Question: Axolotl in garden pond..

lims

lims

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No I didn't find one in my garden pond, but wondering what people think of putting one in a garden pond.
I don't think he has anything to pass onto other amphibians, can I check? Also, he can't escape the pond unless he morphs.
He's currently about 5 inches long. I mainly wonder if he will find enough food for himself.
I'm not necessarily going to do this, it just interests me.
 
I think some people have done it. The biggest concern is probably freezing in the winter. If your pond doesn't freeze solid, or you add a heater in the winter, maybe.
 
hi
for what its worth, i think the introduction of non-indigenous species in the wild is wrong. If there were 2, and they bred, and they morphed and moved off into other ponds etc to breed ...... it could lead havoc to local habitats/food chains etc -- like the cane toad in australia.

they are more fun in a tank -- you can see them better
 
optimist said:
hi
for what its worth, i think the introduction of non-indigenous species in the wild is wrong. If there were 2, and they bred, and they morphed and moved off into other ponds etc to breed ...... it could lead havoc to local habitats/food chains etc -- like the cane toad in australia.

they are more fun in a tank -- you can see them better
Click to expand...

Are you aware that it is extremely rare for axolotl's to morph?

Also, where may I ask is the 2nd axolotl going to appear from?
 
optimist said:
If there were 2, and they bred, and they morphed and moved off into other ponds etc to breed ......
Click to expand...

The only issue there is that there would only be one axolotl, and the chances of any axolotl morphing, let alone two, is so slim it's hardly even relevant. This would, however, be an entirely different story if we were not talking about Ambystoma mexicanum.
 
what about food, will it find enough? anyone have any experience in this area?
 
If your garden pond is like mine, in the spring frogs, toads and newts breed there (protected species) -- axolotls would eat them, and axolotls are not a natural part of that eco-system.
(Wildlife and Countyrside Act 1981 Legislation protects all native amphibia). It is also illegal to introduce into the wild any non-native species (same Act).

So I think it's a bad idea on all counts.
 
I had thought of having some axolotl in my pond but I get frogs and newts visit and was concerned about various infections possibly being transfered from one to the other. It then dawned on me that I would rarely see the axolotl...so I have now discounted the idea.
 
I see no problem in putting several axolotls in your garden pond. If your pond is man made and isolated from other water systems chances are very slim that an axolotl would escape to the wild. If your pond is stream fed or in a marshy area that's a different story. Putting aquatic salamanders in ponds in your back yard generally is not the same as introducing them to the wild.

I introduce plants, snails, aquatic salamanders and all sorts of plants and animals to my back yard ponds. I would not think of introducing them to the wild.
 
I think the key here is wether it´s an isolated pond or an open one. If the pond is open to other local species or permits scape (in the unlikely situation that the axolotl morphed), then i think it´s a very bad idea. But if the pond is isolated, nothing comes in and nothing comes out....i´d say it´s perfectly ok.
 
If you have herons or egrets in your area, be prepared to lose your axolotls once they're in the pond.
 
Can I say one word. Chytrid. This fungal disease is devastating amphibian populations across the world, and has spread across the world by people (not just tropical America, but also temperate areas such as the Pyrenees, and parts of England). Many captive stocks are probably infected. Amongst the local negative effects of introducing the axolotls, you could potentially introduce a fatal disease to your area. Your native amphibians are threatened as it is; don't make it worse with competition and disease! Please keep your axolotls in the aquarium and leave you pond for native amphibians; they are as interesting as axolotls!

Chris
 
I was gonna ask this same question!

We are building a raised pond in the garden next year and I am interested in putting my chaps out there. It would as I said, be raised also I'd probably put some sort of enclosure around it to keep herons/cats/other wild life from getting near them.

So basically as long as it doesnt freeze or get too hot in the summer then they will be fine?
 
I would have to say that I would have to side with the don't do it for the reasons that Chris had outlined along with the competition for food and space could be detrimental to our native species of amphibians some of which are protected by UK law.


This may document may help - looking at the section "Disposal or Release" relates to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
 

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Just to reiterate: I would only do it if they were in a secure enclosure. I wouldn't risk them coming into contact with anything else - I remember a frog drowning one of my parents Koi carp cos he couldn't find a mate so took a liking to them!

So yeah, I'm not an idiot, I'm just thinking they might enjoy life out there a bit more and could have a hell of a set up.
 
If I could get a hold of a kit, I could swab him for chytrid fungus.

The pond is small in a walled garden which is surrounded for miles by heavily built up urban sprawl. There's no water bodies for miles, and no chance chance of him going anywhere even if he does amazingly manage to morph.

No herons/egrets EVER.

The only newts are L. vulgaris which I introduced myself.

To be quite frank, I really don't care if frogs/froglets get eaten, they will always be there. The newts were never there and never going to be until I put hem there, so you can't use them as an argument either.

As long as I swab him first, I can't see how anyone can argue against it, or can you?
 
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