Question: Seeking Advice

Some months ago now I posted a thread regarding the conditions axolotls were being kept in at a local petshop. See here if interested: http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-be...f57-axolotl-free-all/71849-advice-please.html

I spoke with the local council and those conditions were improved.

After seeing this I visited the pet shop less often. In fact the last time I went I picked up Moriarty and Tumblety and everything looked alright. There was one pitiful looking axolotl that appeared to have damage to its eye but considering all the others looked healthy and its tank was full of plants I assumed it was being cared for. Now I think I may have been wrong.

I went there on Monday actually looking for something completely seperate to axolotls but thought I'd have a look whilst I was there. What I saw was this:

3 young axolotls all looking underfed. First missing a lump from its tail. Second damage to its arm and thirdly: missing 3 out of 4 limbs, it's tail, gills damage, it's fin appeared to be flaking away and there was fungus on the gills.

When I asked if it was even alive I was told: "It moved earlier when I cleaned the tank out, they grow their limbs back like." He then prodded it with a stick and when at first it didn't move shrugged with a case of nope it's gone but then it did move.

I asked if I could take it and was told no, it was going to be moved to the back they'd just been too busy.

Note: They know it was me who wrote to the council the first time. When seeing me one of the two disappeared after telling the guy to tell me this. Had I not gone in I'm doubtful it would have been arranged to be moved.

I called back on Tuesday asking how it was and told them I intended to buy it. I was told to call back on Thursday to see how it was doing if "for some reason" it may have died. I did as was asked and called at 11am, they hadn't checked on it yet and I was told to call back at 4pm, I did and they hadn't checked on it still but put me on hold whilst they did. That axolotl is now dead.

Which brings me to my question after a very lengthy post. What can I do? Heck, what would you do even?!

Tell me your thoughts, tell me if I'm being dramatic over what I've seen. If this is the norm and I should expect this! If there's nothing I can do, if there's nothing I should try to do! Be honest and ask more questions if you like but I'm stopping this novel here!

Thanks for your time, Erzs.

Thats terrible! Do pet shops not need licensing or something to prove their taking care of their animals? Its the same with my two local fish shops.. If a fish is upside down, covered in fungus or dead and you mention it they dont care! And then they have the cheek to make sure that YOU are going to take care of it before you can buy anything!

Personally id contact someone again and/or get photographic proof of the ill treatment, suppose thats the best you could do speak to the manager/owner as well?

Poor axies

This is my problem, with the axolotl now dead I don't have that evidence any longer.

The other two although underweight I wonder whether the petshop could get away with saying they just nip at each other. The third was in such a terrible condition there is no way they could have said that. It was being eaten alive and left to be.

This is why I need help. I need to be able to go to whoever council/RSPCA and say there is no way this is right. I need back up in saying axolotls do nip each other yes but they shouldn't be allowed to get into such a state and that it's general practice to care for and quarantine any injured axolotl to prevent further harm.

I keep juvie axolotls but not in large numbers. I have two in a tank together at the moment.

Are there any breeders who can tell me the right practice when keeping axolotls of numbers 10+ together?

Caseeybrown, I spoke with staff members and who I believe is the manager of the aquatics section on numerous occasions. I even spoke to them again on Monday asking when they were being fed and what they were being fed. I don't think the shop are too interested in what I have to say.

Hmm yeah its never good seeing any animal beind badly cared for, worse for axies though because they cany run away cause their in a tank

I guess employees dont care because they dont see the axies as animals, just stock and money!

You could always have a look at the other livestock they have to see if theyre being badly looked after? I think its wrong that they didnt let you take it, especially when you were willing to buy it from them

Hope it gets sorted !

I actually did that. They are a good petshop in terms of everything else. I haven't seen any other animals, even the fish, in bad conditions. Which is why when I first spoke to the council I said that I thought it might just be lack of knowledge when it comes to axolotls!

Got an iphone?

Check out this app - SnapSolve

Right now, i think it is only usable in Australia, but if enough people ask for it.......

