Lets actually make an Axolotl Introduction Factsheet

Hi guys,
I was thinking with all the experience, and care and frustration at pet stores that culminate on this site couldnt we all pool our resources and create a fact sheet that we all approve of?
Basically i myself and i know of others raise their little greedy buggers and then come to sell them to pet stores and then worry about their future.
If it covered the basic errors like water temperature, cycling, food, common illnesses and their causes, equipment needed per axolotl and why they cannot be mixed with other species. So basically it would be a print off job, of course including this website as a further reading resource.
I just think this could save a lot of hassle later, especially if those supplying axies to pet stores take the initiative. Plus would anybody agree with me that people seem to only come here when they have a problem generally to start off with? Even with all the expert advice will start listening to the pet stores advice more? Well if the pet stores were supplying the info then problem hopefully solved in a lot of cases
Well when i come to sell the three from the second clutch i am supplying a fact sheet with a telephone number and a clear link to this site. Will anybody help put this together~?

I would absolutly love to be involved with this, and i red somebody posting a commont about doing just that when they come to sell the youngsters....Maybe it was you lol... But, i am not the most educated axie person on here...infact im still basicly a newbie, and all i have learnt is through my own enthusium an constant reading of this site (So my knowledge is all thanks to you guys lol). But i would love to help in any way possible.

We have one. www.axolotl.org

(something i missed) for this to work, it would have to include all of the verius ways of how people can do things, as many people have there own way that works for them.. but if we encluded all the differnt ways that work, people would be educated, and be able to choose which is best for them. (in concern to tank set ups, substrtes, water changes and what water to use ect)

To a newbie, (we was/still are at one point) that site can be confusing and just to overwhelming due to the large content, so if we just made a printoff page, with the subheadings people would need to no to get started. Like, how to cycel the tank for (an how long for), substrates, filters, enrichment, how many axies in what size tanks, fedding and food, sexing, tempraturs, parameters, water change (an how often) ect ect ect ... the axoltol site is good, but (speaking from experiance) was overwhelming and a liltle confusing when i first read it. i think this is a great idea!

I think more then a print off page will be needed. There is too much to cover for it to be all put on one page.
Personally I didnt find axolotl.org at all confusing or overwhelming, and this forum has improved my knowledge no end.
My local aquarist shop where I purchased my axolotls directed me to this site when I visited the shop to have a look at them (although i had already taken a look here).
I actually think axolotl keeping is very easy, you feed they eat, they eat they poo, they poo you clean up.
Its keeping the water healthy that is the problem and that I would imagine is the biggest cause of problems in the axolotl keepers world.
I have found a lot of people find the whole cycling the tank thing to be the most confusing. People seem to think you just fill a container with water and off they go.

You can printoff hundreds of reading papers for axolotls but it doesnt mean the store will give them out and it doesnt mean the new owners will read them, people are often in too much of a hurry and excitement in setting up their tanks to read the info.
But still I wish you the best in your efforts to bring more understanding to the axolotl world.

Kaysie said:

We have one. www.axolotl.org

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The website is not a factsheet you can hand out at a petshop now is it? Also what about people without internet access? I am merely meaning an introduction check sheet putting some common potentially life threatening naive actions into check.

rich said:

To a newbie, (we was/still are at one point) that site can be confusing and just to overwhelming due to the large content, so if we just made a printoff page, with the subheadings people would need to no to get started. Like, how to cycel the tank for (an how long for), substrates, filters, enrichment, how many axies in what size tanks, fedding and food, sexing, tempraturs, parameters, water change (an how often) ect ect ect ... the axoltol site is good, but (speaking from experiance) was overwhelming and a liltle confusing when i first read it. i think this is a great idea!

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THANKYOU you got the nail straight on the head

gr33neyes said:

I think more then a print off page will be needed. There is too much to cover for it to be all put on one page.
Personally I didnt find axolotl.org at all confusing or overwhelming, and this forum has improved my knowledge no end.
My local aquarist shop where I purchased my axolotls directed me to this site when I visited the shop to have a look at them (although i had already taken a look here).
I actually think axolotl keeping is very easy, you feed they eat, they eat they poo, they poo you clean up.
Its keeping the water healthy that is the problem and that I would imagine is the biggest cause of problems in the axolotl keepers world.
I have found a lot of people find the whole cycling the tank thing to be the most confusing. People seem to think you just fill a container with water and off they go.

You can printoff hundreds of reading papers for axolotls but it doesnt mean the store will give them out and it doesnt mean the new owners will read them, people are often in too much of a hurry and excitement in setting up their tanks to read the info.
But still I wish you the best in your efforts to bring more understanding to the axolotl world.

