Octopus As A Pet?

[plasticpig]

Does anyone have an octopus as a pet? Came across this YouTube video. They appear to be very intelligent and are absolutely fascinating to watch. Wondering how difficult they are to keep? How do you find one in a big tank if it's has gone into full stealth mode? as they appear to become totally invisible.

[Prof Prolapse]

I'm going to hazard an educated guess and say they are very difficult to keep not leastly due to their high intelligence.

I think I'm right in saying they don't see in colour so their camouflage is even more baffling...

Get a hamster.

[Prof Prolapse]

https://www.ted.com/talks/david_gallo_shows_underw...

Skip to 4.15.

It is literally amazing.

[plasticpig]

Yes fascinating. I wasn't actually planning on keeping one as a pet. Just curious to know difficult they are to keep. Found this site which seems pretty comprehensive in explaining how to keep them. They don't seem to live very long.

[BoRED S2upid]

They don't last long.

[bexVN]

Proper escapologists aswell!!

[hidetheelephants]

Lovely deep fried with lemon juice and chips. :burp:

[PositronicRay]

Yes they are intelligent. Ours had no trouble with the times crossword, local scrabble champion and well regarded at the bridge club.

[Jasandjules]

Been offered a couple in my time, including blue ringed.

However, I don't believe they are suitable for captivity as they are damn clever and rather good at escaping. Best left in the ocean IMHO.

[robbocop33]

I remember i ordered octopus once in a restaurant,after waiting about 50 minutes for my meal i enquired to the flustered looking waiter what was taking so long,he apologised as the Octopus kept turning off the gas!
Would be a really interesting creature to keep though,but you would really need a massive tank i think,just to give it as much free space as possible.

[FlyingMeeces]

Aquariums keep them without total disaster so clearly captivity is in theory possible, but I'd be really worried about environment/enrichment stuff, pet cats mimic natural behaviour by pouncing on toys and drifting round corners on shiny wood floors and climbing stuff and the like, how would you make sure an octopus could do the cephalopod (?) equivalent?

I've heard some good stories about aquarium ones getting up to all kinds of mischief, mind - presumably when left to get bored - which could be amazingly messy/destructive in a house.

It's a nice thing to think about, they're brilliant and it'd be fascinating to be able to spend enough time with one to really get to know its behaviours and stuff. Leaves me wishing again I lived near a proper decent aquarium (the crappy little Trafford Centre sealife one definitely doesn't count).

[Butter Face]

Prof Prolapse said:

https://www.ted.com/talks/david_gallo_shows_underw...

Skip to 4.15.

It is literally amazing.

That

Is

fking

Awesome.