Oklahoma Family Adopted An Octopus and Gained 50 More

An octopus is not a common household pet in Oklahoma. Usually, when getting a pet for your kid, you'd get them a dog or a cat. Or in Oklahoma, if you have a farm, you may get them a calf, a goat or a sheep. But one Oklahoma family decided that they would get their kid an octopus as a pet.

According to an article from NPR, the Edmond, Oklahoma, family ordered Terrance, a two-spot octopus, from a local aquarium store. The family soon realized that housing an octopus as a pet would be a huge undertaking with having to get the proper aquarium, water temperature, etc. They decided to document their journey on TikTok, and if raising an octopus in Oklahoma wasn't enticing enough, Terrance had a bigger surprise.

@doctoktopus #octopus #aquarium #petoctopus #fyp #cephalopod #escape #saltwateraquarium #shrimpdaddy #aquarium ♬ original sound - Shoptopus

Why get an octopus as a first pet?

Cameron Clifford, the father, said to NPR, that his son, Cal, has had a fascination with octopus since he was two-years-old. And since it wasn't a fad or his son's latest obsession, he decided to look into seeing if it was possible for them to get their son an octopus as his first pet. Cal was obviously overcome with emotion when learning that his parents had got him an octopus. But when he found out about the aquarium that would house his pet octopus, he was once again emotional.

@doctoktopus #octopus #aquarium #fyp #saltwateraquariu #biology #marinebiology #shrimpdaddy #surprise ##cephalopod ♬ original sound - Shoptopus

How the family went from just one octopus to 50.

As the family documented the journey having an octopus as a pet, they revel at how magnificent Terrance is. And they start learning little quirks about their octopus.

@doctoktopus Terrance is literally a cold-blooded killer. #marinebiology #octopus #shrimpdaddy #saltwater #saltwateraquarium #aquarium #biology #fyp #petoctopus ♬ Paint It Black (From "Full Metal Jacket") - London Soundtrack Allstars

They soon begin to realize that Terrance was acting strange. She hadn't left her cage in a few days. They noticed that Terrance had laid eggs, which could signal that she was reaching the end of her life, as there was no knowledge that the eggs had been fertilized. By this time, the family had only had Terrance for two months.

@doctoktopus Terrance had been acting strange. We didnt know what to do, but eventually we noticed an extremely sad sight. When a female lcctipus lays eggs, it signals the end of her lifespan. #octopus #marinebiology #shrimpdaddy #saltwateraquarium #fyp #cephalopod #petoctopus #aquarium #mom #octomom ♬ original sound - Nate Smith Country

After the eggs were laid, the family continued to document Terrance's journey. She remained in her cave most of the time and the family resorted to hand feeding her. But two months after the eggs were laid, they noticed a tiny octopus floating around Terrance's tank. Her eggs were fertilized and she had produced nearly 50 baby octopus.

@doctoktopus 😳 #octopus #marinebiology #shrimpdaddy #saltwateraquarium #fyp #cephalopod #petoctopus #octomom #biology #saltwatertank #mom ♬ original sound - Shoptopus

The family now not only documents Terrance's life but also the family's journey with raising Terrance's 50 children and navigating what to do with them. The family's TikTok has gone viral and they have been able to connect with several other octopus enthusiasts and experts, so it looks Terrance's babies will have a great future!

@doctoktopus Feelin’ Tripical Philanthropical #octopus #marinebiology #shrimpdaddy #saltwateraquarium #fyp #cephalopod #saltwatertank #crabcake #biology #clambake #octomom #poseidon ♬ Jazz・Piano・Lofi・Cafe・Coffee shop(1396282) - Tana Music