what kind do NOT escape?

[socal_saltwater]

i've had my octopus for about 2 weeks now and it shows NO desire to escape. i've left my apartment and gone next door with my hard drive video camera rolling hours and hours of footage and nothing.

he's out a LOT. about 10-15% of daylight hours he's out, and then emerges at around 9pm and stays out until the wee morning hours, both dancing around on the glass as well as staying motionless against the glass. he goes to the surface but never tries to get out, and i've fast-forwarded thru all the video footage.

the store i bought him from (south bay aquarium in gardena, ca) said each new one they get in, they NEVER get out and the tank they have them in is full of fiji rock up to the top - uncovered! i couldn't believe it...all these years i've heard octopuses are notorious for escaping and ending up on the carpet when you return home. any info would be appreciated, because if i could avoid the kinds that escape life would be easier....so far so good with mine (bimac? vulgaris? i can't tell)

 

[platypus]

escape

I would also like some input on this matter. Ive had my vulgaris for just over a week and have not seen any attempts to escape.
how common is this? and while were at it, any one that has funny escape stories...please share! (i know...funny some times ends in sad..)

 

[Nancy]

Some species are more prone to escape than others - vulgaris is a species noted for escape.

Some years ago I heard many places that O. bimaculoides, our "bimacs" never tried to escape, but as more people reported their experiences, we found this to be untrue. There have been several bimac escape attempts, one fatal.

I have a personal, unproven theory that octos are most prone to escape in adulthood, well before egg laying or senility - they explore a lot during this period. So don't assume that, just because your octo didn't try to escape when it was young, this will always be the case.

We recommend that all octo owners seal or lock their tanks so no escape is possible. Duct tape is a good way to hold down a lid - just replace it. Some also use bricks on top of the lid.

Nancy

 

[Fishy1]

I've had 3 octos now and although id is difficult for me, only the second bimac wanted to escape. He was ALWAYS trying to figure it out. The first octo I had was the same kind and seemed uninterested as far as I saw, ditto with this one, who is an entirely different species.

Maybe it's just more in the nature of some eh?

 

[pilotinho]

Escape attempts

I had Herman, a Bimac from Octopets. I had him for well over 6 months and he never tried to escape. He would sit at the very top of the tank during feeding hours waiting for food. Occasionally when I handed him his food he would get excited, squirt me with water and crawl up to the edge of the glass and sit precariously there while taking his food. He did fall out once but I believe this was unintentional while being fed. Other than that, I never saw him try to lift the lid or get into the sump overflow. I think it is safe to say that you always need a lid anyway, if for no other reason than to avoid losing a friend who may get into trouble unintentionally OR intentionally.