumb:


Points to note

- cold weekends and power savings shut downs
- livefood feeders - can be expensive (lizards eat a lot - spiders eat very little, but you still have to buy a full box of crics (economical to feed spider if you also have a lizard or two, but not to feed a spider alone (unless you can get it onto locust that can be bought individually, or you have a student/parent that will always have a box or two of livefood knocking around the house!)
- stick insects breed like billy-o, can be sold off to pupils and are free to feed! (I went with a 'job lot' of mixed ones from www.virginiacheeseman.co.uk )

- If you go with the snake, feed it at the beginning of the week, not the end so that if it doesn't eat, or regurges, you won't have a horrible, rotton stinking carcass to deal with first thing monday morning!

- viv locks are your best friend!


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## bothrops (Jan 7, 2007)

Steve - pm me your email address. I have a pack of info regarding keeping animals in schools including a few CLEAPS pdf's, a pdf entitled 'Animals in Education' published by the NUT, and about twenty species caresheets for ideas!
The original zip folder was produced by Ashley Loynton according to the readme file, but I don't know who he is, or where I originally stole it from!


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## Supern3 (Oct 26, 2010)

How lucky are these kids gonna be!?!?


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## welshdai (Apr 21, 2009)

hay. im a teacher in a 11-19 all boys school. Have a few animals in the class room
2x 200 litre fish tanks
red trap door spider
fantasy horned frog
cranwell horned frog
madagascan ground gecko
leopard geckos
bearded dragons
corn snakes x 8
albino pygmy hedge
crested geckos
axolotls
scorpion
giant hermit crabs
2x royal pythons
umm and prob some more. some pics on Home - eyleslizards

There is a lot of red tape about safety, but there are ways around it. 
It is expensive, it is hard work, and does involved trips to the school during the hols every other day. 
Positives.... Pupils love it, changes atmosphere of the class and gives the chance for pupils to get over fears of animals. 

i wouldnt mind getting a copy of those cleaps forms if possible though. always handy to have extra 
cheers
welshdai


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## Pauline (Aug 3, 2006)

I would suggest a western hognose snake as they are diurnal (active in daytime). Or better still a Russian ratsnake as they are very inquisitive and also tolerate colder temperatures so no worries if the boiler fails in fact mine have no heat in their viv.


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## bothrops (Jan 7, 2007)

welshdai said:


> hay. im a teacher in a 11-19 all boys school. Have a few animals in the class room
> 2x 200 litre fish tanks
> red trap door spider
> fantasy horned frog
> ...


:lol2: - you got any room left for the students?: victory:

chuck me your email and I'll send you the zip folder!:2thumb:


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## sjspicer (Dec 3, 2010)

Started to get the bits and pieces I need to set up my first viv! I've got the feeling it'll be more than one though...

Steve


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## pandamonium (Sep 25, 2009)

I was just about to say what a stunning idea we're fairly local and have a corn I would have happily donated to such an awesome cause  hope it all goes well


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## sjspicer (Dec 3, 2010)

pandamonium said:


> I was just about to say what a stunning idea we're fairly local and have a corn I would have happily donated to such an awesome cause  hope it all goes well


Looking good so far- got permission from Herr Headteacher, picked up viv- but really got the bug and searching through Fleabay for other vivs. Planning on copying the leopard gecko breeding programme as used by Lewis School Pengam! Also breeding corns, so will be on the scrounge in a few months for another corn to pair up with the first one kindly donated already (details will be on our school website soon...). 

An on the lookout for vivs of any size and any suitable kit, to help with our project- just PM if anyone has anything to donate. We aren't proud...

Steve


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## LukeRutherford (Jun 15, 2010)

ah why can;t you work at my school lol, hope it all goes well, im sure if you put a wanted ad on the classified here and explaind about you needing donations for your cause people might donate or sell you some old kit for cheap? and post the link to this thread so they can see all about your school project - just an idea!


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## Sid Sidgwick (Nov 21, 2010)

Im a teacher in a BESD school that caters for educating both primary and secondary students and have recently got a beardie for the classroom and what a great addition this has been, the kids love it and most lessons now end up with some sort of discussion about beardie's lives and their natural habitat.

They are hard work, in school everyday (twice) for feeding and comes home on the hols but the cost both financially and time wise is worth it.

I would probably advise something that requires less time to look after but anything will be a good talking point in the classroom.

Bothrops could you send me the CLEAPS and other forms please 

Thanks


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## BenjaminBoaz (Jan 6, 2006)

RutherfordReptiles said:


> you could get a snake, and buy a thermostat with a temperature drop for the nighttime, Im sure you could feed it on a friday, give it a full dish of water and it will be ok over weekend... just make sure you get a vivarium lock :lol2: Im no expert but im sure someone will come up with a better answer than me.


You do not have to provide a night drop for snakes- in fact your snake is more likely to feed better if you don't.


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## bothrops (Jan 7, 2007)

Sid Sidgwick said:


> Im a teacher in a BESD school that caters for educating both primary and secondary students and have recently got a beardie for the classroom and what a great addition this has been, the kids love it and most lessons now end up with some sort of discussion about beardie's lives and their natural habitat.
> 
> They are hard work, in school everyday (twice) for feeding and comes home on the hols but the cost both financially and time wise is worth it.
> 
> ...


No probs - send me your email and I'll chuck it over via wetransfer.com:2thumb:


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