Just being cheeky - i read somewhere that snails can alter their metabolic rate up & down. Not sure how long they live though.

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I care for:

1.0.0 Red Eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)- 10/11 yrs old

0.0.2 Leopard-Spotted Catfish (Synodontis eupterus) -5/6 yrs old

0.0.1 Red Tailed Shark (Epalzeorhynchus bicolor) - 7 yrs old

2.1.0 Moggies - various ages

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be measured
by the way in which its animals are treated."
- Mahatma Ghandi

About 8 to 10 years so not in the tort league at all.

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Not communist... a target... yes... as most loud obnoxious people are...

I don't know why but this has been on my mind lately also. I have a huge book collection... shell collection... fossil collection... ... ... reptile collection. I'm thinking... sell it... but it makes me happy now... it is all about me... no?

It is selfish... but I really don't care about... when I'm gone. Stop and think about it... do you really care about outside of yourself when you are gone?

Ummm... they don't alter the metabolic rate... they are cold blooded... like tortoises... their metabolic rate is dependent on their environment.

Snails are often called 'estivators' - water storers when environmental conditions dictate. They seal the opening to their shells -and reduce oxygen consumption by up to 30%. Not sure that is just to do with blood temps? More to do with being wet or dry or light or dark. Frogs can do something similar by storing water in their bodies.

May have stumbled on something here though as another conditon for proper growth may be the need to hibernate/brummate?

Oh Oh!

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I care for:

1.0.0 Red Eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)- 10/11 yrs old

0.0.2 Leopard-Spotted Catfish (Synodontis eupterus) -5/6 yrs old

0.0.1 Red Tailed Shark (Epalzeorhynchus bicolor) - 7 yrs old

2.1.0 Moggies - various ages

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be measured
by the way in which its animals are treated."
- Mahatma Ghandi

yes course i do, if i snuffed it tommorrow would i care that my family are ok, of course i would care, its called life insurance.

I find it very sad that a person wouldn't care about where their animals end up after they (the owner) dies

I have already made sure my youngest daughter will look after my torts, and I have told her where I want them to go should she decide she doesn't want to look after them. I would never leave my eldest to look after any living thing, it would be dead in weeks... Well apart from her axolotl's, she seems to adore them!

Now TT, don't forget if you need anymore kids, lol!!!

Everyone who owns a pet does so for there own benefit essentially (whatever that involves). Ed's right, you can't care about something when you're dead (well I certainly hope you can't!).


Maybe my views will change if/when I have kids, but right now I'm numero uno in my life, because without me there would be nothing.

I'm curious as to why kids would chang your opinion?

I have 2... neither of which shares my passion.

In my life it's all about balance.

Without getting into religion this is not about YOU caring after you have gone. It is about taking responsibility & understanding that people in the future (including your kids) might have to pick up the messes you have made when you move on to the next life.

For example there is something called inheritance tax so when you have gone do you want your offspring to benefit from your money, house etc or to have the Inland Revenue take it all?

This forum is actually quite a good place for people to pledge their support for other peoples pets when th inevitable happens. I think the truth is we dont like to think about death but any plans you make for the future care of your torts does not reduce your pleasure today or does it?

__________________
I care for:

1.0.0 Red Eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)- 10/11 yrs old

0.0.2 Leopard-Spotted Catfish (Synodontis eupterus) -5/6 yrs old

0.0.1 Red Tailed Shark (Epalzeorhynchus bicolor) - 7 yrs old

2.1.0 Moggies - various ages

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be measured
by the way in which its animals are treated."
- Mahatma Ghandi