About Sea Monkeys

As you probably guessed, Sea Monkeys are not monkeys at all. They are actually a crustacean known as brine shrimp. 

Brine shrimp were marketed as pets in 1957 under the name Instant Life, the name was changed to Sea Monkeys in 1962.

Initial packaging showed them as being almost human like, or I should say monkey like, often wearing crowns or carrying little pitchforks.  Many children (and some parents) were disappointed to see nothing like their depiction.

How to Care for Sea Monkeys as Pets

Sea Monkeys require special water conditioning, and cannot survive in simple tap water. They need water that has chlorine removed, and salt added. When purchased as “Sea Monkeys” they come with packages for conditioning the water and adding salt. It is actually recommended to leave water out for 24 hours to reach room temperature and to naturally evaporate the chlorine before the “Water Purifier” package is added.

Sea Monkeys are also sold as eggs with instructions and food which is yeast and spirulina algae.

Interesting Facts on Brine Shrimp

The variety of brine shrimps sold as Sea Monkeys is a hybrid known scientifically as Artemia NYOS.

Brine Shrimp have been around for millions of years, and are very much unchanged from the Triassic time.

Brine Shrimp eat algae which turn them pink, eating them is what turns flamingos pink.

Brine Shrimp live about one year.

Brine Shrimp eggs can survive two years if hatching conditions are not right.

Brine Shrimp are often fed, life, freeze dried, or frozen, to fish.

Brine Shrimp are a very unusual type of animal; they can enter a state of self preservation where they can be dried up, and can revive themselves when conditions are more favorable to life. For example, brine shrimp living in Botswana live in ponds that dry up for part of the year, they remain dormant – virtually dead, until water returns to their pond.   

Walking Stick Insects as Pets

A few years ago my husband, daughter, and I, attended an Odd and Unusual Action (in Innsfail, Alberta) in which exotic livestock and pets are sold.  We came home with 3 jars of Northern Walking Stick insects, with 3 in each jar for a total of 9 new pet bugs.  After almost three years, we had more than 300 of the little creatures. 

Walking stick insects are great pets for people with limited space (we kept ours in a 10 gallon tank), or who have allergies to furry pets, or who want a cheap and easy pet.

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In the summer we fed our pet insects leaves off our apple trees, in the winter we fed them leaves of romaine lettuce (other lettuce does not have enough nutrition).  We only had two bad experiences - once when we forgot to wash the store bought leaves and all the adults died, however a few weeks later we notice little ones in the tank, so clearly there were some unhatched eggs.  The other bad experience was when the mesh lid was not shut tight enough and a few insects escaped.  We found them on the walls and curtains for the following few days.

In addition to food they also require a water source, such as a wet sponge or damp soil.  We misted the tank several times a day.  In the picture you can see a larger adult on an apple leaf and a smaller adult on a stick.  They do require sticks so they can shed their skin.

Read more about Care for Walking Stick Insects

And another on Care of Walking Stick Insects

Read more about Cheap and Easy Pets


* Please Note in most areas it is illegal to set any unwanted walking stick insects loose into the wild.  If you have found you have more than you can care for you must dispose of them, by selling them, freezing them, or feeding them to lizards.