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What do I have and what do I do with it?

O

Octomom2019

Pygmy Octopus
Registered
Joined
May 24, 2019
Messages
8
Location
Ormond Beach fl
Hello all! New octopus mom here! This was very unexpected and sadly I was not afforded the time to do proper research. A friend of my fiancé’s went diving yesterday and when he got home he realized a tiny little octo had been hanging out in one of the shells he brought home. So he called my fiancé and asked if he could bring it to us as he knew I’d always wanted one! That being said...what the heck do I do now?! He’s very small- how do I tell what kind he is? What do I feed him? Does he need interaction? I’m going to the aquatics store here shortly after work but in the meantime I need all the help I can get!! Thank you!!
 

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Hello Octomom and welcome to the site!

First, where is this little octopus right now? Do you have an established salt water aquarium? Do you have amphipods and small snails or crabs it could eat? Are there other inhabitants, such as fish?

And how large is the little octopus?

You aren’t the first to be in this position. Good luck with taking care of your little octopus. Good first photo!

Nancy
 
If the colors in your photo are correct (and from your location) it is likely your little buddy is Octopus briareus, the Common Caribbean Octopus. If you don't have an established tank though, there is very little chance it will survive so I am hoping your friend brought it to you knowing you had a saltwater tank. Blue crab claws (not the whole crab though -- too messy and too big) are also a good choice and can be frozen as long as they are separated from a live crab before freezing.

Search the journals for briareus to read some of our keeping experiences.
 
Hi guys, thank you!! Dwhatley I think you’re right, that’s what I thought too after googling! He changes colors so here he is a bit red. We did have an established tank waiting- we had a 32g biocube that was empty in addition to our big tank. We also have a 100g drum with RO water that my husband mixes to salt it. The guy at the aquatic store showed me where Ollie could get out so I spent a fair amount of time screening all the openings he showed me. I got him 3 emerald crabs and some frozen clams on the half shell...he ate all 3 crabs in one night AND the clam. He’s so small, I’m amazed he ate all that. How often should I feed him and how much???
 

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If his only colors are peach (to almost brown) and white and he does not show more than pimple like skin bumps, then O. briareus is very, very likely. I am sure it is not O. hummelincki but more photos would be helpful to validate.

Feed Ollie as much as it will eat. Try putting a piece of thawed table shrimp on a stick and let him explore it with his arms. Start with an eye sized piece and go slowly larger as he gets accustomed to eating it. Feed at the same time every day. Cold water animals seem to do better with every other day feedings but I feel the warm water animals -- and definitely the very young -- need to eat daily. If you can get blue crab claws, crack them before offering. You don't have to remove the meat but it is best to crack (and sometimes remove a piece of the shell). In the wild this is a common food. So much so that crabbers hate them.

Here is a link to @sedna 's new briareus that looks to be about the same age.

With your permission, I would like to move this thread to our Journals section in hopes that you will continue to log Ollie's progress (@Nancy also had an octopus named Ollie that was her all time favorite)
 
DWhatley said:
If his only colors are peach (to almost brown) and white and he does not show more than pimple like skin bumps, then O. briareus is very, very likely. I am sure it is not O. hummelincki but more photos would be helpful to validate.

Feed Ollie as much as it will eat. Try putting a piece of thawed table shrimp on a stick and let him explore it with his arms. Start with an eye sized piece and go slowly larger as he gets accustomed to eating it. Feed at the same time every day. Cold water animals seem to do better with every other day feedings but I feel the warm water animals -- and definitely the very young -- need to eat daily. If you can get blue crab claws, crack them before offering. You don't have to remove the meat but it is best to crack (and sometimes remove a piece of the shell). In the wild this is a common food. So much so that crabbers hate them.

Here is a link to @sedna 's new briareus that looks to be about the same age.

With your permission, I would like to move this thread to our Journals section in hopes that you will continue to log Ollie's progress (@Nancy also had an octopus named Ollie that was her all time favorite)
Click to expand...
Whatever you think is best! I’m enamored with him, I definitely think he is the same as the one you’ve shown and I’ll try to find the blue crabs! Here’s a few more pics for verification.
 
Octomom2019 said:
Whatever you think is best! I’m enamored with him, I definitely think he is the same as the one you’ve shown and I’ll try to find the blue crabs! Here’s a few more pics for verification.
Click to expand...
DWhatley said:
If his only colors are peach (to almost brown) and white and he does not show more than pimple like skin bumps, then O. briareus is very, very likely. I am sure it is not O. hummelincki but more photos would be helpful to validate.

Feed Ollie as much as it will eat. Try putting a piece of thawed table shrimp on a stick and let him explore it with his arms. Start with an eye sized piece and go slowly larger as he gets accustomed to eating it. Feed at the same time every day. Cold water animals seem to do better with every other day feedings but I feel the warm water animals -- and definitely the very young -- need to eat daily. If you can get blue crab claws, crack them before offering. You don't have to remove the meat but it is best to crack (and sometimes remove a piece of the shell). In the wild this is a common food. So much so that crabbers hate them.

Here is a link to @sedna 's new briareus that looks to be about the same age.

With your permission, I would like to move this thread to our Journals section in hopes that you will continue to log Ollie's progress (@Nancy also had an octopus named Ollie that was her all time favorite)
Click to expand...
 

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We have been having some issues with videos but have not determined what is causing the problems. Can you tell me the length (size), type (.abc) and what you used to record it?
 

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