Sea monkeys may be the perfect pet for a child who is just learning about responsibility and caring for a living thing.

Parents often hear their children complain to them that they don’t have a pet. Maybe they hear their friends talking about their dogs, cats or rabbits. They may just see a lot of people walking their dogs and it makes them want one too. For a child, it seems easy and all you have to do is get the pet and you live on with your happy life. They don’t always understand the work that a pet requires. They don’t realize that pets cost a lot of money, or if they live in a small house or apartment, they may not be allowed pets.

This can weigh heavy on a parent’s heart who desperately wants to give their child a pet because pets can be great for mental health and well-being, but they know that they just cannot make it work right now. They may encourage their child to look at pets that are smaller, and that don’t require a lot of space, time, or money. However, the day may come when your child asks you for a ‘sea monkey,’ and you just realized that those things exist still, but you also have no idea how it works. What you do know is that they are relatively easy, but will they work for your family?

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You may want to make sure your child knows that these creatures are not actually monkeys. According to Scary Mommy, sea monkeys are essentially brine shrimp. They are “fake” hybrid brine shrimp that were created to be able to go through a process where they hatch and grow once the eggs are placed in purified water. Once the process is complete, little shrimp-like creatures will be floating around, eating, growing, and maybe even having babies right in front of your eyes.

One of the biggest questions when it comes to a new pet, of any kind, is how much money it is going to cost. Sea monkeys may be perfect because they can live off practically nothing. When it comes to food, one of the most expensive things for pet owners, sea monkeys can live off of yeast and spirulina. They don’t need much, so one package should last you a while. They also don’t require any toys, vets, or fancy tanks that other pets need.

The last thing mom wants is a pet that her child gets bored with and then she is left to take care of it, and some parents may wonder if this will happen with sea monkeys. According to Sea Monkeys, it may seem like all they would do is float around, they can do much more than that. Sea monkeys are naturally attracted to light and if your child takes a penlight to the side of their tank, they will follow it along. If they just hold it at the side, they will all gather around. Sea monkeys also naturally swim up current, so if your child adds some waves to the water, they will start swimming against it.

When you get a kit for sea monkeys, they are usually branded as an “instant pet,” but that is not exactly accurate. Sea monkeys take up to a week to hatch, and even when they do hatch, they are so incredibly tiny that a lot of people assume they did something wrong. It takes time for them to grow, so this is something that may need to be explained to a child who is inpatient and is expecting to see their new pets right away.

One of the best reasons to own a sea monkey is that there are a lot of opportunities to grow and learn about nature and biology. There are also a lot of fun facts to learn along the way. According to Mental Floss, sea monkeys do not exist in nature. They are not able to survive in the wild, so your child will have something incredibly unique that no one can find on their hikes.

They are also not bad for the environment. If the tanks accidentally fall or get poured down the drain, they would not be able to live long enough to do any damage. Pets do contribute to the environment, so if your family is concerned about the impact this could have on the environment, you can breathe easily. Sea monkeys also breathe through their feet! They also are only born with one eye, but they will gain two more when they reach maturity. Sea monkeys may be the perfect pet for a child who is just learning about responsibility and caring for a living thing.

Sources: Scary Mommy, Sea Monkeys, Mental Floss