This poses an ethical problem because we may be causing unnecessary pain to these animals

because we may be causing these animals unnecessary suffering.Scientific experimentation,though controversial, gives us some clues.
Tests on hermit crabs show that they'll leave an undesirable shell if they're zapped with electricity but stay if it's a good shell. And octopi that may originally curl up
an injured arm to protect it will risk using it to catch prey.That suggests that these animals make value judgements around sensory input instead of just reacting
reflexively to harm.