My Mimic Octopus playing with a plastic egg

found this little guy at the fish store and saved him! I named him Einstein.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• Mimic
• octopus
• kimber

[MrMrUm]

0:12 look now it mimicked a jellyfish!

[skeez86]

@JihadJoeC4 Careful it might mimic a pirate, then you'd be in trouble...

[smartasskatey]

@Beefyporkchops Yes, they are awesome animals, that deserve to live a life free to roam the habitat they were meant to live in. And that's just the thing, to be able to take "good care" of a mimic octopus would require years of study. The only people in the world who are educated in the needs of octopi would also understand why it is extremely unethical to keep them as pets. The rest of the world can only expect to keep one alive for a quarter to a half of its lifespan.

[smartasskatey]

@KnG1Dakota Yes, technically it is legal to keep them as pets, but it is extremely unethical. There is no way that they can be happy to be taken from their natural habitat (the sea) and confined to a box millions of times smaller. Plus most people who decide to buy them know relatively little about how to properly care for an octopus (hint: It is very difficult and easy to screw up), and will usually only be able to keep one alive for half its life expectancy if they are lucky.

[smartasskatey]

@alexfrom323 I've seen them sold for about $100-$150, but in my opinion that is still too much to pay for an animal whose species has a documented life expectancy of about two years

[smartasskatey]

@kirkwooder No. The only way to purchase them is through an exotic specialty pet retailer, because they are the only ones with the nerve to mercilessly tear an animal out of it's natural habitat only to be kept confined in an aquarium infinitely smaller than the space it is used to living in. They run about $100 but they only live two years at the most (and will die much sooner in the hands of most inexperienced owners because they are so difficult to care for).

[kirkwooder]

can you get these at pet stores? how much does one cost assuming I already have a setup aquarium?

[citykidyo]

under water ditto?

[staphinfection]

Sweet.... grill it up with some fresh lemon, parsley, and garlic..... yum yum yum

[RasecVonWizzlbang]

@alexfrom323

It's not a really great investment, either, Octopodes don't live more than 5 years.

[SoftCoreSeziure]

most psychedelic pet

[alexfrom323]

@foreverisalie713 i dont own an octopus but i know the mimics cost around $350-bout $500