Zebra Octopus?

[Jaredhasenauer]

So I ordered this octopus from my Lfs Im employed at so I know that the supplier claimed that it was a zebra.. I also have been going through threads seeing how these guys are basically not in the game anymore its all mimics and wonderpus. tell me what you guys think.

 

[snorvich]

Actually, these are mimic octopus or wonderpuss with "zebra octopus" being the common name for both. Short lived, difficult to feed.

 

[mucktopus]

Looks like a mimic. Here's a page showing how to tell the difference:

http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/wunderpusvsmimic.html

 

[snorvich]

Looks like a mimic. Here's a page showing how to tell the difference:

http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/wunderpusvsmimic.html

I agree, most likely a mimic.

 

[Jaredhasenauer]

okay, he does have that "white V" on the back of his head that it says on the picture. no indication of red at all though. also he is eating great he eats whatever you put in there also he will come up to be hand fed, squid, crabs, clam on half shell... etc..

 

[dc]

[moved]

 

[Astongt]

has any one had luck keeping one of these? I'm thinking of doing another Octopus tank and was considering one. I had a common octopus before that lived just under a year.

 

[sirrealism]

These are a very poor choice. They rarely live longer then a few weeks in captivity and are very pricy. They also dont show all the great shapes in a tank like they do in the wild. These 2 species are better left in the wild. I am sure you had a lot of fun with your common one. These dont have the personality of the common ones IE "Vulgaris"

 

[OllieDog]

What exactly happens you hand feed an octopus, cant they bite you? Do they ever get a little too clingy and too close with their beaks?

 

[sirrealism]

Yes it can happen and it all depends on the species. All octos are venomous but most that are kept in aquariums are very mild. I have had 8 octos through the years and have let them crawl on my hand and have never been bit but I also tried not to let my hand be near there beak to long and even found that when they are very comphy they will let you scratch there head like a dog or cat. The one that people keep that could be a big problem is the blue ring. There poison is deadly.

 

[sirrealism]

A lot of time when you hand feed they will want to hold on to your hand or more just a finger or 2. They like to play games. I would put my hand in and he would come up touch my hand then shoot back to the bottom. It was kind of like tag/hide and go seek. He would not come up till I put my hand in a different spot. They also get to know you and will get excited like a dog and dance on the glass. This is not always for food as he may have just ate an hour ago