ink

[gothicgirl]

i can't seem to find info on when octopuses first have the ability to jet out ink. is it present at birth?

i have in the pet shop an octopus with a head about the size of a cherry and a half, do you think he would ink (im not gonna make him!)

 

[bradleym]

Yep, from birth.

http://www.cephbase.utmb.edu/TCP/faq/TCPfaq2b.cfm?ID=46

2nd paragraph in the answer at the bottom.

 

[gothicgirl]

thank you, one more question. do you have any experience with shipping an octopus. this is curiosity only. i understand that the ink consists of concentrated melanin that burns eyes, how badly does it affect the octopus itself if they inked in the bag

 

[bradleym]

Most retailers will scare them into inking at least once just before shipping them because inking during shipment is almost always fatal. The ink is thick, almost like a mucous, and if not diluted or filtered out quickly it can coat their gills and suffocate them. That is the most noteworthy affect and the same problem can occur in a small tank, which is another reason a protein skimmer is essential to an octo setup.