Question: Looking to possibly add a 2nd Axie to my tank

Rea124

Rea124

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Hi everyone. so i have been thinking more and more about potentially adding a 2nd axie to my collection. right now i have 1 axie, about 5 inches from nose to the tip of the tail, who i believe is just over a year old now. i have been struggling to identify if Esme is a boy or a girl but i am starting to come to the conclusion that it is a boy. what do you guys think from the pictures??

i want to get a 2nd axie because i find them so fascinating but my biggest concern is potential breeding. is there a way to keep them from breeding? at least if i can identify the sex of my current axie i might be able to get one of the same sex.

is it better to house to males or 2 females, or does it matter?

anything else you think i might need to know about adding to my collection, please let me know!!!!

the attached pictures were taken just today.
 

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At 5 inches I doubt it's a year old. Mine were born in September and they're 4 inches. It's too young to tell what sex it is right now. They need to be about 18 months old or over 18cm - and still you could be wrong.

It does not matter if you have two boys, two girls or 1 of each. If you don't want them to breed then use a divider. How big is the current tank you have?
 
Also get one that's similar in size to avoid bullying or someone ending up as dinner.
 
ive had my little monster for over a year now so i know its at least that old. my current tank is a 15 gal, long but i would go up to 20gal if i added a 2nd.
 
That's really weird. I would have paid money to bed that it wasn't more than 6 months old.
 
i looked up when we got her and its been about 10 months. so she has to be at least that old. ya idk why shes so small. i feed her blood worms, beef heart and freeze dried krill. im going to pick up some earthworms this week.
 
Wow that's really strange! What do you feed him and how often?

I would suggest a different tank maybe, if he is at least over a year, it's more likely you'll end up with the new axolotl being much bigger than your current one. Either separate tank or a divider. I would also suggest more than a 20gal. Most people here say 10gal but if you have a taller tank rather than long it's not a suitable environment. So most are now saying 1.5ft per lotl (accounting for hides). For two axolotls I would recommend atleast a 2 footer minimum, even though two full grown axolotls in that is probably pushing it, but since yours is so small it would matter much.



Edit: posted too late.


Yeah blood worms aren't too bad but the other two are horrible in nutrition and may have affected your axolotls growth. Earthworms are definitely the best choice.
 
i currently feed every 1-2 days. i feed mostly1 cube of blood worms. rarely beef heart or brine shrimp, occasionally a few pellets and freeze dried krill. i am looking into getting a 30 gal right from someone who lives in my area so im thinking thats what i will do. the 30 gal is 36" wide, 12" deep and 20" tall.
 
I would just stop feeding the beef heart and freeze dried krill. Freeze dried anything is generally considered bad for axolotls.
 
ya i hardly ever feed it to her/him. im hoping that starting the earthworms will bring on a growth spurt. can i get them just from a bait shop?
 
I don't know about in the US but our worms from bait shops are frozen or has some kind of chemical.

You can order them online or perhaps the local hardware/gardening shops have a worm-farm starter.
 
in the US you can buy a small container with dirt that has a bunch of earth worms in it and you just keep it in the fridge until you are ready to put them on the hook!
 
Maybe someone from the US may have better input about bait shop worms. Sorry :)

Since the best food for axolotls are earthworms I would look into establishing a worm farm. It will save you major $$$!
 
Find a walmart that has a sporting goods section. I don't like buying from wally world, but it's the best places to get worms. Depending on where you are, they'll always have a supply of nice fat Canadian nightcrawlers, 18 big ones for about $3.50.

Start feeding your axolotl solidly on earthworms, and you'll see a big growth spurt.
 
will do! im so nervous about chopping them up!!!
 
Its a bit strange and I feel bad doing so but, you gotta do what you gotta do! Just get a pair of reptile feeding tweezers and stainless steel nail scissors. It'll make life so much easier ;)
 
I use a razor blade to the poor worms! I slice off the head part for peace of mind. lol
 
I always thought a pill cutter would be an easy solution. Just close the lid and you don't have to actually watch the thing get chopped in half :3 I found a decent one at a $1 store.
 
Skimming through the other posts, i would also agree that if it was just basing your axololotl's age based off size, he would not be a year old so it is very odd that he is so small. Like someone else mentioned, i would possibly consider getting two tanks or a divider because it is not likely your next axolotl will stay 5 inches, (note that the general rule is 10 gallons per axolotl) and long tanks vs high tanks are preferred.
I've also used worms from Walmart and mine love cut up Canadian night crawlers vs the red wigglers, they don't eat them anymore.
Also as far as what genres get along best together, i couldn't really say but i have two females and a male together (the male and one of the female are siblings) and no breeding yet but you can either take out the eggs if she lays some (or sell them on caudata) or sometimes they will eat their own eggs or if any hatch, they will eat their young.
It might sound awful but its their nature, however i would recommend selling them to someone for better use.
Though, with your axie being so small I'm not even quite sure she/he would be able to reproduce?
Best of luck
- Ashley
 
Rea124 said:
will do! im so nervous about chopping them up!!!
Click to expand...

Get a large plastic apron and a butcher knife. I got mine mine from those mini cheese sets. Perfect for pwning worms haha. I of course blanch them and wash off the nasty ooze they eek after being killed. Then they just lay there dead motionless for easier chopping.
 
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