Eco-spheres and ants: a boon for lazy keepers
Taking care of a pet hermit crab is simple, but there are other pet experiences that are even easier - just add sunlight.
When scientists were investigating ways it might be possible to make other planets habitable for humans, they invented micro-biospheres, which also happened to be the perfect answer for the ultimate lazy pet owner.
Admittedly, the pets in an eco-sphere are very small - generally tiny red shrimps - but other than watching them go about their lives in their sealed glass ball of water you don't have to lift a finger for them.
The principle is simple enough.
After all, the interior of the glass is simply mimicking the self-sustaining environment that keeps us alive on Earth. Sunlight provides energy to algal plants, resulting in photosynthesis, which converts carbon dioxide into oxygen, and also in more algae for the shrimps to eat.
Another perfect solution for the lazy pet owner is ants. When US space agency Nasa decided it wanted to observe how ants behaved in space, scientists developed a sealed, transparent tank - appropriately known as the antquarium - filled with a blue jelly-like substance, which serves as both food and home for the small creatures.
As the ants eat their home, they create a fascinating, labyrinthine network of tunnels.
It is not exactly self-sustaining like an eco-sphere, but small communities of ants only have a life expectancy of six months, so they often die before they completely consume their homes.
'It's captivating to watch the tiny creatures,' says one ant-watcher.
'It's relaxing and inspiring, watching them and realising life can be as simple as that.'
