Blue-rings: How dangerous are they?

[Octavarium]

Interesting post Dr. Caldwell, I never knew the TTX concentration varied so greatly in blue rings.

 

[Green_Tree]

Just a quick comment that that myth may have come from the other Daddy Long-Legs. Not saying anyone is wrong but there are two. The Opilionid variety, one segment, two eyes, and no venom. And the Pholcidae, Two Segments, 8 eyes in one clump, lives in cellars commonly. There have been no studies as to the toxicity of the venom of the Pholcidae variety so even there it is probably a myth but yah just wanted to clear that up.

 

[Peter_Blomgren]

I would think the same level of protection typically applied to keeping a venomous snake would be about right. The cage/aquarium should be locked in an area without publick access and their should be warning information posted. In my laboratory the room is locked, everyone who has access to the area is instructed about the danger and what to do should an emergency occur, and there are signs on every tank containing a blue-ring. As a final bit of security, we now keep blue-rings in plastic jars with screen lids so escape is impossible/highly improbable. This way we can visually verify where the animal is before working with it.

My guess is that there is some bioaccumulation of TTX in blue-rings. It is not clear that the TTX is produced by bacteria in cultured in the posterior salivary glands. Properly controlled experiments have no been done to see if TTX is lost from blue-rings held for a long time in captivity.Until we know differently, I will continue to treat captive blue-rings the same way I do one just caught in the wild - I will assume that it can kill me.

I have written a few times about putting my hand into a shipping bag of water that contained a dead blue-ring. Within a few minutes I developed a tingling sensation that started to concern me. Fortunately the effects lasted only a few minutes. However, it is clear that the toxin can "leak" from dead animals.

Roy

I do agree with you Neogonodactylus. In Denmark it is illegal to import and/or keep poisinous animals such as the blue ringed. On that note, I find them extremely beautiful BUT would never allow them (even if I could) in my tank.
Actually we are surrounded by poisinous things.. Take for instance the botanic plant which you subtract castor oil. It contain Ricin and it would only take a couple of seeds to kill a grown man, in fact, it is the same poison used in the "KGB" umbrella assasination. No antidote available. Planting the seeds with an open cut on the finger, can have catastrophic results. I believe the seeds make great rosary beeds. Or the Nerium Oleander, which I believe growns alongside your california highways. Beautiful, but equally deadly within 24 hrs. Even the rotten leaves, emit poison if they fall into a pool of water. Antidote/treatment is relatively easy, if the cause is estabilished shortly.

Unlike the stonefish, which I find absolutely boring, my motive for owning a octo would be the interaction. As a pet, I would come to love it - and hopefully it back at me
My point is.
Most people (my belief) buy a octopus for that precise reason. But it would take a lot of the joy away to always be alert and NEVER interact, besides through the glass. I might as well view a docu. about the BRO on discovery in HD and get the same satisfaction.

So BRO. - no thanks.
Just my opinion.

 

[neurobadger]

My immediate thought on this is that you have no way of telling how venomous a blue-ring octopus is, and finding out would be unnecessarily invasive in most situations, so a blue-ring octopus is a BAD IDEA.

Unless you like the idea of being unable to breathe for a few hours.