the axolotls gone homeless

I need to get this off of my chest, I had one of the worst days ever, and so have my babies...

well, we were getting a new roof and a storm comes through Chicago really bad...Yes a top floor apartment flooded, and roofs areas were colapsing. Today was spend packing everything not damaged. Axolotls, though, are homeless. All 6 babies, a paddle tailed newt, 2 atya gabonensis, hundreds of Neocaridina Heteropda v. red, dozens of neocaridina heteropoda v. brown, and few rainbow shrimp, not to mention $$$in plants and mosses and golden morphs of ramshorn snails as well as other colours. All homeless. Our temporary place doesnt have room for everything. This is when I wish they had axolotl babby sitters, like thy do for dogs.

Axolotls are cramped in a box, shrimps are stil in their poisoned water tanks. I may lose them all. I feel so helpless. My poor axolotls were so scared and are so warm. So tomorrow i get to go back in and tear up the tanks and have toput them in storage. Filters, expensive substragtes, everything. My tanks are well seasoned, it is going to take a while to get all those organisms growing again.

Well, at least my landlord, some surveyors, the roofers, neighbors, neighbors families, firemen, etc. got to bask in the glory of the axolotl. Everyone kept talking about how cool they are, how they never seen anything like it, they loved the gills especially. I have a feeling when everything gets in order people will want some axolotls, I just hope mine are alive.

I worry about my melanisitic male, Black Axolotl, he was been with me through all of my college years, he has lived in my parents house when i lived there, my old apartment, and this destroyed appartment. I am having trouble sleeping tonite worrying about them sitting in their small box, cramped. at least i through in some artificial floating plants and small caves. They must be so afraid. I dont know where to put them, most live in a 55 gallon that cannot fit into our temporary apartment. i feel so bad for them.

I hope no one ever has to go threw this, ever. Well, at least in a month I will have a new appartment, and hopefully my babies will be alive to join me. I dont know what I would do if something happened to them, it would be like losing a very close friend, especially black axolotl. Chicago needs an axolotl hotel, seriously.

Hi Annmarie.

Bummer, best of luck what a terrible situation to be in.

I fear this will be alot more peoples reality if we can't convince our governments to take carbon emmissions and global warming seriously. Nature can be a fickle mother.

I hope it all works out for you expeditiously.

Good Luck

my best wishes go out to you.

Annmarie, what a horrible situation to be in, I wish I could help you all. Fingers crossed that some one reads the post and can actually come to the rescue..we are just contending with this crazy rain. All the best.

Just terrible news. Have you considered talking to a local vet who is knowledgable about axolotls? They might be able to find you a axolotl hotel. Good luck with everything.

thats terrible maybe if you contact a local animal resuce centre they might be able to help with storing the tanks and your pets

Hey Anne-Marie,
I'm wishing you good luck and hoping you'll find a place to keep them for a while (your parents' house?)
Dawn

AnnMarie, I suggest going down to the local walmart (or other big box store of choice) and getting some large plastic storage bins. I used these for years with my axolotls and didn't have problems. They'll be great for temporary storage. I just soaked mine for a day or two, but you could get away with lots of rinsing, I bet.

Thanks,

yes i have many of those big storange bins for my axolotls, but i lost many of them to the flooding.
We are in a nice rehabed house down the street, some axolotls(the non agresssive ones) are in a 20 gallon long and others are in bins. Shrimps are stil in breather bags, but they can handle it, if i lose 100/500 no bit loss, they reproduce fast, but still sad. Its hard getting things together.

As for amphibian vets, I do not know any and the ones i head about are $$$ sad, I do not even have a hook up with the vets in my lab, and I am next to the animal hospital. They busy enough as it is. Axolotls are adjusting, but they were so afraid. In a few weeks Things will be back to normal. My best friend the black axolotl got beat up a bit but he is healing fast.

I hope no one and their axolotls never have to go through this, at least me and the axolotls and the rest of our "family" are getting new homes. I also get to start from scratch when I redocorate the tanks, luckily all my live plants are doing ok. I can thin them out and whatnot.