IHaveADogToo
New member
Hi Everyone! New member here. Just stopping by to say hi from the St. Louis area. 
Right now I have a melanoid axolotl (?) and an African Dwarf Frog. I've always liked fully-aquatic and mostly-aquatic amphibians. I keep fish, too, and I have a lot of fish tanks. So aquatic amphibians just made sense.
I'll be honest, I've always loved amphibians, but the reptile side of things kind of freaks me out. Big fear of snakes here. I don't have any interest in conquering that fear, either. Everyone has their phobias. Snakes are mine. But I am interested lately in geckos. I don't think I'm ready to take the plunge and get a gecko, yet, though. I've been doing my homework to decide if a gecko is the right pet for me, but there's so many different kinds. Some that prefer tall enclosures, some that prefer wide enclosures, some that like it dry, some that like it humid, some that enjoy being handled, some that want to be left alone. So if I do end up taking the plunge into gecko-land, I will be well prepared and get exactly what I want, whatever that may be. I'm still undecided.
Right now I am definitely looking at more amphibians, though. Particularly, Poison Dart Frogs and Fire Belly Newts. Yes, I know, scientific names... I haven't gotten that far in my research yet. I'm probably going to end up getting one, or maybe both, of these species by year's end. I've been diving into the research for now. I like to be well prepared for any pet I get well in advance. Being a fish keeper has taught me not to rush to get livestock, and to take my time with the research and set up. There's a few things that translated over from the fish keeping side to the amphibian side, such as the nitrogen cycle, and husbandry habits.
Here's a picture of my axolotl. I don't know what sex it is. At first I thought it was a female, because of the size and shape of the body. It's a little rounder and the tail is a little shorter. But it also has the bump between the hind legs, which from what I've read usually means it's a male? Although, the bump is less pronounced than what I've seen in photos of male axolotls. IDK. I have an upcoming appointment with a vet, since this is a new pet, so I expect the vet can help me sort that out. I haven't named it since I don't know what sex it is, but I'll be honest, I've been calling it she this whole time. Right now my axolotl is about 6 or 7 inches long. I've had it for maybe 5 or 6 weeks now. It spits out nightcrawlers, presumably because they are too thick, so I've been feeding red wigglers, and this has worked out well. Yes, at first I think my axolotl didn't like the taste, but eventually got over it and now takes them happily. But the nightcrawlers were just too big. Even when cut into pieces, like I said, they were too thick, and cutting a live worm long-ways is a difficult task. Maybe in another few months we can try nightcrawlers again.
I look forward to interacting with this community and learning from you lovely, experienced people!
Right now I have a melanoid axolotl (?) and an African Dwarf Frog. I've always liked fully-aquatic and mostly-aquatic amphibians. I keep fish, too, and I have a lot of fish tanks. So aquatic amphibians just made sense.
I'll be honest, I've always loved amphibians, but the reptile side of things kind of freaks me out. Big fear of snakes here. I don't have any interest in conquering that fear, either. Everyone has their phobias. Snakes are mine. But I am interested lately in geckos. I don't think I'm ready to take the plunge and get a gecko, yet, though. I've been doing my homework to decide if a gecko is the right pet for me, but there's so many different kinds. Some that prefer tall enclosures, some that prefer wide enclosures, some that like it dry, some that like it humid, some that enjoy being handled, some that want to be left alone. So if I do end up taking the plunge into gecko-land, I will be well prepared and get exactly what I want, whatever that may be. I'm still undecided.
Right now I am definitely looking at more amphibians, though. Particularly, Poison Dart Frogs and Fire Belly Newts. Yes, I know, scientific names... I haven't gotten that far in my research yet. I'm probably going to end up getting one, or maybe both, of these species by year's end. I've been diving into the research for now. I like to be well prepared for any pet I get well in advance. Being a fish keeper has taught me not to rush to get livestock, and to take my time with the research and set up. There's a few things that translated over from the fish keeping side to the amphibian side, such as the nitrogen cycle, and husbandry habits.
Here's a picture of my axolotl. I don't know what sex it is. At first I thought it was a female, because of the size and shape of the body. It's a little rounder and the tail is a little shorter. But it also has the bump between the hind legs, which from what I've read usually means it's a male? Although, the bump is less pronounced than what I've seen in photos of male axolotls. IDK. I have an upcoming appointment with a vet, since this is a new pet, so I expect the vet can help me sort that out. I haven't named it since I don't know what sex it is, but I'll be honest, I've been calling it she this whole time. Right now my axolotl is about 6 or 7 inches long. I've had it for maybe 5 or 6 weeks now. It spits out nightcrawlers, presumably because they are too thick, so I've been feeding red wigglers, and this has worked out well. Yes, at first I think my axolotl didn't like the taste, but eventually got over it and now takes them happily. But the nightcrawlers were just too big. Even when cut into pieces, like I said, they were too thick, and cutting a live worm long-ways is a difficult task. Maybe in another few months we can try nightcrawlers again.
I look forward to interacting with this community and learning from you lovely, experienced people!
