Has anyone tried this one yet. I was looking at getting one of the gerbil exercise balls. Its basically a clear ball about 4-6" in diameter. It has a trap door about 2" across that turns to open it. It also has numerous slits for air. I thought maybe my octo would find this amusing in general and for feeding. Any thoughts or experience?

Thanks,
Scott

I wanted to use a little gerbil home thingy to provide hiding space for my octo at first, was to lazy to buy one. Sounds like a fun little toy!

Good idea! :D

You'd have to make sure it has no metal parts. It sound more like a toy for a slightly older octo, not a baby.

As to an octo liking it, I don't know. They have such individual personalities. A lot of what they like involves interaction with you. You could try it and see. My bimac rejected a lot of my toy efforts, and I finally realized it was me she wanted to play with!

Nancy

question... what toys can I put in with my Octo? I'm put crabs in a jar for him to get but we haven't gone so far as putting the lid on for him to take off.. (he's still fairly new to the tank) but I have heard of leggo etc... anything else?

best bet is either stuff that is labeled as of being 'food grade' quality or as being safe for babies :)

Someone here has an octo who likes simpsons figures so it might work. JUst try an assortment of things and see what the octo likes best :heee:

Hiya, I'd go with Joel and try heaps of different things it will vary with different octi's. we had one who liked a shape sorter, which is not the usual sort of toy we use. We're an educational facility so try to keep things natural but.................we were having a teacher free day and we decided it would be fun to have a competition between the octis and the teachers to see who could get a toy crab out of the sealed shape sorter full of shapes the fastest. Mr Henry could do it in 10 sec flat! Only 1 teacher could do it faster!

Another octi fell in love with the helping hand (a tool for the disabled to pick stuff up off the floor, we use it to lift things from the bottom of our meadium sized tanks). He used to pinch it all the time. Unfortuately his affection got a little rough and he bit through the stainless steel shaft :shock: (It was hollow but still............. :shock: )


J

'Toys' could also be shells

Someone here has an octo who likes simpsons figures so it might work.

That was Pudge, but he looked like he was sucking on it so I took it away from him.
Also, feeding sticks are fun to play tug of war with, it depends on your octos personality. :)

Go to your lfs and get one of those cleaning magnets for your octo to play with.Move it around the tank and he/she llfollow it, but it still depends on the octos personallity

cool!! 8)

... roll on late night shopping nights!! Sparticus is about to get Christmas in february!!! :jester:

Thanx guys gals and ...others.. I'll keep u posted!! :D

Could try marbles too, oh yea, make sure that the toys aren't made with copper for obvious reasons.

I recently tried a "ghost" tube. I had a clear acrylic tube left over from a previous freshwater tank. These tubes are used with ghost knifefish and eels. Neither see well, and will hide in these clear tubes. They think they are in something that is solid and hiding them as they only feel the tube around them and associate it with safety. The octo played with the 8 inch tube for a while but wasnt really sure what to make of it. It would go to one end and then extend its tentacles through to the other end. Then would go do the same fromt he other end. In the end, since it was big it kind of lost interest in it. It never tried (while I was watching), to pass through it.

:? Cool idea though.

Thats exactly what I keep wondering about. When you say big, do you mean the tube or the octo?

I plan on trying to place clear tubes in the tank for extra activity. For obvious reasons, I also don't know if it will work? Hopefully, it will. :D

Thanks for feedback.

Though the octopus is big (peach sized bell and 8-10" arms) the ghost tubes size was too cumbersome due to rock, etc for him to do much with it. The ghost tube is 8" long and about 1-1/2" to 2" in diameter.

thanks wonder if it is smaller if the otco would feel more secure? prolly what you are thinking too. will let you know cuz I am going to try!