[Octopus]: El Diablo - O. vulgaris

[Lmecher]

Looking at the video after I shot them (didn't notice at the time) he has the dark around his eyes. Annoying human? He comes right to my hand when I get my hand near the top. He is getting gentler with me. I suppose if he didn't want the attention he'd have moved away though. I have decided not to hand feed, I don't want to be mistaken for something to eat. I couldn't help thinking of Captfish's experience, that made me a little nervous at least until I get a bit more familiar with him. You can see in one of the videos his leg's regrowth, a little over an inch since he has been in my care

Are you taalking about petting on his mantle?

 

[DWhatley]

I have found two other places the like to be scratched. One is right behind the eyes (on the other side of the eyes from where you are petting) and the other further back on the mantle (no specific reference point). My petting experiences, however, have not been with O. briareus (mine have not been quite petable except for the oh so sad last day with KaySoh where she reached up and wanted to touch my hand - she still did not want petting but she made a point to gently touch - maybe even requested it - and explore my fingers on her l last day). Kooah held a lot of promise before she went broody but never was as interactive as El Diablo is right now. I think males are typically more inclined to touch and be touched but both my macropuses (one male one female) were very very gentle from the start and willing came to my hand to squish through my fingers pretty much every night.

 

[Lmecher]

My husband fed Diablo so I could Film him. Diablo reaches out of the water when he is hungry and grabbed my husbands hand, he jumped, you can see his reflection in the glass. D, who's the woos now?

 

[DWhatley]

"You've come a long way, baby"

 

[Lmecher]

Diablo continues to emerge about 6:00 pm for food. I am assuming he is trying to get my attention crawling around on the glass them swimming from one end of the tank to the other. He is responding to me through the glass too. I touch the glass and he extends an arm to touch my hand. When we have our play sessions he goes to the top of the highest rock, I put my hand in and he extends an arm and gently feels my fingers then pulls his arm back. I let my him do this over and over until I am pretty sure he is comfortable them I pet him. I started between his eyes them moved on to his mantle. He was so trusting I was shocked. I petted him for about 20 minutes. He would occasionally wrap an arm around my finger then gently slide it off. I would massage his mantle then move up between his eyes then back down to his mantle. He is so soft. It dawns on me this experience is so special, I need to really enjoy him while I have the chance. I am amazed that he trusts me so much especially around his delicate eyes. I am still feeling like I hit the jackpot with this litttle guy. I have been noticing he has grown, all of his arms appear to be a bit longer, regrowth of severed arm is just over 2". All is good in my world tonight, can easy.

 

[DWhatley]

The special ones will keep you hooked. Unfortunately, IMO it is something outside what we do that creates that special relationship and only one in half a dozen or so seem to become human interactive. The hummelincki males seem to adapt most frequently but both the little macropuses I have kept (one of each species) would be highest on my list if it were not for the 3:00 AM visitation requirements.

I mentioned not wanting to break trust with OhToo when I was deciding how to move him (I did not want to use my hands even though he would come to me if I put my hand in the tank - video was uneventful as he just climbed right into the offered container). A children's author who was trying to get a feel for octopus/human interaction asked me to explain what I meant by trust. I had to laugh at my own indignation at the request for an explanation.

Ken and I recently bantered over the worthiness of an octopus in an aquarium. He lists them with mantis shrimp as far as desirability to keep in the shop (i.e. at the bottom of the list) and one of his comments is that he does not like to touch them (nor does Lynn of IslandMarineLife). I try to explain that the ones in the Keys are firm and soft and not squishy and slimy (and feel totally different alive vs dead) but he won't hear me out. I have hopes for Kara, his daughter who is now running most of Sealife and caught Kooah, though.

