Question: Forever a cannibal? !

CaptainScruffy

New member
Joined
Mar 1, 2013
Messages
22
Reaction score
1
Points
0
Location
Sayton, Ohio
Country
United States
Alright, so I have my Juvie Axolotl, Mjoll and she is about 4 inches now, I know Axolotls can't be housed with other juveniles, I plan on getting two more Axolotls and house them all together when they all reach 6 inches, I've read that juveniles that were housed with juvies will remain cannibalistic their entire life. Mjoll was bought from a petstore where she was with 2 other babies, and I know they were cannibalistic because when I bought Mjoll, she was in the process of regenerating her Hind leg. I intend on buying from a breeder from now on btw. but I would like to know your guys experience if you have a lotl raised the same
 
juveniles that were housed with juvies will remain cannibalistic their entire life

This is bunk, aka pure dead facts, and wherever you read this I'd be leary of trusting any other information! That could have easily been a case scenario. :)

I raised 54 axolotls in groups together, and not 1 single injury (a red mark appeared directly in the middle of the forehead on 2, but I cannot link this to another axolotl). All the way from eggs to hatchlings to juveniles. In fact, right now I have ~20 together in a rubbermaid bin that's 4' long, and the axolotls are ~ 3.5" long. No missing limbs or gills at all, 2.5 months later.

Aside from eggs, I also had 6 juveniles that I raised separately until they were ~5.5-6". Then I put them all together, and again, no injuries.

As long as they are well fed and have space to get away from each other, I think you'll be fine, especially at 4" (they're considered cannibalistic until around 2.5-3"). Just make sure if you get other axolotls they're around the same size (I'd say no more than 0.75" with your current 4" guy) so they don't accidentally see the other as food.

If she came from a store and there was evidence of cannibalism that would lead me to think 2 things: 1) overcrowding (not very surprising considering this is a store), 2) not being fed enough. An axolotl that has a full belly shouldn't be eyeing up its siblings, which is probably why I never had a problem - they almost always had food in their shared containers so they never had to resort to feasting on one another to sustain their bodies.

Hopefully this helped you out :)
 
Thank you! Very helpful! The place where I was told this information was the buy-Axolotls.com page. And 3 inches they are out of their cannibalistic stage? So you think 2 more 3 inch or above juvies would be suitable enclosed together? Mjoll is in a 20 gallon high right now but when I get my other Lotls I was planning on getting a 30 or 40 gallon long
 
I looked at getting axolotls from them and they also wanted me to pay $250 in shipping (they have a canadian location, too) which is such a rip off.

As for exactly when they're out of their cannibalistic stage, I think it all depends on the individual. In my case, there was plenty opportunity for them to be cannibalistic, but since they were born, nothing. As long as you kept them well-fed and with hiding spots they should be fine. I had a couple of people take some home when they were 2.5" in groups of 3, and they are all doing fine, no injuries to speak of.

The one possible concern I can think of is how far along has Mjoll healed with his/her injury? Axolotls that have large injuries like that tend to have stunted growth for a while because their efforts and energy is all put towards regeneration, rather than growth. If it's not fully healed I would wonder whether or not the new axolotls will grow faster than Mjoll and out-size him or her. However if it's mostly healed, you'll probably be fine. This is based of what I'd consider common sense, but I've never had an injured axolotl so perhaps someone can confirm.

Just make sure when you upgrade, footprint is more important than height. For instance, 30"x12" I would consider being bare minimum for 2, and even then that may push it depending on the size the axololts get (they won't grow according to tank size like some people think). They can get as big as 17" long (10-12 being average) so you can imagine how squishy that would be in a 30"x12".

For 3, I would suggest getting something that has a 42"x12" footprint. Again, 36"x12" may work as a bare minimum, but that really depends on how big your axies grow. The bigger footprint you can get, the better. You may also have people in the area that can custom build tanks for you. I got my 60"x15"x15" built for $130, then I just bought a light to go on top. Perhaps you can find a used 55gal tank on craiglist? That should work nicely for 3-4. As the tank size gets bigger, it's more of a concern of water quality rather than footprint, as all axolotls will have access to that larger footprint. I currently have 6 in my big 60" tank, however I plan on adding 3-4 more and just being diligent with more frequent water changes. Now that my sub adults have been put together they actually seem to enjoy having each other for company, snuggling up in their DIY hide I made for them.

