Blackie is bullying Axelina

[sherrisixxx]

Ok, so I have my 2 female axies Blackie and Axelina together as tank mates. They have been ok with each other for 3 months, but recently Blackie has started bullying Axelina. Axelina is my disabled axie, and she is also very sensitive, so she has been panicking once in a while, and I have kept on eye on them carefully. However, last night I actually saw Blackie biting Axelina. Ouch! Poor Axelina got really scared, spinning like a corkscrew. Axelina does that every time Blackie touches her.So I took Blackie out, and put her in the same tank as her brother Orangina. This is not ideal, as I don't want Blackie and Orangina having babies together.

Oh, and in case anybody wonders, all the water conditions, ammonia, temperature etc is all fine, and they have enough space. Blackie has always been a very calm, good-natured axie, until now.She is about 1,5 years old and Axelina is nearly 3 years old.

 

[ben_tajer]

I'm assuming "Blackie" is a wild type? What Color is axelina? I've heard of wild types attacking albinos and other color variants, but I've never had it happen myself. How is Axelina disabled? Is there a size difference? Does one eat more food than the other? It's good that you separated them. How often do you feed them?

You have very creative names for your pets.

 

[sherrisixxx]

Thanks Benjamin. Blackie is a black melanoid axie, and Axelina is wildtype. And yes, Axelina is a typical wildtype who likes to be the boss, and can't stand the fact that Blackie is stronger than her. Axelina is just under 10" and Blackie is 11'. Axelina is disabled because she had a very serious bacteria in her nervous system in November 2006. Even the vet didn't think she would make it. Luckily she did, but she still can't swim, and walks leaning to her left. Apart from that, she is a very happy, but sensitive axie. I feed them 2-3 times a week by hand and give them same amount of food. They would both want to eat more, but as they are both a little bit overweight, I don't want to overfeed them.

 

[ben_tajer]

Well, if Axelina is walking funny or swimming strange, this may be the reason she is being attacked. In the wild it's not unusual for animals to attack unhealthy individuals, this may be to keep these individuals from breeding, in theory strengthening the gene pool. There are others on here who might have more to say about Axelina's specific infection, but I'd keep her separated from others unless she fully recovers. There's no real reason to house her with other axolotls (out side of financial constraints), if you hoped to breed her, again, don't unless she appears to be fully healthy.