[Octopus]: Sylvester

[meekerz]

Sylvester allowing me to pet him.

He's still not too fond of my mobile phone and doesn't like it hanging overhead (tried to take a video from an above angle), and does not like V (my house cleaner who found and caught him in the kitchen last Sunday before water change). But he seems to like me and my daughter. He comes out to watch my daughter eat breakfast, and he's usually out "dancing" when we eat dinner. Seems likes he finds us eating as interesting as I find him eating.

 

[DWhatley]

I suspect you are not forever hooked on octopuses .
Once one allows you to pet it, there is no turning back (voice of experience). I do have a theory about "petting" that is unromantic though (I am still thrilled when one comes to my hand for attention anyway). It is my thinking that their skin gets "itchy" as they age and our hands provide a scratching post that is much nicer than rock. The only times I have been nipped (no skin breakage) have been when I trying to put a senescent octopus back on the rock after holding it in my hand. That being said, they clearly trust the hand that pets.

 

[meekerz]

Food source and back scratcher, yeah, that sounds about right.

 

[DWhatley]

I've come to call us food slaves

 

[meekerz]

That does sound more accurate!

I've come to call us food slaves

 

[meekerz]

Sylvester Vs. Superman

 

[Jocco]

Aw, great species! What fun you're having! This was my last octopus, we're totally spoiled!

 

[DWhatley]

LOL, that almost looks obscene

 

[meekerz]

 

[meekerz]

Funny story.

I came home last night to see Sylvester out (not in hiding). I came up to the tank to greet him, and he started dancing. I got up to go to our corner to see if he'd like to be petted. On the glass, near our corner was a snail. Vester comes up to the snail, grabs it, and plucks it from the glass. And I'm thinking "oh no, it's snail for dinner". But as Vester like being contrary, he doesn't eat it. No. He flings it away. Then comes up the corner to be petted/scratched. The snail was in the way and it had to go

 

[meekerz]

So the other day, I found an opened empty clam shell (which I was sure was alive and thought that was the last one). This morning, I found another new opened and empty clam shell (that I didn't even know was there). Apparently, Sylvester has been finding and eating live clams. (I put them in months ago during Seven's time, and I lost track of how many there actually were.)

Is there a recommended number of clams per tank? I'm planning to go to the market and purchase a bunch again for whenever Sylvester feels like it.

 

[DWhatley]

I don't think anyone has investigated a limit. I have ummm , multiple tanks so I usually pick up 7 or 8 and distribute them one or two to a tank tanks as clean-up crew and then move them to the octo tank(s) as they are consumed. They can help clean your sand (minimally), are hardy and often ignored by the octos much of the time. You do want to keep an eye on them if they die and are not consumed but I have found no impact if I have failed to notice with only one or two in the tank. They bury themselves in the sand (and is likely why you have not seen them) but will be noticeable when they expire. You have me thinking. I may try putting a dozen in an empty tank (if I can find some. Lately my grocery store has not had anything but live mussels which do not do well in the tanks and foul easily) just to see if adding a larger number helps with the nitrates.

 

[meekerz]

Put 4 clams in the tank over the weekend. It's a different kind of clam, a local variety with a very slow response time (when you poke it, or if it gets spooked, it takes like another few seconds before it slowly closes, haha). Vester hasn't minded them yet, but when he does, it seems like it'll be easy picking for him.

 

[DWhatley]

Take a closeup of the clams if you have time. It will be curious to see if I find the same species (provided I can determine some visual qualifying factor) in our Asian market.

 

[meekerz]

Here it is, D. It's a little more reactive now that when I got them last weekend; not as slow anymore. Perhaps it was the transport that got them sluggish?

I'm down one clam. I don't know if it died or it was Vester that killed/ate it. There was a chunk left (compared to the other other variety of clam that was wiped clean).