Axolotl Help

[pageckogirl]

Hi
I am just wondering if there is anyone on here who has an axolotl?? I have just recently gotten one and am trying to figure out what would be the best set up for it and want to know the best way to care for it. This is a fabulous little creature and I hope to have it for many years to come so any help would be appreciated.

[leviticus]

Cool little alien looking creature. Looks to me like a nice aquarium with some live plants and hiding spots would be the best set up. What do you plan on feeding it, might have to culture some worms.

[pageckogirl]

Right now I have it set up in a 10G tank with about 5" of water and an underwater filter. I have been feeding her (I think her) frozen blood worms and just started hand feedng her tiny crickets which she has been eating quite well. I have some driftwood and fake plants in there right now. What would you think is the best for the bottom of the aquarium?? I have read things that say go with the finest sand, some say aquarium gravel and others say bare bottom - but then more say that bare bottom causes them stress....

[joeysgreen]

I've had axolotls for a while and they are quite easy to keep. Since you have a good understanding of freshwater aquaria, then you already have what it takes to keep these guys well.

Fill that tank up and put lid on it so it doesn't jump out if it's excited. Room temperature is fine, 26C or so. Keep them solitarily as they will bite at each other; gills and limbs will go missing. They all regrow amazingly well, but this of course is a major stressor to the animal.

For food they will eat anything they can fit into there mouths. I feed predominately bloodworms, feeder minnows, earthworms, smaller feeder goldfish, and mysis. If you stick to this you'll have a good and varied diet. Freeze dried tubifex worms also work really well but I've had a hard time finding those cubes in the stores.

A bare bottom is the safest, and isn't a stressor "if" the enclosure also has life plants, drift wood, and larger rocks to crawl around on, hide next to, and to just break up what what otherwise be a monotonous (spelling?) aquarium. I have kept mine on fish gravel as well, and my plants are potted in cups with round gravel in them. A substrate makes it harder to keep clean, and incidental ingestion is also a risk. A small rock will likely pass through, but certain sizes and shapes are more likely to get stuck.

In a few months you'll need to move your axolotl to a larger aquarium. I'd recommend a 30 gallon or larger.

I hope this helps a little and gives you a start. If you can find a copy, there is an old hard cover book titled simply, Axolotls. It is still quite good.

Ian

ps, I just noticed this was posted in the lizard forum. Axolotls are a salamander, closely related to our native tiger salamanders. The scientific name is Ambystoma mexicanum.
Look it up on wikipedia for some natural history

[pageckogirl]

Thank you so much for the help. I am trying to locate the book to get some more info and set up ideas. I have kept tiger salamanders in the past, but had them with both a land and water area and no filter, but with this one completely underwater I was at a bit of a loss. Thanks again.

[joeysgreen]

Axolotls by Peter W. Scott; T.F.H Publications, Inc.
1TFH Plaza Third and Union Aves, Neptune City, NJ 07753
ISBN 0-876666-937-2

I hope this helps in your search

[pageckogirl]

That's awesome thanks.
I have not had any luck finding it so this should help a bunch.

[bear24]

The december issue of Reptiles has an axolotyl feature. I think its pretty complete. You could start there.

[saskatchewanexotic]

I have that issue too. Just read it tonight it is actually a pretty informative article for that magazine. Its probably one of the best articles they had all season...