NP

[itiwhetu]

My Axie had a 20 gallon long to himself...good job too cos he grew way over the "average" size.

You'll not be able to sex them til they are a year old, you might get hints beforehand but no definitive sexing til a year. If two females or two males they need to be put in different aquariums as with most things they are partial to biting limbs and gills etc off each other in fights. It takes around 2 to 3 months for said bitten off parts to regrow.

Sandy or bare bottom aquarium is a must. No stones/rocks/ornaments smaller than their head size cos they are hoover eaters and anything smaller than the head will end up in their digestive tract. If that happens (and in cases of overfeeding/constipation) you need to move your Axie to an aquarium water filled sandwich box, secure the lid and place in the fridge...yes...literally your fridge...for 5 to 10 days to allow the metabolism to slow enough to pass the object slowly and not damage the animal fatally.

Hiding places, NO lighting, NO heating, NO handling and definitely NO fish.

Phoenix, my Axie, lived a little over 2 years with me. The breeder suspects that his heart gave out due to growing so big....way bigger than normal. He would swim every day....I counted the laps a few times, 40 laps was his average daily swim distance. He would greet me in the morning with smiles, burps and farts and he ate like a horse. They are very playful and due to having lungs and gills they need to breach for air often. Make sure the lid of the aquarium is very securely fitted since when fully grown they will headbutt it and they can jump out if the water chemistry is wrong or they feel unsettled for any reason. Water chemistry needs to be taken care of just as any aquatic animal, they are seriously big poo machines, so turkey baster for poo collection, good filtration essential.

I have had to walk away from this post for about an hour to think of a reply and the reply is still just

 

[Animallover😍]

Aww, such cute axolotls!

 

[OliveFish05]

I'm sorry disregard my post, do what most reputable breeders do.

Oh sorry my bad, I didn’t even see yours!

 

[FF_Member146894]

Though I am guessing you are talking more about floor space?

yeah i was talking about the width since 20 and 30 gallons are usually only 12 inches wide
@itiwhetu 's tank is a custom i think, but i wasn't expecting anyone to buy a custom so that's why i said to get a bigger (standard size) tank

 

[Anonymous Fox]

Now you made them cry! Look up adorable extraspecial cute & you’ll see this.View attachment 144057

lol this is what came up for me

 

[itiwhetu]

What a wonderful post! I love it! . Thanks!

Searched just now for a beef heart at Walmart , none sold. Know of a little Italian market sure to have them.
Do you freeze the heart?
what temp is best for the axie tank? How often did you feed?

These are the smallest 9 month old guys I’ve seen: 4 & 5 inches. Do you think they will grow with a better diet? She only fed frozen bloodworms. Never heard of Turtle Tucker. Will google.

Previous owner said one laid eggs.

Freeze the heart into manageable pieces then grate it. Once it is grated it is thawed. I fed once or twice a day. Usually I fed them when they asked for food. These guys are pretty interactive. They will grow quickly on a good diet.

 

[itiwhetu]

yeah i was talking about the width since 20 and 30 gallons are usually only 12 inches wide
@itiwhetu 's tank is a custom i think, but i wasn't expecting anyone to buy a custom so that's why i said to get a bigger (standard size) tank

I build all my own tanks to the sizes I need for breeding the different species.

 

[itiwhetu]

Do you use acrylic or glass?

All my tanks are built out of glass. I use secondhand 6mm glass that I get for free from a local glazier. The only cost is the Silicone. I did a course on stain glass windows and learnt how to cut glass properly. This hobby can be cheap if you think outside the square box.

 

[itiwhetu]

You should expect them to live 8-10 years. And longer if conditions are really good

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Favourite food for an Axie .....earthworms, live and fresh

Build yourself a wormery from an old small aquarium or even make one with perspex and wood. Then fill with compost and worms and you will have a readily available supply of worms for the Axies

Initially cut them up and feed with tweezers, once Axies are full grown a full size worm, still alive and cleaned, will last each Axie a week....they will eat it in one slurp (like we do spaghetti) but their metabolism is such that it takes around a week to digest and poo out the other end. Thats what they should be fed, with occasional bloodworms as a treat.

Be sure to check under every rock and hide when doing aquarium maintenance though as they do tend to hoard food for later....and forget it...so you'll be using that turkey baster alot to remove the old food and prevent ammonia spikes.

