The Axolotl

[~T~]

Axoloti are cute!! but thier only hold back is that they are the larval stage of a salamander. I would say the best to do is to research both the Axoloti and the salamander. mine is living in the 10 meters long EMPTY pond that I was thinking of keeping my snakeheads in it, but those snakeheads are in a public aquarium for people to see them. the turtles usually make some visit to that pond but they preffer the pond with kois, arowanas and goldfishes. they don't harm my Axoloti.

So do you have any pictures of this 10 meter long empty pond (except for axolotls and sometimes turtles on thier visits from from the arowana/koi/goldfish pond) cos it sounds amazing? I'm sure even baby Jesus himself would be in awe of it and not cry at all.

 

[liana_y2kuk]

Hi, This is probably a really stupid question. But how do you pronouce "axolotl"?

Kat

 

[OneOnion]

Hi, This is probably a really stupid question. But how do you pronouce "axolotl"?

Kat

I say aks-o-LAW-tuhl. I don't know if it's correct way, thouh.

 

[Nexorcist]

Can mods please Pin this.

 

[Xenon Junkie]

Hey everyone, sorry for such a late reply!
it appears ive been Blocked from the forum at home for some reason ,
So i've had to wait untill i'm at work to check up on this thred. Here i shall answer some of your questions.
And hopefully if i get this working back at home, i'll update with some new pictures of cloud


OneOnion - I'd prefer the inbetween of 30Gal, Axolotl.Org states that 18 inches is the acceptable size for one adult,
which would mean you're looking at a 60litre -2ft tank. Cloud likes in a 30Gal - 120 litre tank, and is quite happy.
So i'd probably stick to those guidelines.

Naughty T - I cant wait to see these pictures
just make sure to include you axolotls name

Yeah I was really thinking of getting one until I found out how expensive they were in the U.S.(Well not really, the actual axolotl was $30.00 but the shipping was $70!)

No , you want them to stay in the water or they will morph into an unhappy salamander. I will rate them as easy & fun. You do need a big tank , at least 40 gall. They grow to be over a foot long. They are easy to tame & will beg & eat right out of your hand. I live in the U.S. in Wa. state & I can't find them for a good price anymore. Originally ( 13 yrs ago ) I paid $12.00. I finally found them last summer but they wanted $65.00 ! It was ridiculous. You must keep the water clean & let them be by themselves.

are you sure about the 40 gall. part? It says here that...

Young Axolotls maybe small and cute, but they shall not stay small forever! Remember to Accommodate for your Axolotls future not its present.
An Adult Axolotl can live quite happily in at least a 10 Gallon Aquarium, although I usually prefer larger. They are kept in smaller conditions in laboratories, but I’m not going to compare laboratories to pet ownership as they are two totally different worlds.

So I'm a little confused here... Will they be happy in a 15 gallon aquarium, or is the minimum 40 gallons?

I can't imagine having 1 in a 10 gallon or a 15 gallon tank. It's too bad that they don't stay little & extra cute so they could. Instead they get huge. Mine are at least a foot long. They were fine in my 40 gallon tank but are much happier in the 500 gallon pond. I briefly had the 1 that morphed into a salamander in a 15 long tank & he was always trying to escape & was successful more than once. I like my pets to be happy & I don't think that there are very many fish that would really be happy in a 10 gallon tank JMO

Its nice to read that your axolotls are in a nice home , and a decent size too. Pictures?
Well done for having one which morphed into a salamander, although you've achieved something to get it to happen.
Just remember it dramatically shortens there lifespan and is unhealthy for them to undergo that change.
But they are still an interesting salamander when morphed, i'd be tempted to keep one out of experience.

Axoloti are cute!! but thier only hold back is that they are the larval stage of a salamander. I would say the best to do is to research both the Axoloti and the salamander. mine is living in the 10 meters long EMPTY pond that I was thinking of keeping my snakeheads in it, but those snakeheads are in a public aquarium for people to see them. the turtles usually make some visit to that pond but they preffer the pond with kois, arowanas and goldfishes. they don't harm my Axoloti.

So do you have any pictures of this 10 meter long empty pond (except for axolotls and sometimes turtles on thier visits from from the arowana/koi/goldfish pond) cos it sounds amazing? I'm sure even baby Jesus himself would be in awe of it and not cry at all.

I agree with you T, the whole idea seems rather farfetched like it was a caption taken out of the "garden of eden".
I'll start of by saying your turles are gona love the tasty unprotected flesh of your axolotls, as well as find their gills looking appetising. As would the snakeheads. No offence to you M.R Otter, but the ingestion of illegal drugs may have brought on that euphoria of a dream, unless you're mad?

But given any case, if there are pictures and evidence that these things are living all fine; i will apologise, take bcak everything i have said, and hail you M.R Otter as the nice Messiah of my life.

Keep the responses coming people

 

[shmotis]

I just can't imagine a foot long Axolotl in a 10 or 15 gallon tank. They like to walk around & hunt ( so cute with their heads down in prey mode ) they also like to swim which I didn't know 'till they were in the pond. I wish that I could take a photo of Tubby & Toughie but they are black in a black bottom pond. I have to agree about turtles eating them , that didn't make sense to me either . Turtles must be kept by themselves. Mine are only safe because I have an electric fence. When I ordered my Axolotls from a lab ( they were a gift ) I told them that 1 had morphed. She did tell me that I had achieved something but I did not do it on purpose. He was so unhappy in the 15 gallon turtle tank with bridge to get out of water that I sold him to a good fish store where an employee took him home. He was lucky that my cats did not hurt him on 1 of his escapes. 1 time I woke up & they were just looking at him walking around ! T&T are 4 yrs old now & have not laid eggs. I am so disappointed because I know that they are male & female. I loved raising the babies.

