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training/taming

zeekat

Blue Ring
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Joined
Nov 14, 2010
Messages
41
What techniques can be used to train cephalopods?

I noticed that due to spending less time in front off the tank my sepia hve become very shy and ink a lot. (why o why do we have to work?):cry:

I trained my murray eels, sharks and bullheads by tapping on the window and feeding them with long pliers, so they associate the tapping and the pliers with food.

But I don' t think tapping the window is a good idea with sepia as they can hurt themselves by propelling themselves into the sides.
 
I've only worked with octopuses so I don't know how similar they are but CuttleGirl has done a lot with several (including the small bendensis) so hopefully she will chime in after the sun comes up in the US.

Unfortunately, as you suggest, I find that face time is the most important factor. The primary reason we just added yet another aquarium was to house an octopus in our breakfast room because the only available, appropriately sized tank was in a low traffic area. Getting them accustomed to hands in the water and encouraging their natural curiosity to touch seems to be another key with octopuses. Encouraging them to touch you with arms likely does not cross apply but body contact might.
 
Spending lots of time in front of the tank (and in the tank) definitely helps cuttlefish become more interactive with humans. I swam with my S. officinalis, but I had a really big tank. When my S. officinalis were small, I would stand in the tank and they would go under the arch of my foot (very ticklish). I think they were looking for shelter. My S. officinalis could recognize me out of a crowd of people staring in their tanks (of course, I was the one that fed them...).
 
I was hoping you' d chime in.
Well due to some obligations I just fed them so couldn' t sit in front of them.

I got two weeks off during Christmas so I will put a sofa in front off their tank. Right now the tank is a little bit small for me to enter, I' m about 95 kg so that would require a swimming pool...
 
My tank was about 3 meters across and circular, so when I had to clean algae off of the bottom of the tank, I just went swimming with them. Just putting your hand in the tank will get them accustomed to humans. My daughters used to just hold their hands in my tank with my S. bandensis and the cuttlefish would approach their hands.
 
A 3m tank! at home or at work?

Ramses is not a shy animal and is not at all inhibited about taking crabs from my hand. This reminds me of Thales' comment that "these guys are way different from S. bandensis - much more active, aggressive, and they hoard food!"

If I sit in front of the tank Ramses positions himself square on at the front of the tank observing directly back, arms hanging down and flashing subtle flickering colour changes.
 
That could very well pass as a swimming pool.

Yesterday just passing in front of the tank made all cuttles ink.
Going to sit in front of the tank all weekend!
 

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