[Octopus]: Itza - Octopus maya

[Carmen22]

Thank you for all your input, I’m so glad to have this forum for support and information. Itza and the orange little star are getting along just great! The star is in movement all the time which is quite entertaining for me, also I can feed Itza more an leave uneaten pellets and later they are gone, so I guess the star gets the left overs? I hope so... here a picture of the orange star looking for food in Itza’s today den and Itza didn’t mind at all ⭐️

 

[Carmen22]

Itza is not eating since yesterday ... she takes the pellets and “spit” them back to me ...is this normal? Water is fine, she seems happy and playful as always but she doesn’t want food
Also her “ocelo” is very noticeable now, the maya is also known as the 4 eyes octopus because of this

 

[DWhatley]

Not eating is not a good sign. Showing her eyespot a lot also worries me but we have not had a journalled maya. In O.bimaculoides @Nancy has mentioned that they show their eyespot when they eat or are excited. With O. hummelincki I find they rarely show theirs unless they are upset. I would do a large water change just in case she has inked when you were not there and because you do not have very much biological filtration and she is growing. I would also offer a piece of thawed table shrimp to see if she needs larger food as this is what they would do in nature.

 

[Carmen22]

Thank you DWhatley I also asked Dr. Rosas who is the lead researcher in Sisal ... he gave me the same advice about the water and also told me this: We must remember that octopuses consume food according to the phases of growth: hyperplasia and hyperopia...(not sure about the translation) when they are in hyperplasia they stop eating for several days, Itza is 4 months old so it’s very likely that she’s is in a hyperplasia phase.
I will do a water change and try other foods and let you know how it goes.

 

[Dana Ritterbusch]

Thank you DWhatley I also asked Dr. Rosas who is the lead researcher in Sisal ... he gave me the same advice about the water and also told me this: We must remember that octopuses consume food according to the phases of growth: hyperplasia and hyperopia...(not sure about the translation) when they are in hyperplasia they stop eating for several days, Itza is 4 months old so it’s very likely that she’s is in a hyperplasia phase.
I will do a water change and try other foods and let you know how it goes.

I’m so glad the scavenger hunt led me here. This is fascinating info!

 

[DWhatley]

octopuses consume food according to the phases of growth: hyperplasia and hyperopia...(not sure about the translation) when they are in hyperplasia they stop eating for several days,

I was not aware of a stop eating phase but the transition in rate of growth is familiar. They also start eating larger foods at this new stage, which is why I suggested trying shrimp.

 

[Nancy]

Good advice, and you might consider offering some small live food to her as well. Very small crabs or live shrimp. It.’s a form of enrichment for an octopus to hunt food.

Nancy

 

[Nancy]

How is Itza doing now?

Nancy

 

[Carmen22]

She’s great!! She started eating again today and she’s hungry Thanks for asking

 

[tonmo]

that's great!