He doesn't like shrimp.

[alligator]

Okay, this is bugging me. My octo's personality is pretty funny, but he won't eat frozen shrimp.

I take the shrimp, thaw it in the microwave for 20 seconds, then give it to Oscar (my octo). He grabs it like it's a tasty meal, goes away for the night, and when I come down the next day, there is the uneaten shrimp in the front of the tank next to the glass.

It's like he's putting it there for me so I can remove it. Apparenly he doesn't like it. I've tried to introduce it now on four separate days (over the last two weeks) and he refuses to eat it each time. He always places the uneaten shrimp in the same spot too.

Weird.

 

[cephalopoder]

Why do you use a microwave to defrost your octo food?

 

[Kevomac]

Before I got Biff, I bought another octo that did the same thing. Unfortunately that octo soon died. I'm thinking you've had yours and its been eating for a while now. How old is the shrimp? I've found that freezer burn can be a real deterant to getting many saltwater animals to eat. You might also try thawing it in water instead of the microwave. I thaw scallops in the microwave, but thaw shrimp in water instead.

HTH!

 

[Kevomac]

Something else, the first bimac was very small whereas Biff was at least three months old. That may make a difference also.

 

[Rudiger]

My octopus does the same thing but he eats most of the shrimp and brings the last uneaten bit to the front of the tank. Try not cooking it in the microwave first.

 

[OctoMonkey]

Hi

Well, the freezing process removes a lot of the benneficial nutrients and vitamins that a shrimp holds for an octopus. And by heating the shrimp up, you are in fact denaturing even more. So the shrimp offering may not be all that substantial at all.

None of the cephs I have kept have ever been interested in shrimps/prawns that have been deemed for human consumption. Dont know why.....?????

The cuttlefish would take them at a push but always spit half of them back out and I only ever had newly imported and probably very hungry otopus eat frozen and thawed shrimp.

So sounds liek your octopus is doing what all of mine have done too..... any chance of trying it with fresh fish?

C

 

[alligator]

I'd like to try fresh fish but I'm a little concerned.

First, what type of fish? Goldfish? Freshwater goldfish??? They are $.25 at the local Wal-mart, but I don't want to pollute my tank.

And what do I do with it if he doesn't want to eat it? My octo ONLY seems interested in eating the hermits. I STILL have ghost shrimp in my tank from over 2 weeks ago and he won't touch them.

Hermits are tiny! Isn't there anything larger (and cheap) - yet safe for my tank?

Anyone want to sell me some hermits they collect themselves? You could probably make some money off me.

 

[tgrupert]

I know they are expensive, but what about mollies? have you tried crayfish?

 

[NHreefer]

I just go to the supermarket and but 4 fresh atlantic scallops large and they last about 4 days, not only does my octo love pieces of it, all my other fish love little pieces of scallop especially my Angels. My octo's least favorite food is also shrimp, he eats some of it, but there are alot of scraps after, no scraps with the scallop. I sometimes soak frozen clams or shrimp in selcon/vitachem for extra vitamins but he's not to fond of that either. Good Luck
Chris

 

[Kevomac]

I was told on RC that Selcon is a ceph turn-off. FYI.