My Axoltol laid eggs!

Hey everyone, recently my Axolotl laid eggs which totally took me by surprise. I went out to the pet store and purchased a new tank and separated the eggs from the parents, I just have a few questions now..

I did some research and everyone seems to recommend Daphnia or Baby Brine Shrimp for their first source of food. I called around to local pet stores and they have never heard of Daphnia and only carry frozen BBS or adult live BS. I left them my number though and they're going to try to get it for me and call back if they could.

My question is, if I'm unable to obtain Daphnia or live BBS, is there any alternative? Also is slight water flow okay for the eggs if I turn my small filter on every so often? I just don't want the water to turn stagnant as well.

Thank you in advance for all the help.

You can buy BBS online, and it will take the eggs longer to hatch than it would for the BBS to arrive.
I guess you can 'feed' them pond water ( the insects in it ) if you don't mind getting it, lots of people do it, but if you can get BBS online before you eggs hatch then that would be better.
I don't think you need any water flow, the water can be stagnant you just have to do water changes.

Good luck with them! -Seth

I wonder if frozen baby brine shrimp with an airstone would work??? The food would still be moving...just a thought.

spot26 said:

I wonder if frozen baby brine shrimp with an airstone would work??? The food would still be moving...just a thought.

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No, the flow would stress the little axie larvae.
The best option is to hatch your own BBS - tutorial here

You have 14-20 days from laying to hatching for axi eggs - make sure you're prepared!

I have never had any luck feeding frozen food to babies. They only react to movement for the first three weeks of life, then slowly react to smell as they get older. The earliest I got babies to eat blood worm was at 2 and a half weeks (I chopped it up as tiny as I could and then waved pieces in their face using tweezers). Your best bet is getting some brine shrimp eggs as soon as possible. If you can get hold of daphnia they're are probably the least hassle once you set up a good culture for them. What's great about daphnia is if you have a pond or dam on your property you can introduce them there. Then in the future you'll have a good supply of food for baby axolotls should you decide to raise more in the future :happy:

sde said:

You can buy BBS online, and it will take the eggs longer to hatch than it would for the BBS to arrive.
I guess you can 'feed' them pond water ( the insects in it ) if you don't mind getting it, lots of people do it, but if you can get BBS online before you eggs hatch then that would be better.
I don't think you need any water flow, the water can be stagnant you just have to do water changes.

Good luck with them! -Seth

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And if you do this, take out any large insects - dragonfly larvae can eat tiny axolotls

Thanks for the responses everyone. I ordered brine shrimp eggs which I should get on Friday so I'll have plenty of time to prepare. Going to make a trip to the store today to buy what I need to set up the hatchery.

I just have another question, I plan on giving away the babies to family members/friends. Just wondering at what age is it safe to do so? I'm assuming once they have legs and are eating non-moving food like frozen blood worms then it's safe to move to a new home?

NickA said:

I plan on giving away the babies to family members/friends. Just wondering at what age is it safe to do so?

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Most casualties will happen in the first 8 weeks, so after that is usually fairly good to rehome them.

But it depends where they are going - I usually reckon 3 inches is the minimum for them to cope with a filtered tank. If people are willing to take them in tubs are are prepared for daily water changes then under 3" is fine.

And I have to ask - how will feel if an axie you gave to a friend dies - or worse, a friend accidentally kills one of your babies? Could get a little awkward....

NickA said:

Thanks for the responses everyone. I ordered brine shrimp eggs which I should get on Friday so I'll have plenty of time to prepare. Going to make a trip to the store today to buy what I need to set up the hatchery.

I just have another question, I plan on giving away the babies to family members/friends. Just wondering at what age is it safe to do so? I'm assuming once they have legs and are eating non-moving food like frozen blood worms then it's safe to move to a new home?

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Yes, once they are a couple months old, and have all their legs, and are eating frozen blood worms or pellets, they will be ready for new homes!:happy:

auntiejude said:

And I have to ask - how will feel if an axie you gave to a friend dies - or worse, a friend accidentally kills one of your babies? Could get a little awkward....

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According to that reasoning, you shouldn't have pets at all because it's so sad when they die. And you shouldn't give gifts to people in case they lose them?

GlowingFauxPas said:

According to that reasoning, you shouldn't have pets at all because it's so sad when they die. And you shouldn't give gifts to people in case they lose them?

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What? Where did you get that from?
I know how I felt when someone I sold an axie to told me they had (accidentally) killed it - I was somewhere between furious and gutted. What if that had been a close friend, or my sister? I'm just saying that it could lead to some bad feeling or arguments, and it is something to consider before giving axies to friends or family.

Maybe I just care a little more than some others about the ongoing welfare of the babies I raise...

auntiejude said:

What? Where did you get that from?
I know how I felt when someone I sold an axie to told me they had (accidentally) killed it - I was somewhere between furious and gutted. What if that had been a close friend, or my sister? I'm just saying that it could lead to some bad feeling or arguments, and it is something to consider before giving axies to friends or family.

Maybe I just care a little more than some others about the ongoing welfare of the babies I raise...

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Do you do background checks and drug tests for all people who buy your axolotls?

Seriously guys? This is nothing to argue about, and stop being rude to Auntiejude, she makes a valid point. Why try and turn this into a argument?

sde said:

Seriously guys? This is nothing to argue about, and stop being rude to Auntiejude, she makes a valid point. Why try and turn this into a argument?

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Because I don't think it's a good point. The OP wants to share axolotls with people he or she likes, which is great, more people should have axolotls! But auntiejude is saying that giving people axolotls can hurt their relationship because there's no guarantee that other people will take care of the animals as well as the original owner can. That demeans the relationship that the OP has with his or her friends and family. It also implies an air of superiority that isn't healthy - "only I'm good enough for my babies".

