my new octopus

naturechris

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this is my first octopus, i have always wanted one, they are THE most interesting animal in the world, (and im a zoologist!) well this guy is small, and had a little damage on the mantle and one arm, well i hope it can be regenerated quickly. he has been in the water for around 7 hours now, and hasn't moved very much though im sure he could if need be. hope you can help!
 

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Hi and welcome to TONMO.com :welcome:

Welcome to your little octopus! Did he ink in the bag, is that what i'm seeing?

Maybe you can take some pics when he's acclimated in his new tank - but expect him to be scarce for a while. Most young ones are shy while they get used to their new surroundings. He could also be nocturnal.

Where did you buy him? What species was he sold as, or do you know?

What sort of mantle damage does he have? Arms can be regenerated, but I hope he doesn't have much mantle injury.

Good luck with him!

Nancy
 
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:welcome: to you and your octo!

Are you keeping it in a personal tank, or do you work somewhere that has you keeping it?
 
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Hi, and welcome to TONMO.

Another O. Mercatoris perhaps? If it came from the Gulf of Mexico or Florida then that's your best bet.
The legs throw me off though, they seem pretty plump, and the pictures I've seen not to mention my own Mercatoris' legs were pretty thin.
It seems like a dwarf regardless, judging by the exaggerated eyeballs.

No matter what species it is, best wishes with your new friend!
 
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i bought him from a aquatic shop near heathrow airport here in the U.K, the guy said it was a small brown octopus (appears more red to me) - which meant he didn't really know..... i quess...it made me assume a .vulgaris sp. i work in a small zoo, but this animal is mine and lives in my bedroom (i would never want the public to even have the oppertunity to upset him)
i agree the eyes look a little like a dwarf, but was told would grow to a fair size 50-60 cm across.

the damage on the mantle looks like its been bitten-maybe in transport? it does not penetrate through the mantle more like a gash out of the flesh. you can see it in the previous photo, i dont think its too major. just a little worried.
long journey from the airport-almost 3 hours. whilst acclimatising he ate a little fish and saw him poop after release...so both ends are working fine. and he has moved now, dunno where in the tank he has gone, hopefully finding a den. . he has quite long tentacles and short webbing.

how long does it normally take for an octopus to become comfortable around you?
here is another photo- note: slight green irredecense
thanks for the warm welcome and the help
 
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Well, in the U.K. I imagine you can rule out Mercatoris. I don't have any experience with any other octos so I'll leave it to the pros. I'm sticking to dwarf though.

Cephbase.org has a lot of different species photos you might try comparing.

As far as adapting to your presence goes, every octopus seems to be different as the shared experiences on this forum go. It's good advice to just let the octopus make the first move.

I see the green glow, but as you can see in my avatar (Einy the Mercatoris) that's not necessarily a tell tale sign of species.
 
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Trapper, also Mercatoris, had a definite green glow when she arrived and I was almost sure she was Briarius. After adjusting to the tank, however, I never saw the green tint again and don't see any on the babies so food might have something to do with it. Neither Trapper nor the babies had (have) any interest at all in fish for dinner.
 
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Hi there - another UK person here...

Well, hard to say from the pics for 100% but the octos sold as Brown Octo in the UK trade are normally Octopus bocki. However, the blue around the eyes is really looking like O. briareus.

Any more pics now that it has settled in?

Cheers and welcome to TONMO.com Chris

C
 
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i did see him exploring last night but seeing as he is my first octopus im reluctent to disturb him too much, but when i do get a nice picture, ill post it here for sure. prob another day or two. what species do you keep / seen here in the U.K??
 
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