[Octopus]: Dax, O. briareus

[TheSeeker]

Hey Sedna, great stuff! Your Dax videos are becoming an addiction. This is a trully beautiful octopus. Have you noticed him searching around the jar when it s feeding time?

 

[sedna]

Hey Sedna, great stuff! Your Dax videos are becoming an addiction. This is a trully beautiful octopus. Have you noticed him searching around the jar when it s feeding time?

Well, he does sit on the jar more and more frequently- but sometimes it just seems like maybe it’s a good place to sit. I haven’t seen enough of it close to dinner time yet to actually say Dax has the two paired in his mind. Either that, or he’s actually started to beg for food and I’m not getting it! 🤣

 

[tonmo]

Either that, or he’s actually started to beg for food and I’m not getting it!

That would be something!

 

[sedna]

Just getting caught up on posting Dax pictures. They don’t show anything special, just regular briareus behaviors and displays.

 

[sedna]

More photos of Dax, but you can see that he’s starting to hold his arms more loosely. While his colors still look great in the photos, I can see that he’s starting to pale, especially in his arms. There’s no denying that this Dax is definitely an Old Man.

 

[TheSeeker]

Hey Sedna, I watched your feeding stick video (found it super funny by the way), and I was wondering what might have startled Dax so much towards the end of the video...?

 

[sedna]

He was pulling down on the stick. I think the bottom end of the stick was caught on something on the floor of the tank. It might look like he was startled, but he was just being possessive. 🤣

 

[sedna]

Here’s the stick feeding video of Dax. As I explained above, he had the feeding stick and I’d let go of it. Then the stick got stuck on the floor of the tank, so he jerked it back.

For a size comparison, the feeding skewer is 12 inches.

 

[sedna]

I’m really not into making my animals do tricks, but I decided it would be fun to see how Dax would react to some shrimp in a toy ball. He was hiding in a cave, so I ended up giving it to him, he didn’t swim out for it. Watch in the video as he pulls the food from the ball, a flurry of sucker sheddings are released into the water column. You might also notice that his skin has sloughed off his arms in a few spots. Unfortunately, I know this sign of senescence all to well...

 

[LLynn1952]

More photos of Dax, but you can see that he’s starting to hold his arms more loosely. While his colors still look great in the photos, I can see that he’s starting to pale, especially in his arms. There’s no denying that this Dax is definitely an Old Man.

I have been dreading this. I know it comes much sooner than later, but stil . . . I have fallen so in love with little Dax and by extension O. Briareus in general. They seem like just who i would like to live with, were i able to. I have noted that you seem to have a marked fondness for them. I truly thank you for your many wonderful postings of Dax. TONMO and it's many kind members and information laden postings make it possible for somone in my situation to learn species i.d., husbandry with no sugarcoating and the like. May i ask what owners do with their little friends when they pass? If my posts or questions are inappropriate for some reason, please let me know. I don't want to misuse this wonderful source of information. Thank you.

 

[sedna]

I have been dreading this. I know it comes much sooner than later, but stil . . . I have fallen so in love with little Dax and by extension O. Briareus in general. They seem like just who i would like to live with, were i able to. I have noted that you seem to have a marked fondness for them. I truly thank you for your many wonderful postings of Dax. TONMO and it's many kind members and information laden postings make it possible for somone in my situation to learn species i.d., husbandry with no sugarcoating and the like. May i ask what owners do with their little friends when they pass? If my posts or questions are inappropriate for some reason, please let me know. I don't want to misuse this wonderful source of information. I do love the testing videos, what a great idea! Thank you.

So glad you are enjoying our corner of the internet! I used to be hesitant to document senescence, but now I embrace it like any other stage of life. There’s nothing wrong with asking what we do with our departed friends, especially so respectfully!

Personally, I bury mine. If it’s the time of year where the garden is going, I usually give them a plant as a marker. If it’s winter (we live in MI) then they don’t get a plant, but sometimes we use rocks from our yard as a marker. The passing of an octopus is definitely different than “just a fish!”

I’ve got lots of stuff posted here that hasn’t gotten to Facebook yet, I try to keep the journal current whereas I only make Dax posts once a week on FB. So, you’ll know the most up to date information on Dax’s status here! 😉

 

[LLynn1952]

So glad you are enjoying our corner of the internet! I used to be hesitant to document senescence, but now I embrace it like any other stage of life. There’s nothing wrong with asking what we do with our departed friends, especially so respectfully!

Personally, I bury mine. If it’s the time of year where the garden is going, I usually give them a plant as a marker. If it’s winter (we live in MI) then they don’t get a plant, but sometimes we use rocks from our yard as a marker. The passing of an octopus is definitely different than “just a fish!”

I’ve got lots of stuff posted here that hasn’t gotten to Facebook yet, I try to keep the journal current whereas I only make Dax posts once a week on FB. So, you’ll know the most up to date information on Dax’s status here! 😉

Thank you so much. Dax has become important to me and i do so much appreciate your kind consideration. I send my love to the little guy, he has a space in my heart.

 

[sedna]

Got a fun shot of Dax waking up, he always pokes his eyes up above his den to check things out before coming out. He reminds me of the Sesame Street aliens when he does this! 🤣

I also took some pictures of his arms, some evidence of autophagia is showing.

 

[sedna]

Another “PSA” for Facebook pages, posted here so I can keep track of it...

🐙Why should I have a year’s experience keeping a saltwater tank before I get an octopus?🐙

-So you know how to handle water chemistry issues! Octopuses are very sensitive to changes in water chemistry, so it’s important to have a good knowledge base and practice correcting water parameters.

-So you can be intimately familiar with all of your tank’s hardware and know how to deal with equipment failures and power outages.

-It’ll give you time to develop a disciplined water change and tank maintenance routine, a necessary habit for keeping any cephalopod healthy!

-It’s important to have an ESTABLISHED aquarium for a cephalopod- a newly cycled tank is not a healthy environment! Cephalopods need a stable system with healthy biological systems in place.

-It’ll give you time to research- keeping marine tanks requires a sizable knowledge base, even more so when you add an octopus! It also gives you time to find octopus sites and pages, join local fish clubs and explore other support systems for when you need help. For TONS of information and resources about cephalopods, visit us on TONMO!

***Giving yourself a year learn the essential skills and your tank some time to mature will ensure that you- and your future cuttlefish or octopus- will have a more successful experience!***

 

[sedna]

I get asked about giving octopuses toys ALL the time, and people are pretty incredulous when o tell them they prefer human hands/fingers. I decided to try some experiments, and here are the results. 🤣