Question: Two axies, one tank!

Hi, we have a white axolotl, male, approximately 10-12 months old (i don't know how old he was when we got him but now he's really big - like 9 inches, his toes are black and the cloacal region is pretty swollen) and a tiny wild one (approximately 5-6 months old I guess, his toes are not paler, he's like 4-5 inches and i still can't tell whether it's a boy or a girl).
We kept them in separate tanks for a while, and today we decided to put them together and see how they would interact. They are both very active axolotls, they swim around a lot and are very responsive, they turn towards us, they like to "watch tv", they eat a lot, they look really happy, I mean, they're great.
So we put them together and in a matter of minutes (like 2 minutes) the big one, Bronco, bit HaHa's (the little one) leg and almost tore it off. We were really scared and immediately put HaHa back in its tank. Is that normal behavior? If so, how long do we have to wait until we can safely put them together?
I never thought Bronco would be so aggressive, if anything, seen what I read here, it should be the small ones who bother the older ones... am I correct?
Thank you, this forum is really helpful!
sabrina

My understanding... thought please correct me seniors if i am incorrect. but the big axi might mistake little axi for food... my little one tries to eat my hand when i feed her... i can see how a big axi could mistake something swimming past it as food. I have read that they should be about the same age but not juvenile as they are more likely to be aggressive. They need to be fed well also. a possible solution if you want them in the same tank but injury free is to use a perspex/plastic divider with small water flow holes? i hope you work it out. i would love to have another in with my Ashba but she is still so little. :/

Yeah, I tried the divider but I think two separate tanks work better, they both have more room that way.
The thing is, Bronco did not mistake HaHa for food because they were kind of far apart in the tank and then he literally swam towards HaHa and attacked it. And Bronco is the old one, so I was wondering why, since, like you said, it's supposed to be juveniles who are aggressive towards each other...

my understanding is that large age difference would cause aggresiveness

so does that mean I'm never gonna be able to put them together or do I just wait until they sort of "get even" and put them in the same tank then? (i mean in 6 months or so)

Axolotls do most of their growth in the first year or so. After that they grow a little each year. When both of your axolotls are close to the same size they should be fine together.

I've had the same problem with two axies. One was pretty nippy and was always picking on the smaller one. I've kept them in different tanks until they were about the same size. Now everything is okay and they like to snuggle up together and interact.

Food for an axolotl is anything that fits in its mouth. Notice the location of the axies eyes - right on top of the head. This means that axies use lots of senses to figure out what to eat and what not to eat. That includes motion from a distance but also touch and smell when they're close together.

While it's nice to think that our pets "like" each other or are "playing" they are animals that are driven by natural urges. Whatever moves is potentially food and that includes other axolotls. The reason that equally sized axies tolerate living together is that one won't fit into the other one's mouth. Frequently, however, legs go missing. Well fed axies in large enough spaces will usually get along well enough to be housed together. This is not a given, however. Your own experience may be different but I think the bottom line is that they need to be as close to the same size as you can get them to avoid one dominating the other.

Alright, I guess I'll wait then!
Thank you so much for the advice!

Hello Mexicola,

In Europe, we currently say that you should not put two axolotls together unless they are the same size or not different by more than about 3cm.

I do know of two huge males that live together with one female each that is very much smaller. Those males are almost 40cm long... so any female would be shorter. They get along and make babies but I think it's rather an exception than the norm. And perhaps the exception only works because these animals are so huge that nothing compares to them.

Having same sized axolotls living together is what I've been doing since I started. I never kept an axie alone, as it is not recommended on any site/forum I've been so far.

I actually keep 7 (around 25 cm long) Axies in a 120x40cm tank (240L). That is too many for that surface and I will move them to a 150x50cm tank tomorrow or the day after that. But since they all have about the same size, they leave each other alone and often chill out one on top of each other or piled up in their hiding places (there are several).

I have another pure bred mexicanum tank the same size (240L - 120x40cm) housing 4 individuals. These are adult 25cm long individuals and at this time breeding constantly. I am raising a few little guys right now but I leave most of the eggs in the tank because I couldn't possibly raise as many axies as they produce.

Anyway.
Your big guy thought the little guy was food. Do not put axolotls of different sizes together. Well, some people will tell you they do and everything goes well. I generally reply to those that all goes fine until it doesn't anymore.