Again, this is all my opinion, others may feel differently.
 
Thank you! You are very insightful! And Mjoll has recovered great! She even has 2 extra toes now on one foot! I think it gives him/her character! And I will look into maybe a slightly bigger tank when I get some new babies! A 40 gallon breeder has been my other thought!
 
I looked at getting axolotls from them and they also wanted me to pay $250 in shipping (they have a canadian location, too) which is such a rip off.

As for exactly when they're out of their cannibalistic stage, I think it all depends on the individual. In my case, there was plenty opportunity for them to be cannibalistic, but since they were born, nothing. As long as you kept them well-fed and with hiding spots they should be fine. I had a couple of people take some home when they were 2.5" in groups of 3, and they are all doing fine, no injuries to speak of.

The one possible concern I can think of is how far along has Mjoll healed with his/her injury? Axolotls that have large injuries like that tend to have stunted growth for a while because their efforts and energy is all put towards regeneration, rather than growth. If it's not fully healed I would wonder whether or not the new axolotls will grow faster than Mjoll and out-size him or her. However if it's mostly healed, you'll probably be fine. This is based of what I'd consider common sense, but I've never had an injured axolotl so perhaps someone can confirm.

Just make sure when you upgrade, footprint is more important than height. For instance, 30"x12" I would consider being bare minimum for 2, and even then that may push it depending on the size the axololts get (they won't grow according to tank size like some people think). They can get as big as 17" long (10-12 being average) so you can imagine how squishy that would be in a 30"x12".

For 3, I would suggest getting something that has a 42"x12" footprint. Again, 36"x12" may work as a bare minimum, but that really depends on how big your axies grow. The bigger footprint you can get, the better. You may also have people in the area that can custom build tanks for you. I got my 60"x15"x15" built for $130, then I just bought a light to go on top. Perhaps you can find a used 55gal tank on craiglist? That should work nicely for 3-4. As the tank size gets bigger, it's more of a concern of water quality rather than footprint, as all axolotls will have access to that larger footprint. I currently have 6 in my big 60" tank, however I plan on adding 3-4 more and just being diligent with more frequent water changes. Now that my sub adults have been put together they actually seem to enjoy having each other for company, snuggling up in their DIY hide I made for them.

Again, this is all my opinion, others may feel differently.

I'm one of those people that bought Axies from Ashley, and I can confirm, my three are doing wonderfully together! :)
 
Thank you! You are very insightful! And Mjoll has recovered great! She even has 2 extra toes now on one foot! I think it gives him/her character! And I will look into maybe a slightly bigger tank when I get some new babies! A 40 gallon breeder has been my other thought!

It's quite common for axolotls with injuries to recover with extra digits.. I bet it looks really cute :) I'm glade she recouperated well! A 40g breeder sounds just fine for 3 - that 36"x18" footprint should be fine - and if one of yours grows to be a giant you can just upgrade later ;) Once they reach adult size I'm sure you'll be able to tell whether or not they're cramped ;)
 
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • Shane douglas:
    with axolotls would I basically have to keep buying and buying new axolotls to prevent inbred breeding which costs a lot of money??
    +1
    Unlike
  • Thorninmyside:
    Not necessarily but if you’re wanting to continue to grow your breeding capacity then yes. Breeding axolotls isn’t a cheap hobby nor is it a get rich quick scheme. It costs a lot of money and time and deditcation
    +1
    Unlike
  • stanleyc:
    @Thorninmyside, I Lauren chen
    +1
    Unlike
  • Clareclare:
    Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus Japanese . I'm raising them and have abandoned the terrarium at about 5 months old and switched to the aquatic setups you describe. I'm wondering if I could do this as soon as they morph?
    +1
    Unlike
    Clareclare: Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus... +1
    Back
    Top