Thomas eating again?!?!

[Black96WS6]

Hey gang,

Been scare lately because this whole situation is just too depressing. This morning, however, my wife just called to let me know Thomas is stuck to the front of the glass and appears to be eating a piece of shrimp! It's still in his mouth, he hasn't dropped it like before! I am cautiously optimistic, I don't want to get my hopes up too high.

I am at work so unfortunately I can't check on him, however he is still alive, so we'll see what happens! I'll try and take some more pics either tonight if he comes out or tomorrow morning and post them up.

Edit: I'm not sure if Thomas ate anything or not, see posts below...

 

[sorseress]

We'll be thinking about you and Thomas.

 

[Black96WS6]

Well it looks like the reports of Thomas eating again may have been premature, he supposedly took a couple pieces, held them for awhile, and then dropped them. I'll try feeding him myself tomorrow and see what happens.

Thomas' behavior has changed again today. He's hanging about half-way up the side of the glass on the side of the tank, never seen him just sit there like that. His arm action doesn't quite look right either, a few of them are folded over his back just kind of dangling there, his breathing has slowed slightly too, and his color is darker, greyish-brown.

I'll post up some pics in a second

 

[Black96WS6]

Here's some pics, he's just hanging out in plain sight not really doing anything, I've only ever seen this back when he was resting in his den, never out in the open like this:

 

[aximbigfan]

have you tried hand feeding him?
decopper your hands before you do though.


chris

 

[Black96WS6]

Yep, been trying all week long with hermit crabs, shore crab, fresh shrimp, no luck.

It's just senescence. Here's a summary quote:

The Seattle Aquarium, Seattle, Washington. [email protected]

Senescence is a normal stage of an octopus's life cycle that often occurs before death. Some of the following symptoms typify it: lack of feeding, retraction of skin around the eyes, uncoordinated movement, increased undirected activity, and white unhealing lesions on the body. There is inter- and intraspecific variability. Senescence is not a disease or a result of disease, although diseases can also be a symptom of it. Both males and females go through a senescent stage before dying-the males after mating, the females while brooding eggs and after the eggs hatch. There are many aspects of octopus senescence that have not yet been studied. This study discusses the ecological implications of senescence.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/...ve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12855397&dopt=Abstract

 

[Black96WS6]

This sucks. I wish I could do something for him.

 

[Black96WS6]

I'm going to leave the computer up and go hang out with him, not sure how long he has left. I'll check in every so often

 

[cuttlegirl]

Not long judging from the corkscrew tentacles... We're thinking about you, just remember Thomas had a great life with you. No predators or scary fish to worry about and great food and a human to play with.

 

[Black96WS6]

I picked him up gently and moved him over by the protein skimmer. It's closer to the main couch so we can see him and he can rest on the protein skimmer supports without having to hang on to the side:

I'm glad he came out to say goodbye

 

[bobwonderbuns]

Blackie this is absolutely breaking my heart -- I just want you and Thomas to know you are not alone in this ordeal. We are thinking of you and we feel your pain. Hang in!

 

[Black96WS6]

Thank you! It's hard to believe how emotionally draining this is, it's like watching a family member slowly slip away...