O. Merc lost two arms somehow...

[Amygdalan]

I'm guessing one of the Emerald Crabs (he loves eating these) was too big. Will they grow back on an O. Merc? Just curious, and should I do anything special? Over feed him, etc.? He seems to be okay, although I do feel bad for the little guy. I will be clipping the claws on future crabs

 

[Amygdalan]

PS - They are his two front arms. They lost about the same each, between 50% and 60%.

 

[Amygdalan]

Err, he probably lost closer to 35-45% on each.

 

[DWhatley]

I do disable the large claws on the fiddlers I feed but I am a bit doubtful that an emerald (assuming you are referring to a green mithrax) would have been able to inflict that much damage and would look for another explanation.

The arms should show signs of growing back as "string" coming out of the tip of the truncated arms. Watch for infection (swelling) and I would, based on personal experience only, recommend adding Tetracycline to his/her food for 10 days. You can find it OTC for fish (this is the brand I keep on hand: http://www.amazon.com/Fish-Cycline-Tetracycline-250-Caps/dp/B0002YF9U0). If you decide to try this be sure there is nothing else in it as Tetracycline is the only thing I know is safe and the cocktail antibiotics may have something that is lethal. It is hard to judge how much they get and how stong to mix it but I dilute a capsule in enough saltwater to get it suspended and inject it into shrimp. I also guess on the amount of time and have decided that 10 days seems right since you are killing the bacteria and that is a normal recommendation for humans (and killing similar bacteria).

 

[Amygdalan]

Thanks for the tip, I'll try to get them into him somehow.

So they will grow back on him although he's a dwarf? I feel so bad for the guy. This had to have been the crab. He is so much bigger than any other crab I've put in there. There are no other possible ways he could have lost those tentacles now that I think about it, unless he get them pinned between a rock somehow, though I doubt that given how small and flexible he is.

 

[Amygdalan]

On Friday I noticed the telltale signs of loss of color and activity, and the little guy died sometime on Saturday His arms probably got infected from what I can guess. I had him for about three months, and he was a full grown dwarf when I got him, so there's no telling how long he would have lasted. He was doing really well though until the injury from the crab.

RIP David Lo-Pan, Octopus Mercatorius.

 

[k0mpresd]

 

[Animal Mother]

Could have been senescent, and autophagy (eating themselves, their arms) sometimes occurs in senescent octos.

 

[monty]

RIP Lo-Pan. (love the name, btw)

 

[Amygdalan]

Could have been senescent, and autophagy (eating themselves, their arms) sometimes occurs in senescent octos.

I had never heard this. It's completely possible I suppose. I wonder if it was the crab after all. The crab was able to draw blood on a human, so that lead me to believe it could have clipped the tentacles off. Though when snipping the claws I didn't think enough of the claw surfaces met to tightly clasp a tentacle enouh to sever it. Again, this was an emerald crab (as sold in the lfs) which had a body about the size of a half dollar with claws measuring about 1/2 inch each.

He very well could have been senescent as he was full grown when I got him and had him about three months.
I felt awful when I saw him

I ordered a Briareus today that should arrive tomorrow. He will be fully grown as no babies are available unil spring. I got him froms Tom's Caribbean. He has four more I believe. Email him at tomscaribbean.com if you want one. $40 plus shipping, came to $66 for me in Florida. Let him know Ray sent ya! He seems like a good guy. Pics to come.