 

[catfish00]

they are so cool pets

 

[Xenon Junkie]

I just can't imagine a foot long Axolotl in a 10 or 15 gallon tank. They like to walk around & hunt ( so cute with their heads down in prey mode ) they also like to swim which I didn't know 'till they were in the pond.

Aye i cant imagine it either, but those minimum are given by laboratory conditions, i personally prefer betweem 2-30 gallons. Axolotls do like to swim, But they prefer to wander around the bottom, swimming just gets them places faster.
The main reason they are kept in smaller tanks seems to be the reason axolotls arnt the most active on animals.
They do have moments of high activity, as cloud displays increased activity around dawn and dusk.
but usually just sleeps away in his hidey hole or wanders lethagically.

He was so unhappy in the 15 gallon turtle tank with bridge to get out of water that I sold him to a good fish store where an employee took him home.

the main reason for this being, is as soon as an axolotl morphs its reqirements change completley.
They go from being an aquatic animal, to being a terrestrial animal.
So their needs differ significantly. Having Not kept a Morphed axolotl myself
i can only proceed with advice from customers who have kept them.
Which basically states you're looking at the same requirements as any fully
formed salamander. I wouldnt expect as an average, as any more than 3-5 years out of a
Morphed animal.

T&T are 4 yrs old now & have not laid eggs. I am so disappointed because I know that they are male & female. I loved raising the babies.

Just keep an eye on them, axlotls can easily live over 10 years if kept properly,
so it could just be a waiting game

 

[shmotis]

I haven't given up hope that they will breed. Smokey my other momma started at only 18 months. Rosie did too. Tubby & Toughie will be 5 this Spring. I have a koi tunnel in the pond & they hide all winter in it. In the summer they were all over the pond just hanging out. I know when they are hungry because they go into prey mode w/ their heads done. I have had a lot of trouble feeding them because my big koi eats EVERYTHING. I did not want koi in the pond . I wanted fancy gold fish. I bought some shubunkins from a pet store & noticed that 1 was getting huge. Then I looked at his mouth & knew he was a koi. 3 yrs later he's as big as my forearm. 1 of the reasons is because besides his pellets he eats all the axolotl meat. I thought that he would not eat chicken liver but he can scarf 1/2 a whole 1 w/o a problem. Then I tried some sliced chicken raw tenders...still ate it. He also loves salad shrimp. He will eat a 1/4 cup of them before the slow axolotl have a chance. In the indoor tank I hand fed them frozen beef heart but that will fall apart if I drop it in & also the food has to sink right near them. They are not the brightest bulbs & are never aggressive. I sure would like to find another leucistic 1. I've never seen those for sale but momma Smokey had them all the time. Her mate Casper was a gold. They lived to be pretty old but stopped breeding for no apparent reason after 2 yrs. Before that she would lay eggs every 6 wks.

 

[Xenon Junkie]

As long as there is enough room for the koi and axolotl's to not be interacting much i cant see a problem
And your experience with the animals have proved that.
As for feeding th animals easier, try feeding at one end then feeding at the other simultaniously.
Then the koi can be gorging at one end whilst the other food drops to the bottom.
Or place the food inside a net, pull the net to the bottom of the water and turn it inside out so the food drops down there.
It maybe easier if the koi is being fed normally.
This also has the added beauty of the koi beginning to associate the net entering with food at the top of the water, and with practice will more than likely avoid the net all together and just wait for food at the surface.
This is all speculation, so i'd be thrilled to see if this works

Keep us Posted Axolotl Fans!

-XJ

 

[shmotis]

There is only 1 koi in there , MOBY. He is an absolute PIG but adorable. I have taught him to go to a corner to look for food & feed him there first , he is quite the begger !. He knows that he must claim the axolotl food first ! His mouth is huge. In all honesty the axolotl aren't very quick or even too bright. They are not aggressive & get pushed around by Moby. I didn't want a koi but here he is . The other fish are easy going. Now I've been trying raw pieces of chicken tenders. It's not moby's favorite like the liver & shrimp so he's not as fast of a pig about it. The good news is Tubby is tubby again, so she is eating just fine. Toughie seems OK too. they lost weight last summer after being used to being hand fed. They don't eat over the winter. Moby should not be having a high protein diet this time of yr. That is why I'm trying different things to get the axolotl ready for the long winter. I have tried pushing moby away with my skimmer net but he doesn't care. I always drop the food on the axolotl's head but they are just a little slow on the uptake.

 

[Xenon Junkie]

hehe that definately seems like axolotls alright ^^,
As long as they seem full bellied and are doing ok (which it seems they are).
Then well done and good luck to you!
Hopefully your example will add pages of knowledge to my current stach

Keep us posted Axolotl fans!

-XJ

 

[shmotis]

They are very happy , I would just LOVE to have more !!!

 

[Xenon Junkie]

are they difficult to obtain around your area then?

 

[shmotis]

are they difficult to obtain around your area then?

Now they are. As I stated in a previous post I bought 4 in pet stores for only $12.00 a piece. The first 1 morphed into a salamander. Then I bought what turned out to be a male & 2 females. I raised lots of babies & sold them to pet stores for only $4.00 !! They stopped breeding for no reason & then later died . I had kept several babies which also died after so many yrs. I had put several in my pond but they got eaten by a raccoon which really upset me. The pond now has an electric fence . Tubby & Toughie were a gift. I think that they were expensive , they were mail ordered from a lab. They are almost 5 now. When my aquarium leaked last yr . I put them in the pond & they love it. I saw axolotl for sale at the same pet store that I sold to for $65.00 ! No way would I spend that. I just wish T&T would have some babies .