NEVER use medication of any kind as they absorb through the skin and it will kill them. If a war wound happens through play, banging into something or nipping each other, fresh water changes for 7-10 days will keep it clean and able to regrow.

Axies are extinct in the wild thanks to humans expanding Mexico City into and around the two areas of wetland that supported them. Axies are only found in homes and in laboratories and zoos. The laboratories are still trying to unlock the ability to regrow missing limbs....an Axie will even regrow its brain if it gets a head injury. They are remarkable animals and wonderful to watch and interact with.....you'll get very attached to your two which is why I can't get another after my Phoenix cos when he died it really hit me hard, far harder than any other animal.

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Wow, that’s amazing. So he only live until 2? I am reading the lifespan in captivity is 15 years. Not sure if that’s an outlier or typical.
I have much to learn.

My Axie grew to around 17 inches nose to tail and had a girth of literally a toddlers arm...way bigger than usually expected. The breeder who I bought him from was amazed by his size but said that others from the parents had also grown considerably larger than average. The breeder suspected the growth being part of the cause of death along with a few health issues along the way, which is not uncommon amongst captive bred Axies

My boy, Phoenix

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Wow, never heard of one that big. Reminds me of a sometimes undetected condition in very tall athletes related to an abnormally enlarged heart, often discovered in the autopsy.

I was thinking about earthworms just a few minutes ago, Saw them often on the West Coast, but very rarely here near the Great Lakes. Wondering if I should buy some & culture or get a kit on amazon/eBay. I would love see them slurp one down! Maybe they can do a Lady & the Tramp pasta thing.

A wormery is very easy to set up...either from your own garden or a kit as you describe

Initially cutting worms alive for young Axies can be a little off putting to some but you get used to it soon enough...something also to teach kids too, having a wormery on the windowsill and learning how to feed an Axie fresh & live food

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Here you go......(plenty of vids like this on YT of Axies & earthworms cos they are their staple food)

Axies don't have teeth per se...they have tiny cartilage pegs that they use to grip live food. They can occasionally go for your fingers, but they never hurt, more a case of being hard gummed rather than actually being bitten

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Worms can be dangled or placed on the sand, they will hunt them either way. Earthworms do need to be alive as that gives the Axies the best diet.

Bloodworms either frozen/defrosted or dried are not so palatable, since they are dead and alot of the nutrients are lost in the processing stages. They are fine as a treat occasionally, if you can get live bloodworms and keep them in the fridge, thats great. Be aware that you may discover "stockpiled" dried or frozen bloodworms under rocks and hides since they often go "straight through" the digestive system without the Axie gaining nutrition from them......which is possibly why your two maybe a little undersized for their apparent age.

 

[Deleted member 149562]

When placing a worm on the sand, try and make sure that its relatively close to your Axies as they have fairly poor eyesight (no eyelids, cannot squint, hence no artificial lighting)...but they have a superb supercharged sense of smell

I have to admit that Phoenix was not the brightest lightbulb in the box, he was very clumsy, extremely messy with his food (constantly hid it away for later and then forgot where he put it) and often went for the turkey baster in play when I was doing his snad puffing/hoovering.

One end of his aquarium was by the window, I had Fablon self adhesive window film on the outside that was frosted and cut the UV right down, he would quite enjoy going vertical into the plants and letting the daylight on his belly (center photo above) but bright lights are an absolute no-no

Axies are real characters, often nicknamed water dogs cos of their charming disposition and silly side.....Phoenix had the zoomies every day, he would somersault and chase his tail and just go absolutely nuts for half an hour or so before curling up in his hide (a large PVC drainpipe). Most of the activity is at night....you might occasionally hear a splash whilst they are roaming about at night.

They can and do jump from their aquariums so a lid is essential....preferably with something on top to weigh it down. I lost count of the times Phoenix would almost rev up on the sand and fly upwards in play or to breach and would belt his head on the lid...then look at me as if to say "what happened, mum?"

Axies are so charming, so enigmatic...they are a joy to own...but as with any animal they need to be cared for properly and that can be hard work. But as with all animals, they repay that hard work a million times over. I'll never replace Phoenix, as much as I would love to, I just can't...he was too special.