to kill off the sea monkeys?

[redshoesnoknickers]

DS got a sea monkry aquarium for his birthday from someone and last week I set it up and activated (!) the sea monkey eggs. All good - hatched and grew...DS no really bothered/interested.

My problem is that I thought it would be oooh look at them grow then they would die off in a week or so...my sea monkeys are so happy they are mating and having babies!! When will it end!!!?

Essentially as DH pointed out we now have a jar of LICE in the kitchen. They are multiplying. What do I do? They are freaking me out but it seems cruel to stop feeding them...shall I just chuck them in the flower bed and be done with it?

ewwww, they are horrible! get ridd

Have a little freedom ceremony with DS and flush them down the loo. Prepare a beautiful speech about animal liberties and play the theme tune from Free Willy.

Ha ha, mine lived on for over a year.... Sadly the water turned green and they were all gone when we returned from our holiday...

FLush the fuckers.

They are llice, bleurgh!

A YEAR!!! OMG!

lol at freedom ceremony! I would be paranoid they would live in the plumbing < shudder > it's a good idea though - maybe I could release them into the sea? We live really near...or would they affect the ecosystem or something?! They would prob just die right? Not develop into gianrt mutants terrorizing the local yachty types?

If you didn't want to look after them, then you shouldn't have hatched them. They are a type of shrimp, not lice. Nice to teach your son that when you can't be bothered with something you can just 'get rid'. I bet Harry the hamster would have no fucking chance.

hmm tricky one-if your child is no longer be bothered then why not just tell him you are refusing to deal with them and let him let them die-how old is he?

They'll die in either the plumbing or the sea - they are a variety of brine shrimp, only adapted to a small area of "briny" water - estuaries etc, between the fresh water and the sea.

DS was given a pack - we deliberately never put them into the tank, as I didn't want to have to look after them or take a decision to kill them

Actually Milli we have two very well loved and pampered guinea pigs. If I had known the sea monkeys would be so "successful" I would not have hatched them. I thought it would be interesting for DS and DD (both aged 5). If I did not care/feel bad about it I would not have posted

OK I am erring towards a sea release - after all they are sea monkeys Think the LOs will be fine with that - we have caught similar things rock pooling so twill be easy enough to convince them they will have a better life in the sea.

Thanks all {smile]

PMSL at lice, that's very mean!

You did say that you wanted to 'kill them off' in your original post - not release them into the sea. I thought just killing them off was pretty unreasonable, hence my post back. I think a group trip to a reasonable briny area to release them into wild is lovely.

Mine lived for ages too, and they ended up stinking like mad. Eurgh. I'm always still amazed when I see them grow from dust or somesuch stuff.

Feel free to convince your DC that you are "releasing them into the wild", but you're not. You're killing them off. Just so as you're clear about that.

Mine didn't hatch DS very upset.

It's maybe best not to just turf them loose into the UK ecosystem?! They're not a native species, so I think it might actually be illegal.

quick google... DEFRA website:
"Release of non-native species into the wild -
It is illegal to allow any animal which is not ordinarily resident in Great Britain, or is listed on Schedule 9 to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, to escape into the wild, or to release it without a licence."

DS's didnt hatch twice, i bought two lots, waste of flipping money.

What TheHeathenOfSuburbia says.

IMO releasing them into the wild here would be more unethical than (ahem) finishing them off yourself.

I doubt they'd survive, but I don't think the message that it sends is great.

BTW ours laster for more than a year

How did you manage to keep them alive and growing to the point of multiplying? We've had sea monkeys three times and they've all been duds. The DCs had high hopes of seeing them settle down into their little palace, swimming around with crowns on their little shrimpy heads, smiling and waving, just like the picture on the package....

(I don't think you can just release them into the wild either.)

why dont you give them away to someone who would like them? would school be interested? or a friend?

id have loved my DS s to have lived but they died!

call me a daft bint but i dont think i could kill them....

We had had some on the go for about 6 weeks now; they are constantly mating and reproducing.

two of DD's friends had some at the same time and there's never took off at all.

We go away for a week next week though so not sure what will happen to them then.

wtf is a sea monkey?!

Sea Monkeys-- your question asked and then answered.

ok, googling suggests that they are in fact FISH MONKEY DEMONS FROM HELL.