Advice on what to do after hatching! Please read and contribute!

[psychoboyjack]

So my babies are growing and growing, it's quite terrifying to think that I have all those monsters growing in those tiny little eggs. But I have some 'ethical' issues I'm hoping some of you can help out with.

I don't want to kill all the babies off, but realistically I don't have room to separate them all by size, and have that many tanks/containers going. My main guys' big tank and the 10 gallon I have that is holding all the eggs is pretty much pushing it in regards to space, I don't know how much more I could take! I've read about people keeping them in small containers with an inch of water, changing it daily, etc, but I don't have the resources to feed and maintain what looks to be 100-150 little mouths.

Is it that bad that I 'cull' some of them at this stage? (This stage being Day 5 since they were laid!) I don't know if I have the heart to cull them when they have cute little faces looking back at me, but I don't want to have an overcrowding issue either - I don't even know if the pet stores here would take them. ... And on that note I would rather sell them MYSELF since I've seen Axolotls in pet stores and THAT is torture. I have a feeling putting an ad in craigslist for "Axolotls for sale!" would draw more questions than buyers.

My options I've thought of so far are:
- Cull the egg count down now to a number I can manage and hope that most of them are viable ( 20-30 I'm thinking)
- Let them all hatch and let nature (and a 10 gallon tank) choose who will be supreme
- Destroy them all now and try and prevent this in the future. Right now I have the two adults separated with a tank divider, I can't risk it again!

I know some people are always wanting eggs, wanting to be breeders, etc, but this isn't something I can commit to fully. Nor something I planned as I told the guy choosing them when I bought them I just wanted two healthy ones. Who knew they would be a couple?! Heh.

Thoughts?

Advice?

Anyone else been in this situation before?

 

[Darkmaverick]

Hi Psychoboyjack,

i think its fantastic you gave the issue so much thought on welfare. It is most commendable.

Personally i would let the parent axolotls eat up the eggs if i do not want to rear tham. Otherwise, i would try selling or giving them to reputable places/people such as fellow breeders or some academic instituitions. It would be far worse to euthanise them when they grow up into larvae.

Cheers

 

[blueberlin]

Hi Jack,

With each day that passes, it will be harder to cull hatched larvae. Keep as many eggs as you can house yourself as adults, just in case it turns out to be harder to find takers than you expected, or raise enough for people who you know will take them. Note that axolotls do not automatically eat eggs so the larvae may need to hatch before the parents eat them, anyway. I pour eggs onto my houseplants as a way of culling them. (Please do not flush them or put them down the sink as they might just survive in the public water system.) Note, too, that 30 eggs may turn into 30 axolotls.

In any case, good luck to you!

-Eva

 

[psychoboyjack]

That's what's terrifying! Looking on all the plants I can see them grow and grow, and each one of them is going to be hungry and wanting love! I even think thirty would be too many, I should try for 20 and see how that works. For all I know half of that 20 may live. So many to flush.

First somehow remove them with no fingernails, that will be tricky....

Thanks for the input. They haven't hatched just yet, but it looks like they'll be coming out in 2-3 days. Scary!

 

[Jennewt]

Be strong. Cull them now. It's not a bad thing. The number you want to keep is perfectly reasonable, and trying to raise more is nutty unless you want to go into large scale production (which you obviously don't).

If you had asked a week ago, I would have suggested offering to ship the eggs to other Canadians. There always seems to be someone from Canada posting "where can I get axolotls?" However, since they are so close to hatching, it's too late to make shipping arrangements.

Why "no fingernails"?

 

[i_love_necturus]

No matter how unethical it may seem to anyone to cull any animal, it should always be brought into consideration that if you don't get rid of them in a humane way and end up keeping them when you don't have the time/space to do so you are being much more unethical on any level. I personally believe this goes for any animal, besides humans. Of course there is always the giving away factor.

 

[blueberlin]

Hi Jack,

If they are this close to hatching, don't move them. Just wait for them to hatch and then catch them with a turkey baster to move to the breeding container. Again, please do not flush eggs! And please do listen to all the warnings here about "saving" too many.

-Eva

 

[Jennewt]

I would recommend putting the unwanted eggs (or larvae) in a solution of 5% ethyl alcohol. This can be mixed using vodka or other strong grain alcohol. After all movement ceases, add more alcohol and let sit for an hour or so. This is considered completely humane. As Eva said, flushing isn't.
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/euthanasia.shtml

 

[psychoboyjack]

Ugh!

I culled the eggs down and I counted the number I have remaining, thinking I had 20. I have closer to 50.

Is it worth keeping that many with the mindset that not all of them will be viable larvae? Or should I cull them again down to 15-20 - a more manageable number and hope that those I save will all be good to go?

I can see their eyes now. Their eyes! It's creepy and awesome all at the same time.

 

[Jennewt]

In most cases, the vast majority will be viable larvae.

 

[psychoboyjack]

****. Oh well. Better now than later. I thought about it after I posted and went, "knowing my luck ALL of them will live!"

Thanks.

 

[John]

You can post newly hatched larvae or very small larvae. Just put them in a small drink bottle (something like a well-rinsed 500 mL Coca Cola bottle), filled almost to the top and ship them over night (or max 48 hours). They should all make it.