Lady Rassilon
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- Oct 21, 2011
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I have recently acquired two juvenile axolotls. They are now 6 or 8 weeks old I think - I don't know exactly when they hatched. They seem to have almost doubled in size in two and a half weeks that I've had them. Their limbs are all developed, and their missing limbs (from tank overcrowding in the aquarium store) are growing back well.
I am raising them in a 90 cm tank at home, and intend to transfer them to a tank in my office at work when they are old enough.
If you would be gracious enough to help, I would like advice from the community on the following:
1. At the moment they are eating a good amount of bloodworm twice a day. However, they seem to eat just a few when I put the food in, then wander away. But the food is usually all gone a few hours later, so I assume they come back for it. I am therefore having trouble telling when they are still hungry, and how much to feed them. Should it be just as much as they will eat before wandering away, or as much as disappears between the feeding times?
2. My long term plan is to house them at work, in a 75 cm long tank. This tank is currently housing some fish (but they'll be gone when the axies arrive). But this tank is staying at a constant 22-23 degrees C, due to the constant temperature control of the office (its in a hospital). Is 23 degrees going to be too hot for the axies to live in permanently, should I invest in a chiller?
3. Said 75 cm tank should be suffcient for two adults, once they reach that stage. I would very much like to obtain a third - actually a rescue. The aquarium where I obtained the two had another batch of hatchlings, a few weeks younger then mine. The shop assistant said the plan for these new hatchlings was to make them metamorphasise - which I would consider very cruel, from what I have read many won't survive this? I would like to try and resuce at least one more of these poor hatchlings before that happens - but will the 75 cm tank be too small for three, in the long run?
4. I am due to go away on the weekend, and I am wondering if 6-8 week old juveniles, currently eating twice a day, might cope without food for a short time. While I am hoping to have someone visit and feed them at least once a day, I am wondering if they are old enough to cope 48 hours with no feeding?
5. Does anyone have advice on how old they need to be before I start trying to feed them on pellets or other foods? The aquarium advised feeding them on frozen bloodworm, twice a day, for 8 weeks. The store also advised against feeding on earthworms, citing that the soil in an earthworm would upset the axolotl. I trusted their advice, until I heard their plan to make the new hatchlings metamorph. Now I am taking their advice with a grain of salt, and looking wider for advice. Any tips on feeding and raising juveniles would be appreciated.
Thanks for your attention, and thank you even more if you would provide advice.
Leah
I am raising them in a 90 cm tank at home, and intend to transfer them to a tank in my office at work when they are old enough.
If you would be gracious enough to help, I would like advice from the community on the following:
1. At the moment they are eating a good amount of bloodworm twice a day. However, they seem to eat just a few when I put the food in, then wander away. But the food is usually all gone a few hours later, so I assume they come back for it. I am therefore having trouble telling when they are still hungry, and how much to feed them. Should it be just as much as they will eat before wandering away, or as much as disappears between the feeding times?
2. My long term plan is to house them at work, in a 75 cm long tank. This tank is currently housing some fish (but they'll be gone when the axies arrive). But this tank is staying at a constant 22-23 degrees C, due to the constant temperature control of the office (its in a hospital). Is 23 degrees going to be too hot for the axies to live in permanently, should I invest in a chiller?
3. Said 75 cm tank should be suffcient for two adults, once they reach that stage. I would very much like to obtain a third - actually a rescue. The aquarium where I obtained the two had another batch of hatchlings, a few weeks younger then mine. The shop assistant said the plan for these new hatchlings was to make them metamorphasise - which I would consider very cruel, from what I have read many won't survive this? I would like to try and resuce at least one more of these poor hatchlings before that happens - but will the 75 cm tank be too small for three, in the long run?
4. I am due to go away on the weekend, and I am wondering if 6-8 week old juveniles, currently eating twice a day, might cope without food for a short time. While I am hoping to have someone visit and feed them at least once a day, I am wondering if they are old enough to cope 48 hours with no feeding?
5. Does anyone have advice on how old they need to be before I start trying to feed them on pellets or other foods? The aquarium advised feeding them on frozen bloodworm, twice a day, for 8 weeks. The store also advised against feeding on earthworms, citing that the soil in an earthworm would upset the axolotl. I trusted their advice, until I heard their plan to make the new hatchlings metamorph. Now I am taking their advice with a grain of salt, and looking wider for advice. Any tips on feeding and raising juveniles would be appreciated.
Thanks for your attention, and thank you even more if you would provide advice.
Leah
Earth worms are the best food for axolotls and should be fed as soon as there big enough to take chopped up pieces of worm.