[Cuttlefish]: BIG Cuttle Journal

Well, last night another of the cuttles died. Again, there were no marks or any obvious cause of death. Just failure to adapt to life in captivity, I guess. :cry:
The biggest male is still active and looks good, but tonight when I got home from work I found that the other remaining cuttle had been pretty badly beaten up. The injuries mainly look like just damage to the skin, and it is still alive and fairly active. I have been trying to figure out whether the other remaining one is male or female. I am guessing that it is probably the other male, and was attacked by the larger male. Or I suppose that it might be a female and was injured in a forced mating attempt?

Of course the two are separated now, but is there anything I can do that would help the injured cuttle recover?
 
I don't know much you can do for the injured cuttle except making sure it feeds a lot. Keep an eye out for infection.

Fighting is the biggest problem when buying wild caught cuttles. They only seem to get along in groups if they are raised together and fed 'enough'. I went through many contortions the first times I had several wc S.b to get them to mate without killing each other.

How are you attempting to sex them and what and how often are you feeding them?
 
Thanks for the info, Thales...

The injured cuttle seems to be doing better--it is more active and looks a little better.

As for sexing, I am just guessing based on coloration and behavior. Of the four, there were two larger ones that would display the black "male display colors", and the other two were smaller and remained shades of brown. Of the two that are left, I am pretty sure that one is the largest (presumed) male, but I am not sure on the second one. It has stayed tan/brown since it was separated from the other cuttle, so I am not sure at this point.

They are being fed live Palaemonetes vulgaris shrimp, free choice. I originally turned 100 of them loose in the tank with the cuttles, and there are still quite a few left. I have several hundred more waiting in a separate tank as well. I am also trying a few thawed PE mysis and krill a couple times a day, but the cuttles have not been too interested yet.
 
well, this is the last update for this journal. Unfortunately, both of the remaining cuttles did not make it. I knew when I got them that adults tend not to do so well in captivity, but it is still hard on me to lose them. But having the chance to see some adult bandensis has made me even more determined to succeed with this species. And it has been a great learning experience.
On a happier note, my three baby bandensis are doing great, and I am looking forward to seeing them grow and continuing to document their progress. You can read about my adventures with raising bandensis hatchlings here--
New Cuttlefish Journal
 

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