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New octo

randy

Cuttlefish
Registered
Joined
Jul 14, 2017
Messages
16
Location
dix hills ny
Had my octo about 2 weeks maybe less. He spent the entire first day out and about intil he found his favorite crevice inside a rock now he sticks his eays out and only comes out grabs a fiddler or hermit and right back in he goes. All i see is the shell blocking the crevice. Is this normal behaviour?
 
That lower purple coraline is actually one of my hermits shells he grabbed to block himself in. If you blow it up you can slightly see him in there on the left side of the shell.
 

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Octopuses are mostly solitary creatures. Animals less than about 5 months (possibly at sexual maturity or the time they become more predator than prey) tend to stay hidden most of the time. Some will become curious and begin to interact, others remain reclusive. There is recent evidence (and some journalled anecdotal conjecture) that adult females may brood early when placed in an aquarium. Age, personality and brood status are all possibilities that may explain your octopus' behavior. It takes about 1 month for an octopus to fully acclimate to tank life. Often we see behavior changes at this point but note that the changes vary from more reclusive to more active.
 
Crazy that he just sits in there. Every so often i see an eye peering out. Just clutches what is now 2 hermit shells and i swear he is keeping them alive as i see them move every so often. I will give him the time he or she wants just frustrating as i took the time to setup the system just for it and now i sit with a tank with rocks, a cleaner shrimp and a cleanup crew
 
Patience is not an easy thing to recommend but it is required with trying to raise an octopus. Do be sure you are in front of the tank often so that it becomes accustomed to seeing you.
 
Its been a week now hes still inside the rock. At what point do i take the rock out to make sure its ok? Even have a couole of fiddlers in the tank and its not coming out. Any suggestions on getting it to come out or to check on it?
 
Is her doorway blocked with the hermit shells? If she is not coming out and not eating but is keeping the door blocked, my guess is she is brooding.
 
Wow. Only had it for a couple weeks. Yes she has 2 hermit crabs blocking the opening of the rock. Prior to that she was in another hole same rock and a do see something white hanging in there. If that is the case how or when would i kbow and what steps should i take to prepare?
 
You should continue to try to encourage eating but there really is not much to recommend. Do you have any pictures of her? Do you know from which body of water she originated? If this is a very young animal, it may just be hiding as is normal until they are more able to escape predation.
 
Was purchased as a pacific brown i believe from indonesia. Only maybe 6 to 7 inches tent to tent ends. How do i encourage eating? Not sure if it matter i have a diamond goby in the tank. Had it for a week when i found out my order was being filled and dont know anyone that wanted it. They never got close to each other but figured id mention it. Your help is appreciated.
 

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I am wondering if it is a very nocturnal species we have often seen. The second image with the green fluorescence looks a lot like Callistoctopus aspilosomatis. Look through the links in this search to see if the images appear similar to what you have seen. If so, this is a VERY nocturnal species. Puddles would only come out around 3:00 AM.
 

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