Pet Octos Gaining Popularity

[shipposhack]

I still haven't met anybody not on the internet that has an Octo for a pet, but I have started seeing them pop up in pet stores. I don't think this is a good thing. A few months ago I saw an octo at a specialty store where I live and thought that it was cool that they were actually selling one. Yesterday I went to a PetLand and they had an octo there. This one was tagged with "Brown Octo", and was quite lively. My concern is that Octos will start becoming a regular fixure, and they will be sold to buyers far to inexperienced. More and more will die at home and soon Octopus' will become endangered (at least the small pet kind). Also the generic names are bad for everyone invovled.

 

[Armstrong]

I agree with you on that once they gain more popularity, many will die because of inexperience...it's actually already happening, however I don't think it would cause them to be endagered. If anything, the fisheries are the number 1 source of getting any creature endagered in the ocean because 10,000+ tons of octopus are killed a year. With pet stores, octopuses come and go and usually aren't available year round...whatever's in stock is in stock and usually a pet store only has 1 or 2 in. They then have to wait a few weeks b4 getting another one. But the thought of live octopuses being killed out of in-experience is definately a bad feeling b/c their lives are too precious.

 

[Thales]

IME, octos have been coming into the trade forever. They come in seasonally and often they are not ordered by the LFS or the wholesaler. They come in as 'filler'. Stores seem to figure 'lets try it'. There are tons of animals that come in through the trade that would be better off not coming in at all, but I haven't seen any way to get it to stop.

 

[DHyslop]

That sounds about right. I remember seeing an octopus in an LFS about fifteen years ago, before I was into aquariums.

Dan

 

[Paradox]

In the san francisco bay area, Ive seen octos at stores for 12-13 yrs.. Its not consistent, but they pop up.. I always wonder who buys them though. That is if it wasnt me.

 

[shipposhack]

I wouldn't be as surprised to see an Octo for sale in CA like I was seeing one in KS. CA is on the coastline, so they are bound to get some in their catch, and shipping is just a few hours from ocean to store. When they reach landlocked states like KS, it gets me worried...

 

[Blitz99]

That sounds about right. I remember seeing an octopus in an LFS about fifteen years ago, before I was into aquariums.

Dan

i first had an octo in 90' he lasted well over a year in a 29 gallon tank... i had an open top tank and one day he crawled out and my mom left him on the floor cuz he was "freaky looking"

thanks mom.