Isis O. bimaculoides NEW OCTOPUS Surprise from my Husband!

[cuttlegirl]

I would have to agree with what everyone else is saying here. If she is not deathly gray and she is able to change color, I think there is hope.

 

[SabrinaR]

I would describe bimacs as having a mottled brown and yellow pattern that changes color and pattern (and texture). From the verbal description, it doesn't sound unusual to me for a bimac. Even patches of white are not unusual. Is she refusing food? When you try to feed her or at any other time, is she able to change color (that would be good). I suspect that you might be wasting a lot of perfectly good anxiety. I still haven't heard anything that makes me expect her to die soon.

She is refusing food for now. Though she ate when I had her in the bucket after the first escape. She is able to change color. At first it was very weak and her mantle looked almost gray with very few patches changing. As time has gone by this has changed (probably for the better) to a yellowy whiteish color. Right now she mostly has herself turned beak up with her arms covering her mantle and her mantle is pressed up to the glass. So basically shes upside down with her arms protecting the rest of her.

I have covered the tank with a blanket to help keep it dark. My kids dont know how to be quiet and with the tank in the living room I thought it would help her to feel safe.

I hope you all are right. I honestly just thought she would be acting more like herself by now, not totally back to normal or anything just moving about and hiding. If this all sounds normal than I am grateful.

 

[SabrinaR]

YAY! I just checked on her again and her eye spot is blue again! I had forgotten to mention it before but her eye spot was also yellow which was very odd to see and made her look even more grim.

 

[DWhatley]

The arms over the mantle thing is most known as a typical posture for O. mercatoris but it seems to be a common defense posture under stress for younger animals (I can't say I have seen it in adults but definitely in the young ones of two other species I have kept). One of the endearing things about octopuses is that we identify a lot of their behavior as emotion, stress being the most obvious (but joy the most endearing). There are endless debates about other critters but even the scientists have to give in (but may side step with using other words) the apparent emotion we observe.

Please be sure to continue to post changes so we have a bit of a timeline recorded on trauma to normal behavior.

 

[SabrinaR]

It seems positive changes are happening by the hour. I just checked on her and she has moved onto the rock. Her coloring is erie. She has what looks like thick black stripes running down both sides of her body. They both start at the eyes and run down the rest of her. All in all I think shes doing much better and hope that by tomorrow I will be able to remove the blanket from the tank.

 

[DWhatley]

Does it look anything like this?

 

[SabrinaR]

YES! Thats it exactly. Except she didnt have it in her arms it was just the main body and most of the webbing. I dont think it was a hunting pattern as you suggested in the caption. She refused food when I offered it to her.

 

[DWhatley]

I call that the skunk stripe. If you read more on the thread you will note that we are not sure what the look represents (some have suggested being annoyed and peeking in on Isis might elicit that response right now). The IMPORTANT part is that the thread is about trying to translate NORMAL body patterning.

 

[SabrinaR]

Sorry I didnt mean to imply that you had confirmed thats what it was. I was in a hurry when typing (husband nagging for me to get off the computer) so I didnt put it as eloquently as I could have lol.

And you are right. I was annoying her. I kept checking on her and lifting the blanket to see if she was ok. I decided to take the blanket off the tank tonight while its still calm and dark in the house... that way in the morning it will slowly get brighter and noisier and it wouldnt be a total shock for her.

As of right now she is sitting on a rock in front of a power head letting it blow on her. If I notice her acting defensive or not hiding but turning herself about like she has been I will replace the blanket to give her more time "alone".

You all have been very helpful through all of this. I dont know how I would have kept myself sane with out TONMO these last few days.

 

[SabrinaR]

I went to check on Isis this morning and shes hiding. Good sign I hope.

 

[SabrinaR]

I found Isis hiding behind the rock work in the back of the tank. From what I can see (an arm or two pressed up against the glass in the normal octo pressed pattern... if that makes sense) she is doing ok. She still hasnt come out and still hasnt eatten. I do know that she ate when all of this first happened so I am not so worried about that yet. Hopfully she will start eating soon and all can go back to normal.

 

[DWhatley]

If you have some live food (crabs in particular) you might make them available so if she hunts a night she will find something large and tasty.

 

[corw314]

I have been following along with your thread and am keeping fingers crossed. Sounds like Isis is doing ok so far from her adventures. I remember I was dripping a new octopus in a bucket, left the room for only a minute and returned to find a trail from the bucket, all around the room. She was covered in dust bunnies when I finally found her. Unfortunately the stress of being transported and then dripped and her trip around the floor proved not good for her survival.

 

[DWhatley]

Carol,
I remembered that one and noted it in the escape sticky

 

[SabrinaR]

YAY! After all day of hiding behind the rock work Isis came out at lights out. Shes still doesnt trust me and I couldnt hand/stick feed her today but I have 3 crabs in there (like D suggested) for her so hopefully she will eat. I guess we are starting back at square one but at least shes alive to do it!