pets dangerious

[ashley_morris22]

hi all,
just a question, my mates and i were have drinks last night and the topic cam up again(why i keep snakes.(again)).
anyway we started talking about dangerious snakes and so on any way this is my question

i know people keep venomous snakes, i used to have a butterfly cod and a stone fish, now does anyone keep funnrl-web spiders, blue ringed octopus, cone shells etc

thanks
ashley

 

[rumpig]

i used to have funnel webs and a lot of other spiders but no octopus

 

[ashley_morris22]

how did you get a funnel web was it a sydney form?

 

[rumpig]

found it in the bush on a tree i cut down

 

[Tommo]

i dont think anyone here would have kept a blue ringed octopus, ive heard from afew people that they are extreemly fragile

 

[Kenshin]

u can occasionaly get blue rings but hardly anyone bothers as they are extreamly short lived

i was interested in getting other spp of occys before i left perth but heh reptiles are my 1st love

 

[Wrasse]

I had a normal Occy, but never a Blue Ring.

 

[PilbaraPythons]

I kept a blue ring octopus as a pet back in 1990 which I removed from the shipwreck called the Queen of nations sunk off Corrimal beach in Wollongong. I kept this octopus for a total of 14 months in a 6 foot tank with other inhabitance's including butterfly fish, damsels, wrasse, etc. One of the interesting things about this was that I had been told and had also read that the blue ring only lives for one year but I had caught mine as an adult and released it back in to the sea 14 months later very much alive complete with a huge bundle of eggs.
I was liaising with the Taronga zoo aquarium and they had never heard of any body ever keeping the blue ring in a communal tank before and were rather fascinated.
I found the keeping of this magnificent octopus to be a rewarding experience. As you may already know the octopus is a very smart creature and it is said to have the equivalent intelligence of a domestic house cat. I was told that in N.S.W it is illegal to keep this species but I never actually officially confirmed this.

 

[jimmy_the_kid]

im not sure but dont most octopus's mother look after there eggs once they lay them and die shortly after the eggs hatch just wat i heard

 

[PilbaraPythons]

Our octopus carried them around the tank with her every where she went. We never really knew if the eggs were actually fertile or not as I had only the one. We had called the octopus Ben up until Ben had the eggs.

 

[moosenoose]

I had a Blue Ring Octopus which I caught & brought home from Moreton Island. I kept it for a week and unfortunately the day before I was going to release it I found it belly-up! I suck at keeping anything marine I think!!! Even goldfish aren't safe around me! :lol:

Your efforts with the Blue ring is extraordinary Pilbara! They are one of the most facinating and deadly animals on earth! I do not belive there has been antivenom released for both the Blue Ring or the Cone Shell! I could be wrong but I think if you are bitten by either of these its a case of lights out! :wink:

 

[bigguy]

I also kept Blue Ring Octopus on numerous occasions in my invertabrate tanks. The only thing with keeping them is that you need a well fitting lid on the tank or they would climb out at night time. I kept several for quite a few years.

I also kept the Sydney funnelwebs for a while. I used them in the early days for my school shows.

As for cone shells, have found heaps on the Barrier reefs , but never kept them.

 

[PilbaraPythons]

Tommo
I didn't know that blue rings were hard to keep. I had no drama's and must say that I never had a mini setup only a basic gravil filter and a carbon canister tye filter. We did have the luxury to do partial water changes as we were close to the sea.Towards the end of this octopus's stay I noticed it becoming very agitated and continually on the move hense the decision to release it. It may have been that the tank temperture was a little too high as it was set up more for northern fish. Also I said before that I kept this octopus for 14 months but I now remember it was 12 months and I read that they live for ten.

 

[splitty]

You can survive both Blue Ring Octopus and Cone shell bites. It is just one of those things that will kill one person but then the next will survive. I think it boils down to luck more than anything. The quicker u seek medical attention would also help but that goes with saying. Same as snake bites I guess.

Cheers Splitty

 

[hugsta]

I suck at keeping anything marine I think!!! Even goldfish aren't safe around me!

You sound like me moosey....LOL

 

[PilbaraPythons]

moosenoose
I came home one night and found what appeared to be every fish either dead or dying. In a mad panic I immediately proceded to do a partial water change thinking that the water needed it. After collecting a 44 gallon drum full from Ballambi boat ramp 45 minutes later, to my surprise all the fish were in fact alive and swimming around and I did not have to change anything. The blue ring had some how poisoned the tank water and temporarily paralized the occupants. This only ever happened the once even though the blue ring regulary hunted and killed many crabs with pioson every few days. On another occassion I found between two rocks a dead bicolour angel fish completely incased in a weird transparent cloud of unidentified substance. What this was I suspect a trap set by the blue ring in a still part of the tank. This is of coarse is only my guess and I may be completely wrong as it just seems to bizarre. Taronga warned me about placing my hand in the tank because of the possiability of poison absorbtion through the skin but this luckily never happened and I must of had my arms in that tank dozens of times. Tetrodo toxin is indeed extremely lethal but as long as some body is there to keet you breathing with mouth to mouth resusitation it will wear off and you will recover. This means here in the Pilbara that if I find a victim. its highly likely he would be left to die.

 

[Tommo]

Re: RE: pets dangerious

Tommo
I didn't know that blue rings were hard to keep. I had no drama's and must say that I never had a mini setup only a basic gravil filter and a carbon canister tye filter. We did have the luxury to do partial water changes as we were close to the sea.Towards the end of this octopus's stay I noticed it becoming very agitated and continually on the move hense the decision to release it. It may have been that the tank temperture was a little too high as it was set up more for northern fish. Also I said before that I kept this octopus for 14 months but I now remember it was 12 months and I read that they live for ten.

i was only told this by some fish keepers

 

[jimmy_the_kid]

RE: Re: RE: pets dangerious

hey moosey that goldfish on ur ankle seems to be doing allright

 

[moosenoose]

That's very interesting Pilbara! I believe I have heard the same senario with Cone shell envenomations! Apparently if you can kee the heart going and the resusitation up the toxins will pass and the victim can eventually breath and circulate blood again on their own. I GOT TO DO MORE READING I THINK! Hehehehe :lol: The biggest problems with Cone shells was their ability to paralyse their victims causing them to fall into the water and drown - At least this is what I've remembered hearing (Take nothing I have said as gospel! :lol: :lol I really can't be stuffed today doing a net search to back up what I have heard - or believed to have heard somewhere at sometime! :lol:

But thanks again Pilbara, I love the Blue Ringed Octopus! They are an amazing animal and certainly one that deserves some respect!

 

[snakegirl]

http://www.earlham.edu/~sheedjo/blue-ringedoctopus.htm

Going by this website - it is believed they secrete a mucus to catch there prey... and there life expectancy is 2 years...

very interesting reading