Considering Axolotl for boys

Hi! I just saw a axolotl for the first time today. I found it so interesting, I thought it would be a great birthday present for my twin sons. We are homeschooling for the first time this year and I thought it would be a great hands on study project for them. What I am concerned about is that I saw them being sold at our local shopping mall, and advertised as baby dinosaurs. The information given to me by the man selling them is way different than what I found on the internet. He said that they only needed to be fed every 3 days, two of them would be fine together and wouldn't breed, did not need a filter, and would live 8-10 years. He claims to breed them himself, but advertises them as originating in the Northern Hemisphere. I'm not one to jump into anything I know nothing about, so I came home and looked up salamanders on the net and found a picture of a axolotl. That is what they were, although the man did not tell me their proper name. I would love to buy a couple for my boys, but want to take care of them properly. I am hoping someone can answer my questions and please forgive me if the answer should have been obvious. Can I put 2 together in a 10 gallon tank? Can they survive on earthworms? Will they do fine without a filter if I change their water regularly? Can they crawl out of the tank if there is nothing on top of it? If the water is changed once a week, (as I was informed) will they make my house smell? And last, but not least, can I pour the old water in my garden for my plants? By the way, I have well water, not city, so no chlorine. Thanks for the help!

Ok, the first question is: What did the man call them? there are several types of salamander larva that are sometimes mistaken for axolotls. Adult axolotls can be fed as infrequently as every three days but I usually feed mine every other day, younger axolotls need to be fed every day. Earthworms are great food although you need to be careful of pesticides.
Axolotls do not like a lot of water flow so minimal filtration is good. I believe some people do actually keep them without a filter but personally I prefer to use biofoam filters in my smaller tanks (these are very inexpensive and help provide a good biological filter). Axolotls are native to Mexico although they are seriously endangered in the wild. They do however breed well in captivity so the captive population is world wide and going strong.
8-10 years is about right (I think it's a bit longer actually)
They do not as a general rule smell. If they do there is something really wrong.
Personally I think axolotls are the best first amphibian. They are relatively easy to care for, impressive looking, and are genuinely interesting from any number of scientific viewpoints, which makes them great for classrooms.
As for the 10 gallon tank for two.. I don't like to crowd them that much, I like a 20 gallon long for two (at least). There are experienced keepers who might tell you 10 gallons is fine. But these guys can get up to 12+ inches long.
I hope your boys enjoy them as much as I do mine.

I agree with Sarah. A ten gallon won't do for a pair. And they breed like rabbits, so unless you want to teach your twins about raising hundreds of babies (although the begininning of life is interesting) I'd make them same gender. They are great pets though. ANd with different color variations each of the twins could easily track they're axolotl.

<blockquote><hr size=0><!-quote-!><font size=1>Misty Dawn Willis (Wilbursmommy) wrote on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 02:00 :</font>

"Will they do fine without a filter if I change their water regularly? Can they crawl out of the tank if there is nothing on top of it? If the water is changed once a week, (as I was informed) will they make my house smell? And last, but not least, can I pour the old water in my garden for my plants?"<!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>

i agree with Sara, though you can keep them well without a filter i'd recommend to use one (the simpliest foam-filter at low speed will be great).
anyway, when i kept mines without filter for a couple of months i didnt' change water so frequently (let's say once every 3 weeks), they did well and my room wasn't smelling at all.
they certainly will not try to climb and exit the tank because they are neotenic animals and they need water to live (well, assuming they're not undergoing metamorphosis, wich is pretty rare), so you can surely keep their tank without cover.
finally, you can of course use the old water to sprinkle: it contains lots of nitrates so your plants will tank you!

Here's where to go to learn even more about axoltls:

http://www.caudata.org/axolotl/

I'd say that whether or not you can keep two together in a 10-gallon tank depends on their size at purchase and the level of aggression they show toward each other -- and, to a lesser extent, how you have your tank set up (best to add some rocks and other obstacles). If they're small at purchase, you can always move them to a larger tank later as the grow. Mine do fine on a diet of mainly frozen bloodworm, fed to them every 2-3 days. I'd also advise the use of a small filter, along with partial water changes, especially at the beginning while you're working on completing the nitrogen cycle. Watch those ammonia levels. Enjoy them!

Misty, what color were they? If they were all gray/brownish in color, then I would say that it is 99% sure that they are *NOT* axolotls, but tiger salamander larvae. This means that in a matter of months they will undergo metamorphosis and become salamanders. This is either good, or bad, depending on your perspective. For complete info on tiger sals, read:
http://www.caudata.org/caudatecentral/caresheets/Ambystoma_tigrinum.html

Regarding filtration, I would recommend at least an airstone. The foam filter is basically the same thing, but it has a foam pad around it to filter out some debris. A small pump and foam filter or airstone will cost about $8-15 total. I would also suggest that, in the long run, a 15-20 gallon tank would be more comfortable for two of them.

One other thing to consider: how much was this guy charging for "baby dinosaurs"? Probably some inflated price. If they are tiger larvae, you may be able to get the same thing for $1-2 each from a local bait shop. Ask for "waterdogs".