Adoring Axolotls

Hi from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia!
I absolutely adore Axolotls, and all animals...I have a pair of dogs, cats, guinea pigs, cockatiels and Axolotls.....and several tanks of fish of all varieties for my children. A Noah of sorts I guess you could say! Most of my animal family have been rescues and I can't stand to see a creature alone...hence the pairs!
I had a white, gold and leopard (scientific names escape me for now) YEARS ago when I was going through Uni..they were great company during late night study sessions!
I rescued a little leucistic girl who was so close to death early last year and she is our beloved "Moon". :happy: After watching her grow and fight death, the poor little thing sucked up a large, rough rock that was still in her tank...one I missed when cleaning it out
I, and my pet store thought she was a 'gonner' , but she proved us all wrong and fought for life again...passing the horrible thing about three weeks ago. She had lost so much weight and I said to my children that if she pulls through, I would like to get her a little buddy.
Our lovely new Nova a gorgeous golden, is MUCH bigger and seems to be a male, though I asked for a female. He seemed quite rambunctious and ate about a cm off her tail :uhoh:
The pet store were kind to allow me to take Nova back, but we loved hom so much that after a day of looking like he was settling in, we decided to keep him and give him another chance.
Hence my posting...today I noticed Nova has 'chomped' Moon's right arm close to the body, and her right leg just past the 'knee' I feel absolutely sick to my stomach, have separated them and am now here for advice and guidance. (Taking Nova back IS still an option, but I'd love to find a way to keep him...though, my priority is Moon's safety and both their happiness. I wonder if a switch to a smaller female is the best? )
So, that's me and my "Ark", and I look forward to chatting to you in the respective forums.
kind regards,
Fiona :happy:

Welcome to the Forum. You'll find plenty of useful advice here.


Regards Neil

Welcome to the forum!

Could you get a tank divider? This will allow you to keep them both in the same tank but also keep them separated. You can buy them online.

Moon may just be a little small for Nova and unfortunately he may have learnt early on that he could nibble at other axolotls - I think you may have to separate them for life, since axxies who bite other axxies rarely grow out of it. They go through a cannibalistic stage between birth and 6". During this time, if they learn they can eat other axxies, they might never grow out of it. Also, hides for both of them are a must even when separated.

Sites disagree about whether axolotls need company or not. Some state that axolotls don't live in mated pairs or groups in the wild and thus don't need other axxies. Others claim that axxies live better in pairs or groups (but then, with all due respect, a lot of these are sellers, who would prefer to sell two axxies at a time, let's face it). If Moon is going to be nibbled it's best to keep them separated. Toothless (my axxie) seems perfectly content on her own. For now, keep Moon in clean, dechlorinated water, in a dark cold tank, and carry on feeding her as normal. Her leg should grow back within a few months, but try and keep the stress to a minimum if you can.

I hope this helps! :happy: