Is 15 degrees too low a temp?

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tumptyteapot

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It's November in the UK, it's not as cold as it's going to get and the Axie tank is at 15 degrees. Do I need to think about heating them a couple of degrees?
The tank is in an alcove to one side of a real fire which isn't used all the time, even during the winter. There is also a raidiator but that only really dries clothes. The whole house is a wind tunnel. They are protected from drafts in the alcove and I could bubble wrap the tank if that made any difference.
I've no way of predicting how low the tank will go.
Thoughts appreciated!
 
As far as I know, as long as their water doesn't have ice forming in it, they should be fine. If the temperature rises and drops rapidly you may have a problem.
 
I'm in much the same position. My thinking is they come from glacial lakes which tend to be ridiculously cold (I come from Snowdonia and made the mistake of trying to swim in one once so I have some first hand experience :eek:) and can survive periods in a fridge which tends to be about 4-5 degrees C so a tank temperature of 15 should be ok. I should think they won't be overly active until the temp comes up a bit but will be ok in the long run. I also remember reading somewhere that they can tolerate tank temperatures as low as 10 degrees C but prefer 14 -20 degrees, I may be wrong though? Please someone shout if my logic is wonky!
 
Axolotls will cope fine with low temperatures. You need to protect them from freezing and may consider a heater if the temperatures are consistently low i.e 5C.

15C is positively barmy for most caudates. :)
 
Mark said:
Axolotls will cope fine with low temperatures. You need to protect them from freezing and may consider a heater if the temperatures are consistently low i.e 5C.

15C is positively barmy for most caudates. :)
Click to expand...

Thank you.

At the risk of sounding ungrateful can I just check that you meant to say 'barmy' and not 'balmy'?
 
Hah - bit of both really. Axies go barmy at a balmy 15C. One of the hazards of using a mobile phone to write forum posts! I mean't balmy of course but I do like the idea of barmy caudates.
 
Mark said:
Hah - bit of both really. Axies go barmy at a balmy 15C. One of the hazards of using a mobile phone to write forum posts! I mean't balmy of course but I do like the idea of barmy caudates.
Click to expand...


So to summarise: Balmy Caudates = Barmy Owners ;)
 
brill, thank you so much, they just looked a little off to me but it was probably because they had 2 days of a worm each in a row, then I went away for 3 days so they were sulking because they expected a worm every day - I didn't want to waste the worms that were the last 2 in the fridge and looking a bit worse for wear, or just resting, if you like Monty Python.
I don't expect radical changes in temp but I'll keep an eye on the thermometer as it will get colder.
 
My axolotls are in my shed at 10c, eating about half as much as usual but looking fit and healthy.
 
My herp room is between 13-15C right now. I'm feeding every 5 days or so.
 
When you talk about temperature changes, it has been up around the 39 C here at the moment. I have the air con running in the room with the Axolotls and the temperature is ranging from 17 to 20 over 24 hour period - do you think this is too much of a change for them?
 
your axolotl will be fine as long as they get a consistent temperature. 15 C is healthy for them :)
 
Consistency is definitely the key. It can be a little out of range either way (high or low) as long as it's not swinging wildly. Remember that these guys cannot thermoregulate. They are the same temperature as their water. If their water is constantly changing temperature, their insides are too. This can be extremely stressful. That's why if you're using ice bottles to cool your tank, you absolutely need to be on.the.ball with switching them out.
 
I was told (can't remember by who though!) that if the temp is too cold for axolotls it slows down they're metabolism and they can't digest food properly and it can rot in they're stomachs. Is this true??
 
Yes. But realistically, they won't eat when they're too cold to digest food. And as a good axolotl owner, you wouldn't feed them and then suddenly let their temperature drop (and stay there).
 
you guys should invest in a water cooler dispenser. i recommend the kinds that only have the cold and room temp dispensers because the ones that also do hot water is just a waste. i got mine from a listing website for $10CDN (no one uses them nowadays ever since fridges with water dispensers started coming about.) the cool thing about these things is that they regulate the water to a certain temperature and once your temp starts getting warmer, it automatically cools it back down. its the complete opposite of the heater but works the same way. it's also VERY CONSISTENT. usually water dispenser coolers bring it down only to 16C to 18C (it was intented not to hurt the drinker's teeth) but i lucked out on one that goes 12C to 14C (perfect temp for axo eggs)

I think there are other threads out there that show how to connect one to your axo's tank but if you guys cant find any and you want me to create a tutorial, jus lemme know :)
 
rasprer said:
you guys should invest in a water cooler dispenser. i recommend the kinds that only have the cold and room temp dispensers because the ones that also do hot water is just a waste. i got mine from a listing website for $10CDN (no one uses them nowadays ever since fridges with water dispensers started coming about.) the cool thing about these things is that they regulate the water to a certain temperature and once your temp starts getting warmer, it automatically cools it back down. its the complete opposite of the heater but works the same way. it's also VERY CONSISTENT. usually water dispenser coolers bring it down only to 16C to 18C (it was intented not to hurt the drinker's teeth) but i lucked out on one that goes 12C to 14C (perfect temp for axo eggs)

I think there are other threads out there that show how to connect one to your axo's tank but if you guys cant find any and you want me to create a tutorial, jus lemme know :)
Click to expand...

I would be interested in your water cooler set up but have to disagree that 12c-14c is ideal for axolotl eggs and it would certainly increase the mortality for hatchlings when compared to 20c.
 
oh i mustve been ill-informed. Thank you for correcting me.
 
Kaysie said:
Yes. But realistically, they won't eat when they're too cold to digest food. And as a good axolotl owner, you wouldn't feed them and then suddenly let their temperature drop (and stay there).
Click to expand...


So what temp is too cold??
 
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