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Female octopus about to brood

  • Thread starter Deleted member 14033
  • Start date
D

Deleted member 14033

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Alright so I want to start of by saying I am fairly confident in what is going on, I just want a second or third opinion. So right now I am dealing with a female bimac octopus who I believe is about to start brooding. Over the course of a short period of time she has started to not interact with me, she wonders around alot, she does not show interest in food but she still takes it. This morning was the first time I noticed left overs. Honestly her behavior reminds me of a male nearing his end. She is most definitely a female though (No hectocotylus/enlarged suckers) and you can definitely see in the back end of her mantle that she is developing.
I just want to know if this is what I think it is. She was a pretty good size when I her, and now her arm span is probably close to two feet. Probably under but is is hard to tell.
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Its hard to know for sure until she actually lays eggs. Does she have a proper den where she would be comfortable laying? Typically when I see brooding behavior is when I start to expect eggs (spending a lot of time out of sight, not leaving the den very much, etc.) You may want to provide her with a few more sheltered and comfortable places where she would be able to put her clutch.

What temperature is your tank and what is your light cycle right now? Those two things could be key to triggering laying behavior when she is at this age. Also, how long have you had her? She may not have fertilized eggs if she wasn't mated before you obtained her, which could delay or cause her to skip laying eggs entirely.
 
The light one is new to me actually thatnk you for that. I have never really kept a light schedule exact. I have never had or heard of a female skipping egg laying regardless of having mated so that is new to me as well. I am assuming not very common though. She looks like she moved her settiling area. She used to pull a rock to the front corner of the tank and sit in the corner with it. Now she has moved to the back. I think she might actually be ready. Could be wrong though.

I have only had her since February 5th this year. She was a good size when I got her too.
She is still eating just not as much. She usually doesn’t leave left overs, but she has been lately.
I am fully prepared for the inevitable. I know from experience how this goes. I have just never had one do this.
Thank you for your reply
 
Ok new update. She laid a clutch of eggs. One dangling bundle, then a some time later, I think she ate them... at least I think she did I could be wrong. She had laid them up on the glass.
 

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