 

[Lmecher]

I have been doing a lot of thinking about what you said. What makes these few special octopuses so interactive and accepting of human contact? Could it be partially genetic? I am wondering, if there are so few of them, it could be because this type personality/behavior is not advantageous to living long in their natural enviroment? One would think an octopus's reclusive behavior is what helps it to survive in such a hostile enviroment with so much danger around every corrner. This is what runs through my mind as I try to fall asleep. I may be way off base but in my little mind it makes sense.
Diablo was out begging for food at 3:00pm this afternoon. I fed him a fiddler in the bottle. He is getting proficient at unscrewing the bottle, he is a fast learner. He has been out since. We had a lovley petting session then I fed him again. (1" chunk of shrimp on this ball) He is looking at me now with an arm extended. Is he wanting to play some more? I remember D saying they do not like touch on their arms. (the outside) Diablo seems not to mind touch here.
I went to a bookstore looking for "Octopuses: The Oceans Intelligent Invertebrate" this evening with my 20yr old daughter. The guy looked it up then told us they have a few coppies due in the next several days. I thanked him and was about to walk away when he asked nonchalantly Are you planning to get an octopus and chuckled a bit. My daughter came back with "She has one" This was the begining of a lengthy "octopus conversation". i could talk octopuses for hours and hours My poor daughter was a bit bored but he brought that one upon herself.

 

[DWhatley]

It is always funny to see the reaction. Some people shrug and either think you are full of it or are just not interested, others drop their jaw. Only a very few have ever known an octo keeper and I get a lot of, "I don't think I have ever met anyone that kept an octopus in an aquarium", to which I reply, "and you probably won't meet another".

There is a very sad video about (I will dig up the link if you have not seen it) that shows a diver playing with an octopus and letting it try to run off with her dive knife. Unfortunately, the animal was having too much fun playing with the toy and the diver and a cuttlefish had a tastey supper. The video helps substantiate some of your thinking.

Octos seem to dislike being touch on the arm tops only in the initial stages of physical interaction and touching there can help to get them to release an undesired attachment (sometimes). Once they acclimate to being touched, they will pretty much let you touch them anywhere until they start into senescence and then they seem to become sensitive and will push you away from areas where it is uncomfortable.

 

[Lmecher]

I just found the octopus/cuttlefish video yesterday.
Thanks for the touch/senescence info, will tuck that bit of information away until i notice it. That will break my heart so I won't think about it today.
I purchase a few fresh raw shrimp at my local Dominicks each week. The lady at the seafood counter questoned what I am doing with so few shrimp so often. I told her I feed my octopus. D you are so right on, the responses are so mixed. She was very interested. Yesterday I was at the deli in this store. Someone came up and touched my shoulder and asked "How's that octopus doing?" I replied "Wonderful, he is loving those shrimp!"
We tried Super H Mart yesterday for live blue crabs, no luck, third trip there only to find no blue crabs. They don't know when they'll get them either, just have to keep trying. I am bummed, may have to order more fiddlers.

 

[SabrinaR]

Yeah D is totally right about people and the way they respond. I said mine was coming in today on facebook and one of my friends said I was weird, my cousin said, whats the point its not like you can touch it, but most people were like cool can I come see?

My friend who said I was weird... her mom has an adopted son, hes like 14, she said he knows all there is to know about the GPO and can she come bring him to see it.

 

[DWhatley]

Oh, I do hope the youngster does get to come by. February of last year a big sister was looking for a place to take her little sister to "take her to see a real octopus". We worked out a nice arrangement for them to stay with us and all go (including my grandchildren - yes, I am ). Fun times.

 

[Lmecher]

I had a little occurance this evening. Was an moment. I was feeding Diablo, shrimp in a bottle. I had my camera (as always) in one hand and bottle in the other. I began filming held the bottle at the surface, when Diablo spots it he is like greased lightning. I should get someone else to video because before I knew it, he was on my hand 1/2 way out of the tank. He squirted and squirted...I was soaked and the ceiling was dripping, need I say more?
My camera was wet too. I dried everything off then fed Diablo without camera. The video was crazy, me screaming, and in the excitment, I forgot to turn off the camera, video was 10 minutes long, most of it sitting on the counter. What a disaster yet funny when I think about it now.

 

[SabrinaR]

That sounds funny as hell... Not so much for the floor, your camera or ceiling but still... very funny.

 

[DWhatley]

If I told you I laughed out loud you would accuse me of having a belly laugh at your expense ... again so I won't tell you.

Tripod!

... and I think you can get a relatively inexpensive wireless remote control

 

[Lmecher]

I was laughing too after the initail shock wore off. My husband keeps telling me to use the tripod. I find it difficult to catch the action using it because he moves out of the frame. I will give this some thought.