Anyway, it is a nifty little app. It uses the iphone's gps to record your location, uses the camera to take a photo, and the email capabilities to send a photo time stamped etc, report of an incident, and exact gps location of the incident to your local council.

All you do is snap the pic, pick an incident type (animals, trees, potholes, graffiti) write a short report, and the iphone sends it to your local council and saves the report on your phone - all nicely and neatly time stamped recorded etc - You dont even have to look up the council details where you are, because the phone does it for you.

As i alway have my iphone with me, i'll be using this to report every bloody poorly kept axie i see from now on

If you are in AU & have an iphone, download it for sure (free)

If you dont live in AU or have an iphone, then i'm sorry, thats very sad (in both cases)

Bren

Ps I used to hate those smug apple / mac users too, till i became one

Now that is a very clever little application right there! But unfortunately I don't have an iphone and I don't live in AUS. So I'm at no luck with that one. But it sounds fantastic and like another positive step forward to stopping animal cruelty.

blackdog said:

smug apple / mac users

Click to expand...

I'm a mac user, in fact I have several macs, a iPad 3G and a iPhone. they are fantastic, apple haters are just jelly that they don't have cool products.

as for the cruelty bit, I always report negligent pet retailers to the appropriate authorities.

Turning into a ruddy advert for macs round this place!

Yeah I plan to report, I'm just unsure how to go about it. I want to go about it in a way that they can't say that it's 'normal' or any other excuse...

Which is why I was asking if there was anyone who has had/has a petshop, or kept axolotls in large quantities together.

blackdog said:

Ps I used to hate those smug apple / mac users too, till i became one

Click to expand...

Lawl - join the club!

*strokes various lovely things*

That app is such a great idea! Btw if searching for it it's called snap send solve.
I had been to a local aquarium a while ago and saw a huge black axolotl in a tank there on sale!!! He was half price! I guess cos he was in such poor condition! So, I recently visited again with my kids as they love looking in the reptile section and there were two albinos in quite good condition, on gravel of course with only one small hide to share but still, and two black axolotls. One was larger (I took her home, figured they had just come in!) but also a smaller black one with some gills missing and looking pretty skinny. So... I thought I was also doing her a bit of a favor taking the bigger one who had obviously been nipping her but alas... When I returned yesterday to pick up some glass I ordered I noticed fungus all over the little axolotls gills, she was floating and, one arm as bent! Completely upward! She was even thinner too!!! I nearly cried at what a bad state she was in and I'm also now worried that the one I brought home may have the fungus too, I mean I can't see any. The amount mine has grown just since three days ago, her gills have nearly doubled in size and I can't say I have anything fancy, just some plants and a few juicy red worms!!! So to get to the point I will be back there on Thursday to exchange the glass which didn't fit so if the poor little back axie is still there I will definitely be using the app!

I've also written about another shop which disgusted me
http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-be...strate/74895-gravel-contradicting-advice.html
Think I might have another visit there too with iPhone in hand!!

Ah Thelma, horrible situation isn't it? I'd talk to them about the conditions they're in and just see what's going on. I suppose sometimes things can be out of keeps control but if it's continuous it's different.

I'm taking from the replies I've recieved on here that the general consensus is to talk to the local authorities about the axolotls...again!

SHOCKING Erzs and good for you!!!! Hope you get a better outcome this time from the authorities! Cant believe the pet shop would not let you take the axie in that condition!

They probably suspected that I planned to use the axolotl as evidence. Which I did, along with trying to get it back on the go. But in all honesty I don't think I'd have stood a chance, I just wanted to try.

And I can't believe they hadn't eve checked on the poor thing! Isn't that their JOB?!

Well yeah that's the thing. We can't expect them to keep their axolotls to the standards we expect to ourselves because they are after all in the trade business.

But the welfare of the animals they sell surely has to be of some concern to them...

I am wondering though whether it's possible they euthanised the axolotl and it was dead long before Thursday and they were just trying to put me off, thinking I wouldn't keep calling back.