A Boy Got an Octopus: Unexpected Difficulties with an Unusual Pet 0 8

Almost every child dreams of having a pet during childhood. What animals are most often the objects of these desires? Of course, they are cats, dogs, rabbits, or turtles. However, nine-year-old Cal Clifford from the USA decided to get something completely unusual — an octopus.

The boy spent a long time persuading his father to buy him such a pet, but his father hesitated for a long time. One day, however, the loving dad finally gave in and went to a local aquarium store to find out if it was possible to acquire an underwater inhabitant for home keeping. The store staff confirmed that it was possible, and the Clifford family began preparations.

Father and son spent a lot of time studying the specifics of keeping an octopus at home. They chose a suitable saltwater aquarium and set up a recirculation system. The octopus was delivered from the pet store in a bag of water inside a cardboard box. The pet was named Terrance, and the aquarium was placed in Cal's room, right across from his bunk bed.

However, the unusual home “pet” surprised its owners: it turned out that Terrance is a female. This became obvious when the octopus laid about 50 eggs over the course of several weeks.

Most octopuses die after breeding, but Cal's father reported on his social media that Terrance is still alive. Although most of the hatchlings did not survive, the family managed to save a few and find them new homes.

Keeping an octopus requires complex systems for supplying seawater. Caring for the pet is also complicated by the fact that octopuses eat live seafood, which is often expensive and hard to obtain. Animal advocates emphasize that one should not keep wild and exotic pets at home due to their unique physical and emotional needs.