Question: How do you remove the poop?

[La Vie]

Like the title suggests, I'm actually interested to know how everyone here removes the poop! I've tried to siphon the poop out but it rarely works unless the waste is already somewhat broken down. It never goes up to the tubing. It's too heavy!! Right now I'm actually using chopsticks to remove the fresh ones that has kept its shape... unfortunately, whenever I dip my chopsticks in the tank they think its dinner time and on several occasions my axolotl ate its own poop!!!

I'd like to know how everyone here does it. Maybe I'll get some good ideas here and my axolotl can kick his poop eating habit. It's a great way to keep the tank looking clean, but I doubt it's any good for my axies.

[mewsie]

A turkey baster! The axolotl-owners best friend! Just suck up those little treats they leave you. Great for cleaning up leftover food, or squirting water into awkward spaces to clean anything out. I can guarantee you'll find cleaning soooo much easier when you get one, Vee :)

Yikes re: eating his own poop. Reminds me of a time I was working away and had left my boyfriend in charge of the axolotls, he told me he'd figured out that by waggling a chopstick (what is it with axolotls and chopsticks, btw?!) by the poop, they cleaned up after themselves. I got soooo cross until he finally told me he was joking.

[La Vie]

On my way to pick up a turkey baster tomorrow!

[Cas]

I have had a hard time finding a turkey baster which isnt going to cost me $20 here, I guess people in Australia just don't cook turkey's (I have to admit I've never eaten it).

I just use a bit of plastic tube about 10mm diameter and siphon it out. Cost me nothing as my dad had some at his work, but I've seen the same for a couple of dollars at the local hardware shop. You can get the siphons which have the huge head thing to clean gravel, just take off the column and use the tube part otherwise like you said the poop is too heavy as the column reduces suction.

[mewsie]

Excellent, I class my turkey baster as the second most useful thing I ever bought!

[La Vie]

It looks like I'm the only person that uses chopsticks to take out the poop!

[Leanne]

how does that work????? doesnt it break up while you move it???

[La Vie]

Yea it does sometimes and the poop "leaks out". Thats why when I try to do it my axolotls sometimes seizes the opportunity thinking its food and sucks up the poop cause my chopsticks are lingering in there for so long. :/ The ones that break up a lot I siphon out. Its a race against my axolotls when trying to chopstick the poop out.

[Carson]

maybe my axies just have gigantic turds, but my turkey baster I used to use for cleaning a 5 gallon tank no longer holds my axolotl's poo most of the time. Im doing daily waterchanges anyways now till my tank is cycled, so I just siphon it out.

[mareofnight]

Since the basters get narrow at the end, if it does not fit you could try cutting off a part of the end so it is wider.

[Chris]

I just siphon it out and replace the water I remove, find it is the only sure way to remove all of it and the gunk properly, without it breaking up and floating about the tank.

[Ken Worthington]

Originally Posted by mewsie

Reminds me of a time I was working away and had left my boyfriend in charge of the axolotls, he told me he'd figured out that by waggling a chopstick (what is it with axolotls and chopsticks, btw?!) by the poop, they cleaned up after themselves. I got soooo cross until he finally told me he was joking.

10/10 for Mewsie's boyfriend! I like his style!

I'm yet to have an axie but have a collection of newts, so the quantity of 'poop' might be comparable, despite it being packaged in smaller, more managable portions

I find that a quick 'vacuum' with an aimed (4mm int.bore?) syphon tube (using my finger as a 'stop' on the lower end) gets rid of most of the newts' poop and will only remove a tiny fraction of the tank water in the process.
At first I thought that it'd be stressfull for the newts to encounter a 'vacuuming session' every other day (or when necessary) instead of a bigger change, but once a fortnight, maybe.
But they seem quite used to it, and they rejoice in the notion that they'll be rewarded with a meal of 'ver-au-natural' straight afterwards. (Or if I can't find a worm that speaks French, then one from the garden will do)
The idea of replacing 5-10% of the tank water every other day by means of siphoning newt-poop and general tank 'gubbins' seems to work for me.
I have to admit though, a turkey-baster is a caudate-keepers friend......(however, one's personal relationship and association with such a device should remain in the realms of imagination)........or will Mewsie share her list of useful items?

Anyway, thanks for reading this far, now I'm off to write a presentation for my new commercial venture........(nervously walks up stairs into the Den, surrounded by TV cameras, turns to face the millionaire 'Dragons')...... presenting " AXOLOTL NAPPIES ! " or (sigh) "AXOLOTL DIAPERS"

PS. I know it's surreal but ask yourself, isn't it a great idea?

[Steve Richards]

Originally Posted by Ken Worthington

Anyway, thanks for reading this far, now I'm off to write a presentation for my new commercial venture........(nervously walks up stairs into the Den, surrounded by TV cameras, turns to face the millionaire 'Dragons')...... presenting " AXOLOTL NAPPIES ! " or (sigh) "AXOLOTL DIAPERS"

PS. I know it's surreal but ask yourself, isn't it a great idea?

Now there's a PhotoShop project for Ted!

I use a turkey baster too but my other piece of axie poop cleaning equipment (for those really stubborn, big poops) is something a bit like a 35mm film canister which is skewered on the end of a wooden ... skewer! Just nudge poop into canister and remove!

Either way the poop then gets ejected into the fresh herbs growing outside right next to the kitchen door. How's that for an eco-cycle?

[Kaysie]

I think I'm on to an idea... I did this once for some Germans, but I could do it for Australia too. Turkey basters here are like $1. Maybe. I could ship someone a whole box full (I bought 50 and sent them to Germany), and mark it up enough to make it worth my time, yet you all would think you're getting such a good deal for a $10 turkey baster. Bwahaha!!

Just kidding about the marking up, but if someone wants a shipment of turkey basters to redistribute, let me know.

[mewsie]

Originally Posted by Ken Worthington

10/10 for Mewsie's boyfriend! I like his style!

Goodness, don't you encourage him!

or will Mewsie share her list of useful items?

:P I'm saying nothing.

[Lisa]

Either way the poop then gets ejected into the fresh herbs growing outside right next to the kitchen door. How's that for an eco-cycle?

Such exotic fertilizer!

I'm a fan of the turkey basting method of poo extraction. When there's a massive one, I poke it a bit with the turkey baster so it crumbles and then suck it up immediately!
I really don't think I could use chopsticks to pick up something as delicate as axie poo.

[La Vie]

LOL. I BOUGHT MY TURKEY BASTER TODAY... waiting for poop now.. so I can try out the new turkey baster! I bought mine at the dollar store! $20 for a turkey baster is crazy!

[La Vie]

After I clean my tank I also use the water to water outside/inside plants. They grow surprisingly lush!

[mewsie]

Originally Posted by virginia

... waiting for poop now..

Hilarious!

[Dolores]

Mbeh, turkey basters are pretty hard to find over here. (Stupid potato eating people... lol)

Anyway... I scoop the turds out with a fish net. Easily. So that they won't break into pieces, that the water goes murky and my axies think it's some sort of Christmas in their tank (but brown).

If it's Poo-Into-Pieces I do some happy siphoning... (Well happy... Someone has to do it... Right axies?)