Lots of questions from an axolotl newbie

Hi everyone.........I am new to the forum and was told I needed to create a new thread for my massive questions. (sorry for hijacking someone else's thread).

So....I would really like to have an axolotl of my very own, however I have many questions that none of the exotic pet stores in my area can answer. In fact they were a bit taken aback when I said I wanted an axolotl as they had no idea if they were illegal here or even where they would get them. I am in Texas, btw.

John on here told me that they do not do well in our climate......does that mean I shouldn't get one? Or does it mean I will need to make sure they stay cold enough? Would a certain type of aquarium take care of this issue?

If it turns out I could keep one here and not let it get too warm, my further questions are:

Where do I get one?
What is a reasonable price for one?
What is a reasonable shipping price?
Are certain types(albinos, colored) more expensive?
How large should a tank be for a single axolotl?
What about if you were hatching eggs?
How viable are the eggs (if you received 5 could you expect only one to reach the hatching phase?)

My husband used to keep these albino frogs when he lived in Chicago, and has been threatening me with getting more of those ( I find them pretty gruesome) so I suggested something cute and adorable like an axie in place of the frogs............I hope I can make this happen...

Thanks for any and all advice, comments, information and help.

-soleil

I am also a newbie, so I won't give advice except to say that this is a superb source of information:

http://www.axolotl.org/index.htm

thanks.....I will check it out.

soleil12 said:

they had no idea if they were illegal here or even where they would get them. I am in Texas, btw.

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They're not legal in California and I think New Jersey too.

soleil12 said:

John on here told me that they do not do well in our climate......does that mean I shouldn't get one? Or does it mean I will need to make sure they stay cold enough? Would a certain type of aquarium take care of this issue?

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If your apartment doesn't get above 74 degrees F (24 Celsius) you should be fine. I live in Texas and I don't know anyone here who runs their A/C that much in the summer.

soleil12 said:

Where do I get one?

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Here.

soleil12 said:

What is a reasonable price for one?

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They're usually quite cheap, particularly if you get eggs.

soleil12 said:

What is a reasonable shipping price?

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I don't know.

soleil12 said:

Are certain types(albinos, colored) more expensive?

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Not really. It's more a case of what's available and how long you're prepared for things to become available.

soleil12 said:

How large should a tank be for a single axolotl?
What about if you were hatching eggs?
How viable are the eggs (if you received 5 could you expect only one to reach the hatching phase?)

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http://www.axolotl.org

Good luck.

Shouldn't a tank keep the water cold enough? I am not too familiar with tank set ups yet, but it would seem that something must be able to regulate the temperature..........people with fish aquariums can regulate the water temperature, it would seem the same would apply here.

Am I completely crazy for thinking this?

Hi.
The water should be kept below 20 degrees ( ideally), much higher and the axolotl get stressed and ill. During the summers ( such a long time ago) I was able to keep my tank below 20 degrees by using a fan blowing across the top of the water. You can get custum made ones called reef fans that work well. When the temp rise too much I keep windows and doors shut and covered , which is fine as long as the kids aren't home!!. You can buy aquarium chillers that are ideal for maintaining temps but I think these are quite pricey.

soleil12 said:

Shouldn't a tank keep the water cold enough? I am not too familiar with tank set ups yet, but it would seem that something must be able to regulate the temperature..........people with fish aquariums can regulate the water temperature, it would seem the same would apply here.

Am I completely crazy for thinking this?

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An Axolotl is not a fish. They are from a high altitude water body in Mexico where the temperature never gets warm. When Bella says 20 degrees, she means Celsius. In Fahrenheit it's 68.

I know an axolotl is not a fish. And I have read up on where they come from. But the equipment for an aquarium is similar if not the same. My question was, is it not possible to have a set up or some kind of equipment that keeps the tank cold enough?

Bella is saying that you can get a reef fan, it is just costly.

John, do you have axies in Plano? If so, how do you keep them cool enough?

http://www.axolotl.org/housing.htm


http://www.axolotl.org/requirements.htm#heat

hope this helps

soleil12 said:

John, do you have axies in Plano? If so, how do you keep them cool enough?

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No, I have no axolotls. I refuse to keep most species of newt or salamander while I live in Texas, due to the heat. There aren't many that can hack it here in the summer, even with air conditioning going all the time. I am hoping to move to New England next summer when my contract at the University is up, then things might change.

The only species I keep right now is Ambystoma mavortium mavortium, the Barred Tiger Salamander. I collected 3 larvae in west Texas in May. They're in the article I'm writing/have written for the next magazine.

Hi Soleil,

Anything is possible, If you intend to keep axies in a hot climate you will need to invest in some cooling equipment. Yes it is the same as for fish aquariums. You will need a good chunk of money, I live in New Zealand and its about $1000.00 to set up a temperature controlled tank including the tank cost. Thats if you walk into a shop and buy it all off the shelf.

If you or your husband are so inclined you can devise your own cooling systems, buy the parts and make it yourself. Check out the sites that have been mentioned they have some great ideas.

I have no idea what you pay for utilities in Texas but your power consumption will definitely increase with the extra cooling gear you will need.

Good Luck

Thanks to all who have kindly offered advice..........Unfortunately, it looks like I am not going to pursue the cute little axolotl as a pet since it is awfully warm here and it would seem a lot of trouble to keep the little guy cool enough.

If I ever move from Texas, I will return to my dream of having an axie as a pet.......for now though, I guess I am stuck with my old cat.

Thanks again to everyone who answered my questions!

-soleil

soleil12 said:

Am I completely crazy for thinking this?

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Yes. It's easy to heat a tank but it's much more expensive and troublesome to cool one.

Cheers - Ozi.