Bringing that first pet home is a moment that every family should treasure, but for one couple in the US in turned into an absolute nightmare.
While most kids are usually drawn towards cute puppies or kittens, Cal Clifford from Edmond, Oklahoma, fancied something a little more slimy, and after years of begging, convinced his family to bring home an octopus.
Now, given that scientists have predicted that octopuses are, in fact, smart enough to take over the world if humans didn't exist, I certainly wouldn't trust the one in my aquarium to at least not try to take over the flat.
And after bringing home the octopus, named Terrance, for his ninth birthday, the eight-limbed mollusc ended up doing exactly that - although not in the manner you might expect.
Advert
The first mistake the family made was thinking that Terrance was a male, as after a joyous first couple of weeks of fun, they noticed that the octopus was actually pregnant and other than the seahorse, that's not too common in males.
Maybe a couple of extra octopus babies might have been manageable around the house, but as Finding Nemo taught us, oceanic animals rarely give birth in the same way as humans, and it turns out Terrance (or perhaps Tessa), actually gave birth to 50, which naturally led to disaster in the house.
Trying to cater for so many sea creatures led to serious stress and financial problems for the family, as they were forced to try and build more aquariums to keep them safe.
Unfortunately, this also led to their home being heavily damaged due to spilled water and electrical fires.
Advert
Dad Cameron told the New York Times last year: "It's a lot of work. A lot of work and emotion and money and time.
"Every scientist I speak to is always kind of astonished by that fact that we were able to get such a high yield in a kid's bathroom."
The family documented their bizarre arrangement on their TikTok account, titled @doctoktopus, which quickly went viral.
Cameron further encouraged others to seriously think if they wanted a pet octopud, as he added in another interview with USA Today: "Do not get a pet octopus unless you're ready to lose sleep and your kids' college fund simultaneously."
Advert
However, more heartbreak was to follow for the family as octopi are semelparous creatures, which means that the females tend to give birth just once in their life, and then die shortly after.
Terrance sadly passed away on 22 April 2024, but the family made plenty of contacts through their popular TikTok account and they were able to find loving homes for many of the pet's babies.
The only update from the Clifford's came from the TikTok in 2024, which showed Terrance's brood had grown to adolescence.
James Moorhouse