My First Octopus

Day 15

Well I had to coax her out of her den. I saw some possible corkscrewing of a few arms, but then she curled them back. Is corkscrewing permenent.
 
Corkscrewing is still an iffy topic on how to define it as something to signify a problem. The only time I am sure that it signifies the end is coming very soon is along with other signs. Grey coloration, hanging on the wall with arms drooping and spiraled along with no appetite all at the same time are pretty conclusive signs. Be sure you are watching your water parameters and it never hurts to do extra water changes if you notice odd behavior (it may not help but it doesn't hurt). There are many water parameters we don't/can't check (like ink) so it is always my first choice if I see a behavior change and I step up my normal changes when I feel we are entering senescence. Does it help if it is simply nature taking its course? I have no way to know but it does not hurt.
 
Is she taking food regularly? Consistent appetite loss is usually the first sign of entering senescence in males but don't confuse it with not eating for a day or two. Females will start collecting all the loose shells and small portable items they can find and move them to the opening of their dens. They my even move their dens and then move their collection (Maya did this several times). My females showed an increased appetite at this point for about a week.
 
Day 16

Violeta continues to be reclusive. She stayed in her den until around 4:30 today then she came out to get food. She went immediately back to her den. She came back out around 8:00 pm and I fed her again. She was social this time and came from the back of the aquarium to the front and bobbed up and down and followed my finger. She stayed out for about 5 minutes and then headed back to her den. Altogether I would consider this a good day. I am going to take a few days off from taking photos of her.
 
Day 17

Monday and Tuesday's will be hard for me to report anything as I am away from the house on Monday and Tuesday. My wife fed Violeta and said that she did not come out of her den. I will post more on Wednesday.
 
Day 18

Violeta ate her typical piece of shrimp today. She was out but retreated to her cave when I come closer. She actually came out of her den a bit later when I made circular motions with my finger.
 
Day 45

Well school and work have kept me busy to say the least. Violeta is still doing great, however I am still nothing more than a supplier of food. She does like showing off in front of me. She seems to be getting bigger, which is strange because from all the posts she should be full grown. It's not growth at an alarming rate, but its obvious that she is growing. I estimate that her arms are around 5 inches and a mantle of a little over 3 inches. I'll try to post more. I'm trying an experiment tonight. I'm going to put my camera in the water and leave it there recording and see what happens.
 
As I understand it, octopuses never stop growing. While trying to research what to expect with my hatchlings I found an interesting chart that showed excellerated growth periods for various octopuses (roughly 4 months for O.briareus). They continue to grow after that but the rate slows considerably. IMO, it continues to slow as they age. One of the things it did not show that I wish had been explored was change in food intake or frequency.
 
Violeta passed away today. I was gone during the day and night to see the musical Wicked. I came home and here arms were curled up and she was laying on the sand upside down with her eyes clouded over. It happened quickly as she ate yesterday. Her appitite was hit or miss for the last few weeks. Sometimes she would push the food away with her arm sometime she would eat. I don't think I will purchase another octopus. She seemed extremely aware of her situation and surroundings. Something so magnificient should be left in the wild to live to their full potential as God intended. I'm glad I had the experience of caring for Violeta. She will be missed and was truly loved. She lived 127 days in my care. R.I.P. my Violeta.
 
Matt,
Thanks for adding the end to you journal as often it is not recorded and I think it is important for new keepers to understand the limits and hardships of keeping a short lived animal. As many as I have kept, only a very few were not painful to lose but I found that not keeping one was sadder than keeping one and losing it. I have often said that the reason I keep multiples is likey because losing them is so sad. At the moment, I have three that are close in age and I am not sure how well I will take them all passing on at close to the same time. I have a couple of friend who think they would enjoy keeping them (including my primary supplier) but don't because of the short life span. I like to think there is a trade off between living in a glass box and the likelyhood of predation or starvation in the wild. It is not something they can know or understand (especially true of tank born animals) but it is how I look at keeping them.
 
RIP Violeta. :angelpus:

Losing your octopus is hard.

However, please consider how likely an octopus is to die early in the wild. It's wrong to assume that she would have lived out her life to its natural end. Maybe, maybe not. You gave her a life in which she didn't have to fear predators and she always had good food, not to mention some entertainment from you.

And you had an unforgettable experience keeping Violeta.

Nancy
 

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