TO BE? OR NOT TO BE? a dad THAT IS THE QUESTION?

Hi all, hope everyone well. not been on for a while.

Had a bit of a shock the other day, found some eggs in my tank!!! It was only a matter of time really having 2 males and 1 female lol

I'll give you a bit background info first so you can get the whole picture.

I bought 2 little axolotls back in january who turned out to be male and female, Then about 2 months ago i went to a little zoo in west wales to see there axolotl display and ended have a 3 hour chat with the owner and at the end she said "would you like another one" me being me said yes yes yes!!

Over the last few months they've been getting on really well, But the last few weeks the original male had been acting a bit strange. Not eating as much as he normally does and hiding a lot more. With the other 2 i haven't noticed any real change at all, So i'm guessing he's not the dad???

Then on thursday i'm half way through changing there water and i notice the eggs, So started doing some research then today i wake up check on them and notice some more eggs but this time their slightly bigger then the first batch???

Since i found the eggs i've been doing some research and it say to separate the male and female but with the 3 of them thats a bit tricky

The other problem is what to do with the eggs?? I have a spare 60L tank that would be perfect but what with work and stuff plus i'm moving house next month i'm not really sure i'll the time to devote to raising babies!! Having said that i'd love to see them all grow up!!

Whats everyone's thoughts on letting nature take it's course?? Would any of the babies survive??

Also is there anyone local ish that would be interested in in raising them?

Sorry for the long post, any advice welcome!!!

Dave

If you want to raise all the babies, be prepared to devote a lot of time. They need plenty of attention with feeding and water quality. There will be some inevitable losses as nature's way of survival of the fittest.

If you don't want to raise them, it is best to cull them. Adult axies may eat some of the eggs or larvae if you leave them in the tank but there is no guarantee.

It is usually not possible to distinguish the 'dad' from behaviour alone.

Hiya. You could put them on the for sale, give away and trade section on the forum. Or i've even seen eggs on ebay. You need to do it quickly tho to make sure they dont hatch in the post. You could keep a small number to raise. I raise mine in tubs. I would probably recommend raising a small number if you decide to do that. Because they will need splitting up at some point. I'd say around ten - fifteen. If you do decide to raise you'll need to start lookin into food. I hatch brine shrimp for my babies. Good luck Mel

Hi Dave and welcome back!

When I first read your thread I wondered if someone was going to ask about becoming the father of a human child. And actually, it isn't all that different: axolotl larvae get very big very quickly, they need a lot of food to do so, and you can never be sure they will all leave home.

As a general rule, I would recommend not raising any more than you can keep in your own home if need be. Raising the young is also very time consuming for the first couple, three months. If you don't have the time, please consider waiting until you are in a better situation to devote your attention to the young. There will be more eggs later, honest.

It really is fascinating (and endearing) to watch the eggs develop into larvae into adults, granted. However, even though they start out tiny and in groups of hundreds, it is important to remember that each one is a life form and should be treated seriously.

Ok, I'll stop before I start sounding preachy.

-Eva

Given your uncertainty about having time to raise them, I'd recommend letting the adults eat as many as possible. Also, you may find some takers for the eggs/larvae if you post an offer in the Ad section of the forum. Good luck!

Jennewt said:

Given your uncertainty about having time to raise them, I'd recommend letting the adults eat as many as possible. Also, you may find some takers for the eggs/larvae if you post an offer in the Ad section of the forum. Good luck!

Click to expand...

is that a common practice?
kinda sad but i guess it has to be done.
so yea, i guess you have to pick out the best ones or the ones you want to raise.

In my opinion, it would be much sadder if everyone tried to raise every single egg that their axolotls produced. Very few people are really equipped to raise 100+ of them, and when unprepared people try to do this, it usually results in mass mortality. The total pain (both to humans and axolotls) is far less when the the adults eat the eggs, or the excess eggs are disposed of in other humane ways.