Fighting

[andrew]

Okay, so i feed my axies on a rock so that its easier to suck out the un-eaten food... SO now in the late afternoon they all just hang out around the rock

cute. Anyway when i feed them it gets kinda heated in there the fight for position and nip at each other, and then some of the food gets pushed off the rock anyway... Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks

 

[anne-marie]

Depending on what you're feeding, hand feeding helps.

 

[andrew]

Im feeding sinking pellets, what do you recommend feeding them that i can hand feed Thanks

 

[anne-marie]

Beef heart, beef liver, wormies..

 

[andrew]

How do you handfeed. do you hold the food when they suck in or do you let go? Do they like bite it off? Thanks

 

[anne-marie]

Now, dont' be shy when feeding axies. just hold the food in front of their face, they will smell it and snap! If they get your fingers, it doesn't hurt. Just hold still and they will spit it out - eventually.
On reflection, I think your axies are fairly small, so you might want to try spearing a little of the food on the end of a toothpick or wooden skewer and doing it that way. It's all fun!

 

[justin]

We are having the same problem. Feeding time is like a battle ground, and now Jazz has two damaged legs, they are still attached, but just hang there. Ours are about 10 months old, hopefully they will get over this stage soon!
Does anyone know if two males or two females are more likely to fight? I am still unsure of what sex they are.
Axe seems to almost stalk Jazz, and once he gets near her he just tries to chomp her.
Any ideas?

 

[claire]

neither sex is more aggressive than the other. but wildtypes yend to be more aggressive towards other coloured axies and tend not to be as aggressive with the wildtypes. this can be read on www.axolotl.org .not sure which section i found it in. might have been the rearing section. id reccommend hand feeding for axies that are aggressive when feeding.

 

[cynthia]

Justin - At 10 months they should be over the juvi snapping at each other phase. You should probably separate them if one is always after the other.

If you are going to keep them together they need lots of room, lots of hiding places and they need to be well fed. If you already offer them those things then I would buy a tank divider or setup a second aquarium for one of them.

 

[cynthia]

Andrew - if your tank is big enough you may want to put in a 2nd flat rock and feed them in two places.

Mine shove each other around at the pellet feeding pile as well. The pellets end up all over the tank, I just vacuum them up after an hour or so.