Whats everyones take on sea monkeys? ( or brine shrimp) These animals are freeze dried and packaged and sold.... u add them to water and 24 hrs later.... u get seamonkeys... does this just strike anyone else as being wrong??

No more than walking on lawn does.

depends whether they are just bacteria or are capable of feeling pain (not sure exactly). But there is a difference between walking on grass and accidentely killing an insect and deliberetely harming one.

Yah, I agree that it's wrong. Taking any living being out of its natural habitat for our entertainment/jollies is not very nice. If you think about it, it applies to the entire pet industry (fish in aquariums, birds in cages, hamsters in tanks, etc).

With domesticated animals (dogs, cats), I may make an exception, because I don't exactly know what their "natural habitat" is anymore.

Btw, I'm pretty sure no one goes out of their way to take grass out of its natural habitat, so I don't see the connection there.

they're nt bacteria... they are a kind of shrimp

"The life cycle of Artemia begins from a dormant cyst that contains an embryo in a suspended state of metabolism (known as diapause). The cysts are very hardy and may remain viable for many years if kept dry."
ut.water.usgs.gov/shrimp

It looks like the drying process is part of the natural life-cycle for these animals. Even so, that doesn't mean it's appropriate to have them resusitate, live and die in a child's glass jar.

Even if it is (almost) a natural process for them it's still not right. Humans do not have any right to interfere with any kind of animals life. Especially when the person who gets them will most likely just kill them anyway.

Although the mental capacity of brine shrimp is likely limited, sea-monkey kits do encourage kids to look at living creatures as toys. There are even watches and baubles which allow kids to "wear" their live shrimp.
Sea monkeys were even included on VH1's "100 Greatest Toys" countdown, which pretty much cements the way they are popularly viewed.

i dunno, i think it's no more wrong then owning a goldfish (or something of the like). i used to own these things called triops... they're kind of like brine shrimp, except they grow pretty big and end up being canabalistic. no matter what the case is, you are giving them life.

depends whether they are just bacteria or are capable of feeling pain (not sure exactly). But there is a difference between walking on grass and accidentely killing an insect and deliberetely harming one.

who said anything about insects?

i used to own them but i didnt actually think they were 'real' creatures. i thought they were just sort of invented out of bacteria :S

i dunno. i wouldnt own them again.

I had them as a kid and treated them as you would any pet.
I mean if it is so wrong to have those in a glass tank then one might say it is wrong to have a cat or a goldfish.

I had them as a kid and treated them as you would any pet.
I mean if it is so wrong to have those in a glass tank then one might say it is wrong to have a cat or a goldfish.

its more of the fact that they are packaged and manufactured. you wouldnt do that to a goldfish or a cat.

its more of the fact that they are packaged and manufactured. you wouldnt do that to a goldfish or a cat.
You have obviously not seen how gold fish are shiped to places like wal mart, they are indeed packaged and there is little differance between being freeze dried and in a envelope and being alert and in a cage or plastic baggy.
Either way it is still storage and shipment.

Brine shrimps natural life cycle is to be in that dormant state it is a survival tactic so techincly them being is suspended animation is not cruelty it is part of thier natural life cycle, and having them in your home were you feed and play with them is no differant than having a pet gold fish.

there is little differance between being freeze dried and in a envelope and being alert and in a cage or plastic baggy.

right . . .

You do understand that the suspended animation shrimp are unhatched eggs right? It is not the adult or even infant creature.

Not to mention that the average person has no idea how to raise a goldfish. Most people raise them in a bowl or jar, which is about 10 gallons not enough space for them. I'm always amazed when someone says, "My Goldfish lived 3 years!!11!!", like that's an accomplishment, instead of what it really is, which is the reduction of the goldfish natural lifespan by 15 years plus.

So goldfish in their natural habitat live 15 years on average? Do they not have natural predators or something?

In the wild, they can be found as old as 25 or 30, supposedly, and in captivity, as old as 10 or 15, or so I've read. I have a 7 year old feeder myself. The thing about goldfish is that in the wild, they live in very large ponds, while in most homes, they get a half gallon at most, and essentially live in their own waste materials. They produce ammonia at a rapid rate, and it causes their bodies to exist under extreme stress, and they burn out and die really fast (3 years or so).

I have goldfish myself but I keep mine a garden pond in my backyard , most indoor tanks do not have the ecosystem they need to live very long, they really need plant life in the water as well as other creatures like scavengers to help with waste.

But I agree most goldfish that live as pets are not cared for properly even by well meaning people.

What age they can be found says little to nothing of their chances at making it that far.

What age they can be found says little to nothing of their chances at making it that far.

Of course that is true. In fact it's probably total nonsens, and we should all start raising our fish in coffee cups.

After all, even though my life expectancy as an American male is 72 or something, I might get stabbed by an argumentative message board poster, in which case the statistic means nothing.

;)