First, hey ... that's about the best introduction I can think of XD
I'm completely new to Axolotls and I wasn't even planning on getting one.
Just last week I saw a really nice, simple aquarium and felt like it would be nice to have some fishes. Low maintenance, quite pretty and so on.
And so a 2-3 days ago I went (with my mom) to an animal shop to look around.
So in the section with all these animals, fish, reptiles, spiders as well surprisingly, I found something that I assume stood out. At first we came across some turtles/tortoises, as well as snakes and some lizards. Something in the middle of that section already kind of took my interest, some water salamanders, quite similar looking to the Axolotls but without the gills.
But I said I was gonna get some fishes so I just kept walking. I even stopped and thought about getting spider as well for whatever reason that thought came across my mind.
Then going to the fish section we saw quite a number of fishes but I couldn't find any fish that I like until I passed by these little, derpy looking guys. And idk what it was but I just really wanted one.
So I asked some information, what they eat, how to care for them and what not. And ended up buying 2 of them. At first I just thought of getting one but I thought that might've been a bit lonely so I got 2.
There was one of them that I definitely wanted. It was a small gold one in between some larger ones (still small tho) but it seemed to have had some ... hungry siblings XD
Part of its tail was bitten of as well as one leg. So that was definitely one that I wanted to have and then I went with a black one as well which was the smallest in the aquarium because I know from a lot of other animals how big and small goes so I was trying to get them as close to the same size as possible.
Now they're at my place, completely installed. Been doing quite some research because I don't want to ruin this and the good thing is that the black one seems to be slowly, very slowly, getting used to everything but I'm a little bit concerned about the golden one.
He seems ... uhm, I think best way to describe it is dead.
He's still alive, I know that because while cleaning out some rests of food as well as some poo, I somehow swept him up and he swam away, tho it took quite some time.
Which is what's concerning me a bit ... I actually turned around as I was typing this and thought it died. It was standing up straight against the glass in a place it has stood before but now upside down. But I "pushed" him away a bit and he kind of swam forward ... he is now back in the same place -_-
Thing is that this place is just behind or should I say next to the filter. In between the left side of the aquarium and the side of the filter. The black one has tried to get behind the filter several times as well and somehow he or she has been able to even get it loose ...
Maybe I should move the filter to the middle of the aquarium instead of the side?!
Do Axolotls like vibrations by any chance? Maybe the filter is giving off some vibrations and that's why they're trying to get behind it?!
Also I've been having some trouble getting food for them. Apparently none of the local pet stores have food for them but as I was doing some research I found (on here) that they eat earthworms and that I could use worms I find in my garden ... is that okay?
It said to rinse them off but worms often have dirt and such inside them as well, so I'm still not sure whether or not that would be okay.
Also not sure how much they eat. Most things I found just said fed once a day or something but how much?!
Sorry for the gigantic wall of text
I'm completely new to Axolotls and I wasn't even planning on getting one.
Just last week I saw a really nice, simple aquarium and felt like it would be nice to have some fishes. Low maintenance, quite pretty and so on.
And so a 2-3 days ago I went (with my mom) to an animal shop to look around.
So in the section with all these animals, fish, reptiles, spiders as well surprisingly, I found something that I assume stood out. At first we came across some turtles/tortoises, as well as snakes and some lizards. Something in the middle of that section already kind of took my interest, some water salamanders, quite similar looking to the Axolotls but without the gills.
But I said I was gonna get some fishes so I just kept walking. I even stopped and thought about getting spider as well for whatever reason that thought came across my mind.
Then going to the fish section we saw quite a number of fishes but I couldn't find any fish that I like until I passed by these little, derpy looking guys. And idk what it was but I just really wanted one.
So I asked some information, what they eat, how to care for them and what not. And ended up buying 2 of them. At first I just thought of getting one but I thought that might've been a bit lonely so I got 2.
There was one of them that I definitely wanted. It was a small gold one in between some larger ones (still small tho) but it seemed to have had some ... hungry siblings XD
Part of its tail was bitten of as well as one leg. So that was definitely one that I wanted to have and then I went with a black one as well which was the smallest in the aquarium because I know from a lot of other animals how big and small goes so I was trying to get them as close to the same size as possible.
Now they're at my place, completely installed. Been doing quite some research because I don't want to ruin this and the good thing is that the black one seems to be slowly, very slowly, getting used to everything but I'm a little bit concerned about the golden one.
He seems ... uhm, I think best way to describe it is dead.
He's still alive, I know that because while cleaning out some rests of food as well as some poo, I somehow swept him up and he swam away, tho it took quite some time.
Which is what's concerning me a bit ... I actually turned around as I was typing this and thought it died. It was standing up straight against the glass in a place it has stood before but now upside down. But I "pushed" him away a bit and he kind of swam forward ... he is now back in the same place -_-
Thing is that this place is just behind or should I say next to the filter. In between the left side of the aquarium and the side of the filter. The black one has tried to get behind the filter several times as well and somehow he or she has been able to even get it loose ...
Maybe I should move the filter to the middle of the aquarium instead of the side?!
Do Axolotls like vibrations by any chance? Maybe the filter is giving off some vibrations and that's why they're trying to get behind it?!
Also I've been having some trouble getting food for them. Apparently none of the local pet stores have food for them but as I was doing some research I found (on here) that they eat earthworms and that I could use worms I find in my garden ... is that okay?
It said to rinse them off but worms often have dirt and such inside them as well, so I'm still not sure whether or not that would be okay.
Also not sure how much they eat. Most things I found just said fed once a day or something but how much?!
Sorry for the gigantic wall of text