An Oklahoma family had no idea that a birthday gift for their nine-year-old son would result in the birth of 50 baby octopuses, numerous water tanks that would take up more than half a bathroom, and thousands of dollars in food and supplies. water damage repairs. .
Cameron Clifford, a 36-year-old dentist, said his son Cal had been obsessed with octopuses since he was three.
“Every birthday, every Christmas, every holiday, he always said, ‘All I want is an octopus,'” Clifford. said to New York Times.
In October, Clifford made a call to a local aquarium store and acquired a female California two-spotted octopus for Cal’s ninth birthday. They named her Terrance.
Terrance turned out to be larger than expected and soon began laying eggs. Clifford documented the trip on TikTok, where his videos racked up millions of views from 400,000 followers.
In October, Cameron Clifford, a 36-year-old dentist, made a call to a local aquarium store and purchased a female California two-spotted octopus for Cal’s ninth birthday. They named her Terrance.
The family had no idea that a birthday gift for their nine-year-old son would result in the birth of 50 baby octopuses, numerous water tanks that would take up more than half a bathroom, and thousands of dollars in food supplies and kitchen repairs. water damage.
Clifford (third left), a 36-year-old dentist, said his son Cal (first left) had been obsessed with octopuses since he was three.
“Don’t get a pet octopus unless you’re willing to lose sleep and your kids’ college fund simultaneously,” he said. USA Todayjoking.
When Clifford told his son they could order an octopus from a local aquarium store, the nine-year-old immediately burst into tears.
“His last dream, his cloud nine, the biggest thing that could happen in one’s life, had become a possibility, and it just fell apart,” Clifford said.
‘My friends and family, of course, all, as you can probably imagine, said to me, ‘Well, now you have to get it for him.’ “You can’t just hang that in front of him and then turn around and just ruin that dream,” the father added.
The father and son began preparing for the arrival of the pet octopus, which they named Terrence.
Clifford ordered a saltwater tank, water cycle system, and food supplies for Terrence, primarily on Facebook Marketplace. He thought it would cost about $600.
When Clifford told his son they could order an octopus from a local aquarium store, the nine-year-old immediately burst into tears.
Clifford ordered a saltwater tank, water cycle system, and food supplies for Terrence, primarily on Facebook Marketplace. He thought it would cost about $600.
But what the family didn’t realize at first was that Terrence was actually a female, who began releasing “a chandelier” of tiny eggs two months after her arrival.
The experts told him that the eggs were not fertilized and that the release of the eggs only signals the end of the female octopus’s life.
Until one night in February, Clifford picked up an egg and was absolutely shocked.
“I accidentally blew it up, and this blob comes out and extends these little tentacles and it’s three strokes from my point of view,” he said.
Terrance the octopus ended up giving birth to a total of 50 babies, and “all bets were off,” he said.
The family had to organize 50 separate homes for the unexpected offspring, spending thousands of dollars on clams, crabs and snails, not to mention the costs of repairing damage to the house from spilled water and a small electrical fire.
Speaking of one particularly messy incident, Clifford said: “I wish I hadn’t opened that valve like that and dumped all that dirty seawater all over my kids’ white carpet.”
Meanwhile, the desperate father began calling aquariums and research centers and begging them to take the babies off his hands.
“It’s a lot of work,” he said. “A lot of work, emotion, money and time.”
‘I don’t know if we have been fully prepared for any of these challenges, but the hope is to rehouse as many as we can.
‘And those we can’t, we will find a way to keep them alive and be responsible. It’s not a really concrete plan, but so far we’re doing pretty well.’
The experience is overall joyful and rewarding, as he said: “It’s been an absolutely fun experience, not only for me, but for my children as well.”
The family had to arrange 50 separate homes for the unexpected offspring, spending thousands of dollars on clams, crabs and snails, not to mention the costs of repairing damage to the house from spilled water and a small electrical fire.
Meanwhile, the desperate father began calling aquariums and research centers and begging them to take the babies off his hands.
Two months after birth, half of babies are still alive, a survival rate surprisingly higher than average.
“All the scientists I talk to are always surprised by the fact that we were able to get such a high yield in a child’s bathroom,” he said.
And Terrence is still alive, Clifford said.
‘She is fine. She is simply living the rest of her life alone in her tank. She will probably die in the next few weeks, although my assumptions about her have always been wrong.
The family has also become famous, as Clifford has amassed almost 400 thousand followers on TikTok.
“I think there are a lot of people who had this crazy dream when they were kids, and then it fizzled out as they got older,” he said.
“I think they also really empathize with that stereotypical story of a parent who decides to give their child a pet and then, of course, becomes the parent who almost exclusively takes care of that pet, except in this case until the end.” .’