[katex]

Yeh, Mez .. my grandaughter mentioned this practice to me today and was cruel .. the shell is there for protection and any intrusion into this can only damage the organs beneath. There again, not as much knowledge then as now, and believe there are restrictions on allowing people to keep these creatures. Like they say "Not just for Christmas, could be for the next 100 years" . has to be a sort of family heirloom and changes to their habitat as they grow.