GlowingFauxPas said:

Because I don't think it's a good point. The OP wants to share axolotls with people he or she likes, which is great, more people should have axolotls! But auntiejude is saying that giving people axolotls can hurt their relationship because there's no guarantee that other people will take care of the animals as well as the original owner can. That demeans the relationship that the OP has with his or her friends and family. It also implies an air of superiority that isn't healthy - "only I'm good enough for my babies".

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You may not think its a good point, but please try to be respectful of others opinions.

I don't think that Auntiejude is implying that its not a good idea because they could not keep an axie as well as the OP, i think she meant that they may not know how to keep any axie well enough to keep it alive. However the OP could just give them advice on keeping axies.

Anyway, I don't really think its ours to decide what the OP does, its their decision. -Seth

Part of me wants to delete these rude posts and part of me think it's a good discussion. I'll add that I have raised snakes in the past and given them to friends. When I heard that one person lost one and then the other a few months later, and then asked for more, I cut them out of my life. These aren't "gifts," they're living creatures. You want to give them to responsible owners. I think that the people who are being rude here are maybe just a little defensive. So go ahead and post your opinions, and remember that your opinion gives the world (or at least your fellow forum members) an impression of what you're about.

GlowingFauxPas said:

But auntiejude is saying that giving people axolotls can hurt their relationship because there's no guarantee that other people will take care of the animals as well as the original owner can... It also implies an air of superiority that isn't healthy - "only I'm good enough for my babies".

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Where did I say that? When the babies I raise move on I make sure that the new owner is set up and prepared, give them a care sheet and my phone number. And the offer to take it back if they change their mind. How is that different from a 'home check' for adopting a cat or dog?

I wouldn't give or sell an axie to someone who I knew wouldn't or couldn't care for it - I have friends I wouldn't trust with a houseplant let alone a living animal - but I would offer support to a friend who wanted an axie to ensure both axie and owner were happy.

And I think considering a scenario where friends fall out over a dead pet is worth a moment of thought - because it has happened to me and I am trying to help out someone who has very little experience.

I agree with you otterwoman, my roomate wants to have an axolotl and I wont give him one because he talks to me about his plans for the tank and number one issue was "put it in the living room" which i had a guppy tank last summer in with no heater and the tank was about 86 all summer.. Mmmhmm thats a death sentence. And he wants to put gravel and then sand on top and doesnt understand when I say axies dig.. Just a few examples. I do screen all my potential buyers and really dont care if I scare them away with my care guide, i want serious owners and if they dont want to take the time to learn about them then I wont sell. I dont think its necessary to go as far as mentioning drug testing or what not as that doesnt directly relate to how well they take care of an animal. I love my pets with all my heart and they are first priority(i got a equity check at work of 380$ and 260$ of it when to my axies >.< some went to my rats and the rest for new clothes for me) if one of my friends was very serious about getting an axolotl then I would give them one, just like a stranger.. But they would be screened the same. I sold 4 to somebody I knew and he came back two months telling me two died, but after a week of emails back and forth i came to the conclusion that there was nothing he could of done and possible could of been genetics, so he came and picked up two more. He was heartbroken, probably more then me! I could tell he really tried..

otterwoman said:

Part of me wants to delete these rude posts and part of me think it's a good discussion.

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I'm sorry, but the following is rude and disrespectful -

auntiejude said:

Maybe I just care a little more than some others about the ongoing welfare of the babies I raise...

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because the implication here is that because I disagree with auntiejude, I must not care about my axolotls. Actually, it's not even an implication - it's an explicit insult.

otterwoman said:

I'll add that I have raised snakes in the past and given them to friends. When I heard that one person lost one and then the other a few months later, and then asked for more, I cut them out of my life. These aren't "gifts," they're living creatures. You want to give them to responsible owners.

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But ultimately you decided to give your friends a chance the first time, right? Because part of being a friend is giving people the benefit of the doubt. The OP didn't say he or she wanted to give it to someone who killed axolotls in the past. Rather, they wanted to give them to friends and family. Of course axolotls are living creatures, but that doesn't mean they can't be gifted to someone else. Is it a sin to sell them?

otterwoman said:

I think that the people who are being rude here are maybe just a little defensive. So go ahead and post your opinions, and remember that your opinion gives the world (or at least your fellow forum members) an impression of what you're about.

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Agreed. I invite everyone to judge me based on the following view:

I am not intrinsically better than my friends and my family members. If they express interest in my animals, and they have not established themselves as animal haters and neglectful owners, then I'm not going to assume I'm a better owner than they would be.

edit:

auntiejude said:

Where did I say that?

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here

auntiejude said:

Maybe I just care a little more than some others about the ongoing welfare of the babies I raise...

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Well, I think YOU started with the deliberate misinterpretation when you likened her scenario of a friend accidentally killing a baby axie to losing a pet after a presumably normal and healthy lifespan of good care, or comparing the gift of a life with a trinket that might be misplaced. When you choose this interpretation of her words, it is an obvious response on her part to reply that she might care more than others, who would think your way, and that to her placing an animal in a home is a different action than giving a trinket or not investigating that the home her animals are being placed in is a better home than you might give a knick-knack.
Furthermore, all Auntijude did was suggest a possible outcome to ponder, and not advise her whether or not to give them. She made a good point that did not deserve the beginnings of a reductio ad absurdum.
This topic can be discussed without assuming the other party is insulting you, or insulting them, but that does not appear to be your method of choice.