Lifespan should be 12-18 months with 12 months a best guess. From observation of the other (only a few) very young briareus, 9 months would be less than expected (as far as I know, Cassy and Tatanka are the first briareus journaled on TONMO where the exact age was known but Kalypso and Legs were very, very young and both lived 12+ months in captivity). The mercs I have raised were true to the 8 - 12 month shortened range expected for a dwarf (with one living 13 months and at least one dying at 8 months).
There are things people suggest or want to do that I would not attempt but see value in trying. There are other things that do not make sense to try. Where experiments fall on the scale is pretty much an individual consideration. My own observations would keep me from denying an octopus a den. I have had very interactive animals (Monty, Octane, OhToo, Puddles, Beldar, Sisturus), very observable but noninteractive octos (Maya, Serendipity, Sleazy, SueNami, Kooah), shy but still observable animals (Tatanka, KaySoh, Wiley), a few, mostly mercs, that were only seen on rare occasions or only while senescent and a one total recluse (Creepy). All were afforded as much denning area as I could provide with different results. What would have happened if the overly shy animals had less hiding opportunities I don't know. I think if I were to experiment with the idea, it would be to provide hiding places but remove them in some way during feeding time. Best guess would be to force them in the open something like one hour before and 2 hours after feeding since this seems to often be an interactive time with those that were naturally more interactive. My tube tank would probably make a good layout to try something like this, leaving one side barren, feeding only on that side and blocking any return to the denning side for a period of time.
I think that the short lifespan, independent life style (although we are learning that this is not as much the case as we once thought for all octopuses) and lack of parents probably prohibits any real domestication of octopuses. IMO, they are intelligent for clams but but do not approach the cats they have been compared to. The one thing I do see that sets them apart (though there are a few fish that will do this too, particularly grouper) is that some will interact, without food incentive, with humans. With the ones I have interacted with, it is unclear if the physical touching is akin to grooming (my curiosity about this prompted me to asked Mucktopus if she had seen any signs of cleaner fish interaction and she noted that there has been observation of this with O. cyanea but she did not see it with A. aculeatus) or something more mental.
There are things people suggest or want to do that I would not attempt but see value in trying. There are other things that do not make sense to try. Where experiments fall on the scale is pretty much an individual consideration. My own observations would keep me from denying an octopus a den. I have had very interactive animals (Monty, Octane, OhToo, Puddles, Beldar, Sisturus), very observable but noninteractive octos (Maya, Serendipity, Sleazy, SueNami, Kooah), shy but still observable animals (Tatanka, KaySoh, Wiley), a few, mostly mercs, that were only seen on rare occasions or only while senescent and a one total recluse (Creepy). All were afforded as much denning area as I could provide with different results. What would have happened if the overly shy animals had less hiding opportunities I don't know. I think if I were to experiment with the idea, it would be to provide hiding places but remove them in some way during feeding time. Best guess would be to force them in the open something like one hour before and 2 hours after feeding since this seems to often be an interactive time with those that were naturally more interactive. My tube tank would probably make a good layout to try something like this, leaving one side barren, feeding only on that side and blocking any return to the denning side for a period of time.
I think that the short lifespan, independent life style (although we are learning that this is not as much the case as we once thought for all octopuses) and lack of parents probably prohibits any real domestication of octopuses. IMO, they are intelligent for clams but but do not approach the cats they have been compared to. The one thing I do see that sets them apart (though there are a few fish that will do this too, particularly grouper) is that some will interact, without food incentive, with humans. With the ones I have interacted with, it is unclear if the physical touching is akin to grooming (my curiosity about this prompted me to asked Mucktopus if she had seen any signs of cleaner fish interaction and she noted that there has been observation of this with O. cyanea but she did not see it with A. aculeatus) or something more mental.
The couple of times I have been nipped there was no toxin and only a pin prick or red mark that disappeared quickly. In both instances, I was handling a dying animal that did not want to leave my hand and I was trying to put it in a net (to die without being bothered by bristle worms) or back onto the live rock.
