Where was he taking me?

[Kevomac]

Biff has been hand feeding for me for a over a week now, and he seems to enjoy grabbing my fingers while he's taking the food. Last night, though, he started tugging on my fingers and tried to pull my arm into the tank. When I let him pull me a little ways in, he get pulling me further and further along until I had to pull back because he was pulling me under the center brace in the tank and I had run out of room. When I moved my hand to the other side, he grabbed it again and greabbed hold of the large (fake) blue coral as well. When he started to pull, the blue coral began to fall and I had to pull my hand back to catch it.

If I had been able to take my hand, where he have taken me and for what purpose? I love the fact that he plays with me, but I wonder if he's bored, lonely, or wondering if he could pull me to his cave and eat me? Anyone else have an experience like this?

 

[cephalopoder]

He will probably try and pull your hand back to its den. This is what mine seem to do. They will pull your hand to their den and just explore you a little and try and make you a adition to thier home. They are just as curious about you as you are of them... after all you are the food god lol.

 

[OctoMonkey]

Maybe it was going to be like one of those old episodes with 'Lassie' or 'Skipper' the dolphin or that kangeroo?????

Maybe he was trying to show you that an amphipod had trapped its foot in the cave wall and was stuck and wanted you to help it?

Well, maybe not but.......hey!

C

 

[Rudiger]

yea my octopus tries to pull me in the tank all the time. Strong little guys aren't they? If you pull your hand out they will hold on and the rock will come up with them. I can get him to release by touching him with my free fingers, he goes for those and then i can pull away. I dont like to let him get a really good grip on me though because who knows if he might get too curious and try to bite me.

 

[cephalopoder]

LOL Colin!!!!! One never knows!
Pat, please tell me your not really worried about that little bimac biting you?

 

[OctoMonkey]

Yeah, I know sorry It was either really early or really late in the day!

Apart from that, The strongest one I ever had was that briareus mum. She used to get such a good grip when she was trying to stop me from removing newly hatched babies! She only had 5 arms but that didnt stop her at all from trying to drag me kicking and screaming into a clay pipe!

Even though she was defending eggs and really strong, she did get a good grip and still she never bit me... I kinda figured she would would but never got an octopus bite for my colection of scars on my hand.... hehe

C

 

[laura]

Okay, I've had my bimac for about 3 weeks or so now and he (or she? is there a way to tell?) is doing great. Eating mostly frozen but gets a couple of live whatever I have every other day(ghost shrimp, red shrimp, hermits, snails, etc.) He eats everything, couldn't be happier. I'll post some pics I took as soon as I can take some time to figure out how.

Here's the deal, I have NEVER put my hand in reach of him. I've used tongs and a rigid tube for feeding and he does try to pull them in but I'm starting to get a little more brave and would like to hand feed him but I am a wussy and definitely afraid of being bitten. Have ANY of you ever been bitten and how bad was it. Papercut bad or "he took my finger" bad. Just curious, how do you get them to let go once they have a hold of you other than tempting them with other fingers. He is missing a leg and 2 of his others are half gone. I don't want to cause more amputation. Fill me in guys, what's the secret. I have to twist the stick to get it back and he doesn't seem too interested in the tongs.
laura

 

[cephalopoder]

Hi Laura
There is no way to sex a octopus until they are mature, even then it is tricky.
The bimaculoides that you have is very small. I would not worry about being bitten. At that size you would't feel much of any thing and they are just looking for a food hand out and curious about you. This is the age where you are better off getting them used to being hand fed. It's even more intimidating when they are bigger lol.
I try not to take the stick away when the octo refuses to let go. I just wait till they are bord and let go. With the little guys you run the risk of hurting them. What works for me is I gently put the food on the end of the stick if I am not hand feeding. I then put the food just out of reach so they have to strech to get the food. As soon as a arm tip grabs hold of the food, I pull the probe back and it slides right off the end.
chris

 

[alligator]

I might try hand feeding tonight. The only thing that concerns me is when everyone says "the feeling of the suckers on you is weird, at best".

Mine will let go after just a few moments, and twisting the stick or tongs seems to help.

If I should get pulled into his little cave, it was nice knowing everyone.

