Are they bored?

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laurasplanb

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laurasplanb
hello one of my axies sits around doing nothing all day, apart from if its feeding time, they are so lazy... i'm abit worried that they are bored!
they tank is 120cm x 30cm x 30cm, with two of them so plenty of room, i hav a tube for hiding, a rock for climbing and 4 plastic plants.
i have heard people mention moss balls for them to chase or half filled ping pong balls, wondering can anyone tell me where i get moss balls from, surely its not health to put stuf from the local woods in...? and what do you close the whole back up with on the ping pong ball... non toxic?
welcome all suggestions... they just look alittle sad... oh btw they are 1 n a half years old!
 
That's the nature of the animal. In the wild, energy is hard to come by, so it's best to just sit in one spot and wait for food to come to you.

Your tank sounds like it could have much more as far as decorations and plants. I would provide more stuff for them to hide in and climb on, and I bet they would be vaguely more active.

Moss balls are cultured, and not found in the woods. They can usually be purchased at local aquarium shops.
 
thanks

thanks for the advice il pop down the aquarium tomorrow see if they have moss.. yea i was a bit worried about over crowding the tanks and made space so they have the front half of the tank clear for swimming.. cos they used to dart back and forth and i didnt want them to hurt themselves on something.. but this seems to have stopped now.
 
Sound like a great setup, well done!

On a cautionary note I would watch pingpong balls with big axys, my female managed to get it stuck in her mouth! however my little axys love to push it round the tank!
 
Hi Laurasplanb,

Axolotls are naturally nocturnal. Domestication can interfere with this process. Its quite natural for an axie to be more inactive in the day time.

My Big tank has been about 4 months in the developing, I have tried to make it as similar to a natural environment as possible. I think I have got there now. But now i'm thinking it needs to be bigger so I can fit another axie and .............
 
yea i guess i forget that they are wild animals sometimes, its just worrying that they will be bored because they are used to massive lakes and caves in the wild now they are stuck in a tank! i'd hate to think i was being cruel to them, thanks for your advice, especially the thing about the ping pong ball going it their mouths.... i can definately see my little ones trying to fit it in their big gobs.. silly things!
 
Amphibians are hard wired to conserve energy. If they have met thier metabolic needs and water conditions are fine then they will remain still to conserve energy (why hunt or move if you don't have to as you don't know when the next meal will be available so make the best use of the last one...) not to mention that moving around increases the risk of predation and is against thier nocturnal behavioral patterns.

Now axolotls can become conditioned to day time movement by feeding them but this an artificial behavior..

Ed
 
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