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Ok i see your point, however you took that initiative. What about people who end up asking a naive petstore attendant what to feed them? what if said attendant suggests fish food etc etc. It is an introduction so they get a good statr and i did say to link to this page for further reading But i remember my first visit to this site and i found it to be too much too soon. before i was reading what to feed them i was on complicated genetic mutations

Like I said get the water right and you're almost there. You will never get all the info needed on one page.
There is no excuse not to find out first before you buy and unfortunately the staff in petshops cannot know it all. You would have to be vigilant in your information given and regular visits to the shop would be needed to prevent them running out of caresheets, all at cost to you. You cant guarantee the shop will give them out, some will probably end up even being shredded for animal bedding. You're probably better off getting t shirts printed and parading yourself around the stores, at least you will be noticed, better still dress as an axolotl.
Honestly I'm not knocking what your doing at all, but human nature is human nature, we want it we get it, oh dear its died , lets get another.
Most people can get internet access if their desire to increase their knowlegde is so. Its called visiting your library or internet cafe, or a friend with a computer.
I dont think kaysie was being off, she was just stating a fact, I'm not sticking up for her she can do that well enough herself
Good luck anyway

How are the people without internet access going to benefit from putting a link on a handout sheet?

Kaysie said:

How are the people without internet access going to benefit from putting a link on a handout sheet?

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By containing information on how to look after the axolotl.

You state that you want people without internet access to be able to read it, and then state that you'd redirect them to this site, which is, in fact, on the internet.

Kaysie said:

You state that you want people without internet access to be able to read it, and then state that you'd redirect them to this site, which is, in fact, on the internet.

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FURTHER reading

Kaysie said:

We have one. www.axolotl.org

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Exactly! If people are too lazy to do a bit of research first then they shouldn't even keep axolotls...or any other animal for that matter. There are already plenty of great resources out there, and axolotls really aren't difficult at all to keep.

I can see what Neurus is getting at. A lot of people don't have access to the internet so axolotl.org won't help at all. And axolotl.org goes beyond what I would consider a basic factsheet. Perhaps if you are keen Neurus, you could prepare them for your local shops and hand them out? I don't know whether I think it should be a collective effort but something one can do on one's own.

I disagree that you can't cover basic axolotl care in a caresheet. My friend put together a two page caresheet for me and it covered everything I needed to know about setting up a tank, food, water testing and maintenance, and general care. It didn't go into details about sicknesses and things like that, but I think that is outside the scope of a caresheet for new axolotl owners. I can dig it up and PM it to you Neurus if I still have it.

i for one think it a good idea cant tell you how many times ive heard people say take yor axolotl out for a walk feed him/her meat as a staple needs a heater to keep warm when its cold and the classic just add water put him/her in and away you go also they like dirty water so you dont have to clean it that often you can have two adults in a 60cm tank and you can keep any size axolotl together

my lfs is pretty good and know the basics of axolotl care but i dont like the way the keep varying sizes together in a small tank they said they will minimize the amount of axolotl's in there tank when i told them it wasn't good to do that also they ask alot of question when yo go to by a new fish

Wouldn't it be easy if everybody was hand-fed in this world? Unfortunately, this isn't always the case. But then there's another term people should familiarise themselves with- RESEARCH.

Nothing in this world is too hard that you can't grasp an understanding of it. This world itself is an information highway. We are humans afterall and we all have what is called a 'brain', perhaps by exercising its ability, you will notice that nothing is as hard as it appears.

Jay.

Kal El said:

Nothing in this world is too hard that you can't grasp an understanding of it.

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Hmm I disagree completely (I am guessing you don't know anybody with an ABI Jay). Some people can't understand things without a fair bit of help from others and therefore I don't see why information should be withheld from them or that they should be made to feel bad for wanting basic information summarized for them.

Also in order to research often you have to review others' research so it has to start somewhere. There are very few people in this world that do original research...

well perhaps rather then selling them to petshops, they should be sold direct from the breeder to the new keeper. If your worried about care of petshop inmates then perhaps that is the answer, you can then hand out each caresheet direct and also vet the new owner at the same time.
But I still say you can't guarantee they will be read and followed and the animal will receive the correct care. I would imagine most people have a general idea of how to look after a cat or dog but that doesnt mean they will be properly looked after. Humans sometimes get bored with things when it requires some effort to keep it clean/maintained.
I myself class an axolotl as a very unusual pet (I hadn't heard of them a year ago) and anything unusual deserves to be researched, although that doesn't stop a child from walking into a shop and buying an axolotl just because its there. So perhaps buying direct from breeder would help or perhaps if your worried about the care of your babies then don't breed at all if you are concerned that your local petstores dont have the knowlegde needed. If your going to hand out caresheets then perhaps hand some out to your local vets too. In my area vets have hardly a clue so possibly it would help there and hopefully go towards mis-diagnosis of some conditions. Perhaps in your care sheets you could add that a sick axolotl requiring veterinary care is likely to be expensive, that at least may put some unprepared owners off.