my octo just got here !

so i turned my normal light in to a red light. i sat and just watched tonight. he finally decided to let me see him come out of his den. but he was watching me as much as i was watching him. he just sat there for a little bit eyeballing me. then slowly moved from a couple different spots on the rocks. he would stick one eye out and just sit there for a little bit and then change spots. if i moved to where he couldnt see me, he would move to where he could. then after a few minutes he went back to his den and crawled up inside. he seemed to have no real purpose for coming out other than to just observe and watch what i was doing.
 
im unemployed waiting on school to start next month. and my girlfriend lives an hour away. i have tons of octo-observing time. :razz:
 
:diamond_trans:"Except for the names and a few other changes my story's the same one" :tomato:. I spent a lot of nights watching for Trapper and falling asleep on the couch but it eventually paid off. Since yours is investigating you this soon, I am hoping you will have one of the more interactive mercs.
 
i got him to show his face again last night trying to grab a krill on a stick. i could have gotten it out further i think. but it already had a hold of the krill. shore shrimp and fiddlers come today ! going to try the crab in a jar trick.
 
so i did the crab in a cup with a hole in the top trick. i tried to lure him out with krill. but he would just reach down after the krill and not come out far enough to see the crab. im happy about the fact the thing has no problem with frozen food. and i guess just for reference, he seems to have no problems interacting with light around. red light on the tank but all other normal house lighting is on.
 
i had krill left over from an eel experience that went not so awesome. it ate my gf's fish in 2 minutes flat after being introduced in to the tank. so the eel came out. but yea, live food is $$ and this dude seems to really like the krill. i just shove the head in a straw and wave it in front of his den where he can see it. he has no problems accepting it. its funny because the octo will be eating one end and a peppermint shrimp will come up and start eating at the other end. sometimes the octo gets pissed and throws an arm out. but for the most part he doesnt seem to mind. i really want to see him attack a crab though.
 
Good thinking on the straw, much better than air tubing on a stick I think. What brand of Krill are you using? I have not had an octo yet that would eat it but brand could make a difference. Keep being consistent with him and for heavens sakes, give the creature a name. You might leave a crab loose in the tank once or twice a week before you try the crab in a bottle.
 
the krill is "ocean nutrition". and no go on the crab in a cup. crab was still in one piece but dead when i got home today. so i dropped a couple live ones in. see what happens. i bought a glass jar with a plastic lid. i want to see if it will try to figure a way in. oh, and i did name it, moto. but my gf didnt like the name and rejected it. she came up with some other long drawn out name. but i think im still going with moto. :razz:

edit: thanks for the convo and advice so far. it makes me feel more comfortable that my little guy is doing ok.
 
:mrgreen: i just wish he would become less shy of everything else going on around him. he seems to not care for live food. and doesnt like anything else coming near his den. but instead of showing aggression he just puts his door up. :hmm:
 
Each octo is different and there is no way to second guess the personality of District. I think the mercs may even have the widest temprement difference of all the species we see in the home. I could not tell my mercs apart physically but it only took me a few seconds to determine which one I was seeing because of their actions. My best suggestion is to be consistent with your actions and times around the tank. From observation I think keeping an octopus in the eating room seems to provide the best environment. I think that this may be because they can observe while everyone is seated, present at about the same time each day and not moving quickly about (so a TV room might provide a similar atmosphere in most homes). I have also found that the age of the mercs makes a big difference (and seems to with others as well but I have only raised mercs from birth, my others have been wild caught). Somewhere around 5 months old, they becomes less shy and more interactive. How much less/more is where the range varys heavily.

Also note that it will take several months before you will know how much your octo will interact.
 

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