Fletcher - O. Hummelincki

[Tommycs]

Alright I'll do that. As far as washing your hands before putting them in the tank, is it better to just use water or to use antibacterial soap?
I have a couple questions about the frozen shrimp. How long will they be good for frozen? I got the smallest ones but they're still too big and he doesn't finish them, he eats about half and then throws it to the starfish but they strangely don't want it after the octopus has had it, is this normal?

 

[DWhatley]

We buy 1/4 pound of shrimp at a time so that they are not in the freezer overly long. Octane always ate a full shrimp so we have had concerns adjusting to the ones that have followed only eating half that much. SueNami will now eat a whole one but prefers it in two pieces and usually eats in two shifts.

I have wondered about octo spit containing something that is poisonous or distasteful since I saw a line of it on the stick Beldar used. I lost a throny star in that tank (first one I have ever lost and it was not new to the tank) but the serpent had no problem. I put a note and picture in Bel's thread but there were no comments about similar experiences.

I try not to use soap before I put my hands in the tank but sometimes it is unavoidable. I have wondered about some of the hand cleaners and keep thinking I will look for one that is mostly alcohol but have not done that yet (still rinse well though as the hand cleaner may be worse than soap).

 

[Nancy]

I had more luck feeding pieces of frozen shrimp, sometimes twice a day, rather than a whole shrimp. However, shimp do come in many sizes.

If you buy shrimp at the seafood counter, most likely they have been previously frozen.

Nancy

 

[Tommycs]

Yeah well I think he finished a whole one two days ago.
On another note. He wants to touch me. If I put my hand about a foot away from the opening in the rock (his den) he sticks and arm out and he wants to climb on me. I am just unsure if he wants to climb on my to play or climb on me to eat me. I think I'll let him do it a little later. Does anyone think this is a bad idea?

 

[Tommycs]

Well I tried again and once again I whimped out. He is showing his eyespots very blue when he reaches out for me, I simply slowly pull away. And when I took my hand out of the water he really got freaked out and hid in a rock. When did you first "hold" and touch octane, D?

 

[Tommycs]

Ok, I just rubbed my finger in between his eyes for about a minute and I touched a couple of his arms. I touched him without him grabbing me. He seemed comfortable, a little scared at times as I was but we both made a bit of a connection. He kept coming back out of the rock to be pet again and again. I think I'll try this for the next few days (rubbing between his eyes) then maybe I'll let him grab me. hopefully I can get a video next time.

 

[DWhatley]

NO GRABBING ALLOWED. Since he is now happily curious, find a spot along the tank wall and encourage him to come to your hand rather than putting your hand near the den. It may take a couple of days but he'll come around now that he has an idea about petting. Be firm about not allowing him to pull on your finger by resisting or touching the top of an arm when he tries to pull. Do not expect to pick him up and be content with petting. The only times I have been bitten has been picking up a sick or dying octopus (once with OhToo and sort of once with a merc). In both cases, there were no marks after 24 hours (none after a minute with the merc) but others have experienced cut flesh (read Roy's experience - post #5 - on an airplane for a mental laugh in our Octopus Bites thread). In my case, both octos were in their last days of life and I suspect their beaks loose strength or flexibility at the time they stop eating - again my own conjecture from limited observation ). Fletcher will learn not to grab as long as you are consistent and PATIENT. Once he understands that grabbing is not part of the play, you will both learn to trust each other but take it slowly as you are BOTH creating this game. SueNami is only now (after 5 months) beginning to accept a small amount of petting and I work with him nightly. I will admit this is an excessive amount of time compared to my other octos but it does show that patience eventually works.

It helps to get a remote firing (wish mine had an electonic one but the cord works) device for your camera and put it on a tripod. Prior to finding something to work for my camera, it was always at risk of being dunked.

 

[Tommycs]

Alright, Thanks D.
Just a little update. I was away for about 5 days and had someone feeding him. that went smoothly but my sea cucumber chose just about the worst time to die. So I fear that he may have contaminated the water a little. I'm doing a third water change tonight and fully cleaning the tank so everything should be alright. Fletcher ate his first fiddler tonight. It wasn't in the tank 5 seconds before he got the best of it. Other than that there is nothing else really to update on. Do I have to really worry about the sea cucumber contaminating the tank. Not sure how long he was in there rotting away?

 

[Tommycs]

It seems as though something is wrong, What pollutant does the sea cucumber release when it dies, and can I test for it? Fletcher will not leave his den and took the shrimp I tried feeding him but threw it back at me about 5 minutes later and I don't think he ate any of it. He will not come out to try and interact as he did the other day. I am just a little concerned.

 

[cuttlegirl]

Your octopus could just be upset that you cleaned his tank...

 

[DWhatley]

Anytime you suspect water quality - change some. We only test for a few ordinary, expected things so water can contain any number of toxins that are not on even the extended list.

The cucumber's intestines are the part that contain poison. While alive, they will "offer" up their insides to fish. Apparently cuc guts don't taste very good and the prospective diner will leave it alone and the cuc regrows his insides.

I meant to mention one little thing I have recorded for Octane, OhToo and Beldar. After they started contact they quit for somewhere between one and two weeks (continue to offer but don't chase). Then it was an everyday thing. It has made me think about the way a ceph's memory works and wonder if this is an overlooked commonality. Additionally, you have been gone for a week so he may be punishing you so to speak. Lastly, and lets hope this is not the case, Fletcher could be female. Lets hope he comes out of his den and starts exploring the tank again.

 

[Tommycs]

Alright, I think that water should be fine now and thanks for the advice. I sure hope fletcher is a boy, How big does the mantle of a full grown Hummelincki get? I am pretty sure that mine is fairly small, I'd say he should be with me a while but then again I have no size to compare him to. Oh and I just say him or he because it's easier than saying he/she

 

[DWhatley]

You bring up some good thoughts about adding a set of jounaling suggestions to help us have better access to captive animal data. I posted some photos and comments of the tell-tale third arm to the right (clockwisefrom the eyes) arm and what to look for in a sexually mature male. If Fletch is young and not just small, he won't carry the arm curled yet but the channel might be visible in a photo (in spite of Roy and Mucktopus' insistence, it do not find it easy to identify in a moving animal and only really see it in photos).

Mantle and arm length can vary heavily within species in all octopuses and we are not all together sure why. For the few journaled estimates we have, it appears females may be smaller than males but there are not enough recordings to say if there is any validity to that statement. One of the things I ask people to do at death of a senescent animal (not premature death) is measure the mantle and arm length and record the sizes in the journal.

 

[Tommycs]

D, Your always so helpful, Thank you so much for answering all my questions. It is hard for me to tell still whether it is a male or female because it hasn't really come out a lot. Today he ate about half a shrimp I may feed him another half a little later but he is in this weird defensive position. And he did the strangest thing with his eye. He brought his eye in close and the skin around his eye covered it, This was only for a second but still I was a little intrigued by this gesture. Any thoughts? And I am going to upload a video tomorrow. and hopefully some pictures.

 

[DWhatley]

Watch for swelling on the eye, that would be big trouble and very hard to deal with if there is infection there. However, you critter has shown some interesting antics and Fletcher may be experimenting with YOU. When you say wierd defensive position, was that arms up over the eyes/mantle curled backwards? I am beginning to think Fletcher is Florence.