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octupus with eggs help!!

Hi Just a heads up. Squidward ate last night. I put a clam on half shell and she ate the meat. That is not normal. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks Tom
 
Definitely try to keep her eating. On a rare occasion we do see the females eat after laying eggs and those animals lived a bit longer. Trapper, my first octopus ate during most of her brooding and then would eat cyclop-eeze (VERY tiny shrimp) afterwards. She lived almost 12 more weeks but this is very unusual (she only had 6 hatchlings which may have played a part in her extended longevity). I attempted removing the eggs from LittleBit's den (they were not fertile since she came to me as an immature animal) in hopes that she might start eating again (rumor had it that this MIGHT help). She did come out for a day or two but did not eat and reverted to brooding non-existent eggs without life extension.
 
Thanks will do. Do not know if she laid more eggs. The other day i tried to find her nest and she grabbed my finger so i gave up without being able to see if there were any more eggs.
 
Hi its been a couple of weeks and Legz is still eating but never comes out of her den. I only see her tentacles. Is this normal. Will she ever come back out? How long can eggs take to hatch or die? Thanks for your help. Tom
 
Depending upon the species and water temperature, egg can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 4 years (or so they think). Two weeks to two months is most common for the animals we keep in a home aquarium with the small egg species having a shorter brooding cycle than the large egg and warm water speeding up hatching. Since Legz is still eating, she may survive beyond her brood cycle. The short answer, all you can do is wait and see.

Have you noticed any changes in the eggs?
 
Thank you, i have a chiller on this tank. Keep water 74 degrees. If that makes a difference with brooding cycle. Once cycle is over will she come back out?. I dont even know if she has eggs in her den. Cant see inside. She stopped tending to eggs in container and they disappeared. Thanks
 
Interesting to note that the eggs left unattended disappeared, the same thing happened to the the infertile cluster I separated from LittleBit's clutch but the ones she tended that I later placed in a bowl never changed over several months (albeit the dried out a few times and may well have been preserved by the salt).

Normally, a female will exit her den just before she dies. Since this one is still eating, you may have a few days with her out and about but there is no known good way to guess. Please do continue to record what you observe as it helps others have an idea as to what to expect.
 

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