 

[Rudiger]

If you really want them to get off your hand just give their arms a little squeeze with your free fingers, in desperate cases pick up the rock and the octopus, when it gets out of the water it will definitely let go.

Chris- yea I guess i shouldnt be afraid of him biting me, probably wouldnt happen, but they say blue rings can bite through a wet suit and they are just as small.

 

[cephalopoder]

Pat
I recently bought two captive breed bimacs that came from CA from a local pet store. They are from the same batch that you and every one else has.
I wanted to expirement with two babies coexisting in the same tank. I have had them since sunday.
In the days I have had them I must say these little guys eat like pigs lol. They eat way more than the baby merc. I have let them crawl all over my hands, pull me into dens and explore my fingers. I have not felt anything other than suckers and arms tugging on me. The mantle is about the size of the last joint on my little finger.The interesting thing is the personalities each one has. One is a little monkey that explores
alot. The other is a greedy little piggie lol.
I can place two small female fiddler crabs into the tank. If the greedy one has its way he will try to grab both crabs and usually winds up being the piece of rope with the two crabs playing tug o war with him.:fun5: It's very cute.

 

[laura]

Okay, I'm getting my nerve up. This may sound stupid but, what if I have a blue ring that ffe is telling me is a CB bimac? Call me paranoid but I don't want to die because I get a wild hair and decide to feel its suckers. I'll post a pic as soon as I can. Please don't laugh at me guys! It's my first octo and the only one I've ever seen except the giant at the aquarium. Thanks for all of your help.

 

[Rudiger]

its not a blue ring

Look below its eyes, does it have spots that sometimes flash blue? Those mean its a bimac.

 

[OctoMonkey]

Hi Chris,

hehe so you couldnt resist them either!

Well my two have deffinetly got different personalities. One is about a lot of the time and the other tends to hide, in fact, I thought I only had one for a bit!

They dont seem to make any contact with each other at all. In fact, just seem to glide past each other.

I thought I had lost one of them yesterday. I seen one that spent a long time 'cleaning' itself the other day and then never seen them both at once for a day or two, but both are there.

The tank is about 3/4 full of live rock and one of them seems to spend the better part of its day hunting 'pods in the rock. Even at that small size they have also taken live shore crabs at 2cm carapace length and redleg hermits.

So far so good, thats me had them, for one week now.

Colin

 

[alligator]

Nobody is laughing about touching your octo - at least I'm not. I tried to hand feed mine last night, but when I stuck a hermit in the tank, I dropped it by accident. My bimac didn't come out to get it, and I couldn't reach the hermit (it fell into the rocks).

So I grabbed another hermit, and stuck that in - hoping to hand feed him. He didn't take it right away, and it too slipped out of my hand, but fell right next to my octo. Once he saw that hermit, he came out and grabbed BOTH hermits. He looked pretty funny with a hermit tucked under both sides.

He then tried to fit back into his cave, but he couldn't fit! It was the funniest thing. After trying three times in three different directions, he eventually gave up and swam to a larger cave to eat the hermits.

I'll try again tonight. I'm still freaked out about what he will feel like. I'm pretty certain he's not a blue ring - and ffexpress didn't make a mistake (but I was concerned yesterday). No blue spots, so I should be okay.

 

[laura]

Yes he does have those little eyespot looking things that flash all colors including blue so bimac it is, but don't blue rings have circles that flash blue too? I'm really not trying to be difficult I'll get there slowly but surely. I will get a pic up as soon as I get my digicam working. Till then, I'm warming him up to my hand on the outside of the glass, and working up my nerve. Soon guys, I'll know what those suckers feel like too. FUN STUFF!!! I LOVE my little octo!

Ceph, be sure to keep us updated on how it goes with 2. I might want to try it after this one, after I have a years experience. I think it would be so interesting to see how they interact.
Any funny little stories yet?

 

[Kevomac]

Blue rings have blue rings all over their bodies. Bimacs only have bluse eyespts. I've seen blue rings for sale at local fish stores, they are definitely not the same. As far as how it feels, it feels kinda rubbery and very strong! My bimac will grab hold with about four legs and hold onto something in the tank with the other four. He lets go when I gently pull my hand back. Don't worry about getting bit, the experience of being checked out by the octo is so cool!