Question: Spooked axolotls

Hi there
just wondering if anyone can give me some advice
2 of our adult axies seem to get spooked easy
when u open the top of the tank they both flip and and hit into things in the tank and seem really freaked..or even when u drop food into the tank

just wondering if this is normal behaviour and they dont seem to interested in food since they were shipped to us
is there anyway to calm them down?
im thinking maybe moving out the water heater and filter incase they get hurt
any suggested

Welcome to the forum!

Axolotls are easily spooked. Do you have a sufficient amount of hides in the tank? It's recommended to have at least two hides per axolotl. Axolotls also have no eyelids, so they are very sensitive to light and this can increase their stress levels.

Have you tested the water for Ammonia (most important), Nitrite, Nitrate, and pH?

Why do you have a heater? The tank temperature should be kept in the range 16-20C. Temperatures higher than 22C can lead to illness.

How long have you had them? If they've only just been shipped to you, I would cover half the tank with a towel for a few days to give them somewhere dark to retreat to. This will help de-stress them.

Jacquie said:

Welcome to the forum!

Axolotls are easily spooked. Do you have a sufficient amount of hides in the tank? It's recommended to have at least two hides per axolotl. Axolotls also have no eyelids, so they are very sensitive to light and this can increase their stress levels.

Have you tested the water for Ammonia (most important), Nitrite, Nitrate, and pH?

Why do you have a heater? The tank temperature should be kept in the range 16-20C. Temperatures higher than 22C can lead to illness.

How long have you had them? If they've only just been shipped to you, I would cover half the tank with a towel for a few days to give them somewhere dark to retreat to. This will help de-stress them.

Click to expand...

Hi there
I had the tank at 21 degrees for a few days and turned off the heater when i noticed the male was nudging the female a lot...
i am not sure how to check the water how do i do that?
i will add some more places for them to hide and see if that helps
and also i will try ur idea of putting a towel over half the tank and see if that helps
thanks
Glenn

Is your tank cycled?
{ Caudata Culture Articles - Cycling }
You will need a master test kit to test for ammonia , nitrite, nitrate, and ph levels in the water.
Axolotls produce a lot of waste that turns into ammonia that is toxic to them, please do some research into the nitrogen cycle.
You temp should be as low as possible so disregard the heater it will not be needed.
here are some useful links on keeping axolotls
Axolotls - Housing in Captivity
Axolotls - Feeding
Axolotls - Health & Diseases

And my site I wrote on axolotls for beginners
- Home

iSuzie said:

Is your tank cycled?
{ Caudata Culture Articles - Cycling }
You will need a master test kit to test for ammonia , nitrite, nitrate, and ph levels in the water.
Axolotls produce a lot of waste that turns into ammonia that is toxic to them, please do some research into the nitrogen cycle.
You temp should be as low as possible so disregard the heater it will not be needed.
here are some useful links on keeping axolotls
Axolotls - Housing in Captivity
Axolotls - Feeding
Axolotls - Health & Diseases

And my site I wrote on axolotls for beginners
- Home

Click to expand...

thank you so much for your help
i just looked up the site and found a lof of useful stuff on there
there is a lot of stuff to know about these and a lot of time can be inputted into them
its not a bad thing can be fun as well
also another question i have is what is a good live food to feed the adults?
i would be interested in trying them on some of that as they are not really interested a lot in the frozen stuff
Glenn

Live earthworms are probably the most nutritious food you can feed an adult axolotl. You can dig them up from your garden as long as no pesticides or other chemicals have been used to treat the soil, otherwise you can find them in pet stores.

Another live food commonly found in pet stores in Australia are live crickets, though probably not the most nutritional they can certainly serve as good food when better live foods (like earthworms) cannot be found. A lot of pet stores also carry mealworms, axolotls find them quite hard to properly digest but they can also be used as a food on occasion if nothing else is available; you just have to remember cut off their heads as they have quite sharp teeth which can do axolotls some damage.

You might want to check out the CC page on foods for caudates:
Caudata Culture Articles - Food Items for Captive Caudates