new octopus!

[Ms.K]

I just got an octopus for my classroom, and it is great! No clue about the species, but it seems to be very curious and interacts with the students when they check out the tank.

My question is this:
If it grabs your fingers with its tentacles, and grabs on to your hand will it bite?

I'm dying to stick my whole hand in the tank! When I fed Mortimer it grabbed my fingers, but I got out of there fast. What would happen if I let it up on my fingers/hand? And better yet if he did grab on how would I get him off?

thanks for any advice!

 

[cephalopoder]

It really depends on the species. I have handled a bunch of octos and have never been bitten. They do have a beak though and are able to bite if they want. I handled lots of wild specimens on a octopus expedition this past summer in Costa Rica and never got so much as a nibble. But one of our team mates did get a little bite from one that he was wrestling out from a rock hide. Some species are more prone to bite than others. One thing they will do is scratch you with their beak to see what you are made of. Kind of like a dog sniffing you. I have not handled my mimic to the point that I would let the beak come in contact with any part of my skin. This is because the mimic is so new to science no one knows if the saliva is toxic yet. Like any animal I think they can sense fear and react accordingly.

 

[asch803]

The species is a Bimac

The species is a Bimac

I work with Ms. K...The species of the Octo is a Bimac, which is the same that I have at home...The one in the class is much "friendlier" than mine and is almost always at the front of the tank looking for people...I think he'd probably be ok with being touched...Mine comes out alot too, but sometimes gets scared and goes back into his cave and just peers out at me...My question is, i still have a damsel in there (from the cycling) and I'm wondering if I should put him into a new tank i'm setting up or just take him back to the store i bought him - if i can catch him? I think he might be scaring the Octo...

Thanks!

 

[cephalopoder]

If the octo is large they do not seem botherd bt damsels. If it is small how ever the damsel can peck at its eyes and be a threat to it. My large bimac just used to watch a dominao damsel I had in the tank, then when he got bord he ate it. I useually take the fish back to the store if I use them to cycle a tank.
Bimacs are strong little beasts and curious. They are not prone to bite but will test you with their beak to see what your made of. Like any animal it depends on their personality and if they know and trust you.
I wish I had teachers as cool as you two that had cephs in our class room.