Octopus Health Check-ups

[qiazopus]

Hello all! I'm reading up a year in advance on octopus care and would like to ask all the experienced keepers here if they could share what are the different sorts of warning signs or health indications to look out for when observing them to make sure that they're doing well? I understand it can be difficult to describe in words but I'd greatly appreciate it! Thank you.

 

[tonmo]

Hi @qiazopus; thanks for posting!

Lesions / sores / infections are fairly common. Sometimes they heal; sometimes they are lethal. Examples:

Any one know what my little guy is?

I hope this is an okay picture. Mr Kraken also is refusing to come out of his hidey hole lately

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GPO Health Issue

I need some help with a reoccuring issue we are having with our GPOs. The last animal we had died shortly(within weeks) of getting this quarter sized sore that looked like something had desovled a small pit into its flesh. The animal didn't seem to be bothered by it. There were also small,dime...

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octopus not doing well?? why??

Hi, Im Eric Lum from hawaii. Is it possible that anemonie can sting the octopus? can this be fatal is some cases? im having trouble figuring out why my octopus isnt responding to anything the past two days. After reading a forum i thought about the hermit crab i had introduced to my 25gal tank...

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Of course, there is senescense, a lot of the Journals you read unfortunately end this way; often after the mother lays eggs. This can sometimes be mistaken for general stress, which also causes an octo to appear white or pale.

Sometimes reclusive octo behaviors are concerning, but they can just as often be octopuses just being octopuses.

Diagnosing a sick octopus :(

Hi! I haven't really been on the forums in a very long time after my last octopus, Kim Jong Un, escaped and died. I got myself a new octopus and named him Karl Marx, and he have seemed to thrive a lot. I'm almost certain it's a male abdopus, possibly aculeatus, but not sure about that. Hes been...

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Lastly (and I don't mean to suggest this is a complete list!), there is autophagy, where an octo bites / eats its arms, this is usually coupled with stress:

Do Octopuses Commit Suicide?

Do Octopuses Commit Suicide?

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[qiazopus]

Wow thank you so much for the information and compiling the forums! Really appreciate it!! Have a kraken day!

 

[tonmo]

You're welcome! There's a whole lot more in here so do dig around, and ask any questions as they arise, that's what we're here for...

 

[qiazopus]

So much octo warmth around here!
So I've tried digging around for my next question to no avail (I might be blind but I can't seem to find any buttons to do a general search for threads using keywords).

Anw I'd like to ask how do we verify that an octopus has passed away? I thought of a few but I may be wrong -
1) Unresponsive to external stimulus e.g. human touch
2) Dilated pupils
3) Loss of colour-changing ability

 

[DWhatley]

3) Loss of colour-changing ability

The chromataphores actually continue firing some after death (here is a video I recorded in 2011 but Googling, "chromatophores firing after death" will locate others).

1. You can usually observe the mantel moving (as well as the gill opening moving) if it is still breathing
2. They start to decompose pretty quickly so smell can be a clue. Additionally you may notice bristle worms beginning to feast on the outer skin shortly before a natural death. I usually put senescent animals in a breeder net to live out their last day or so unmolested.
3. Dead octos become very slimy. Some live species are naturally this way (I have notices this more with coldwater species) but many are not while alive. All are when they die.

 

[qiazopus]

Thank you so much!!! #2 and #3 are defo new to me and very useful!

In case anyone else needs more info in doing some octo health check-ups, I attached the following paper in which a very useful table of observations can be utilised

 

[tonmo]

So I've tried digging around for my next question to no avail (I might be blind but I can't seem to find any buttons to do a general search for threads using keywords).

The chromataphores actually continue firing some after death (here is a video I recorded in 2011 but Googling, "chromatophores firing after death" will locate others).

Our site Search feature is limited to Supporters of TONMO; a bit of incentive to support the community. D is correct, however - content can be found via Google... but our closed system search engine is more complete and contained to the site. We thank our Supporters, and I appreciate the opportunity here to plug the program

 

[tonmo]

In case anyone else needs more info in doing some octo health check-ups, I attached the following paper in which a very useful table of observations can be utilised

Thank you!!