Handling Axies

[natalie]

Hi guys,

Ive been reading a few posts on here about how you can handle the axies if you wash your hands.
Is this true?
I just couldnt resist yesterday when I came home from work so I put my hand in the tank and little Chuck came and sat in my hand and let me pat his belly.
It was a kodak moment is there was ever one.
But of course, on telling one of my know-it-all mates, he had a go at me and told me it wasnt right to put my hand in as some university site on Axies said you can't.

Now whats the real deal??

Natalie

 

[peter]

hi Natalie,

although it's not ideal that you handle ax's for long period of times, sometimes they just come to you.
i have 4 in a tank and when it's feeding time, they all buzz around my hands and arm.
i don't miss a chance to just let them sit in my hand and gently stroke them.
been doing this for about a year and as long as you don't have detergent on your hands, or hold too tight eg if they struggle, the occasional axi pat is harmless.


peter

 

[anne-marie]

If you have to move or handle axies, yes use your hands. Wash your hands first, then rinse a lot. Support them securely using both hands, one in the area of the first set of limbs, the other just at the behind of the belly, to stop them wriggling. And boy, do they wriggle. Don't move them long distances, chances are they will escape you. And if your mates don't believe you - send em to to me

 

[cynthia]

Natalie - It is not a good idea to touch them if you don't have to. Touching them damages their slime coat and your fingernails can easily cut them if they struggle.

 

[natalie]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the tips. Yeah, I dont hold him as such, I was just keeping my palm open and he just kinda sat there.
I cracked up laughing at him last night as I caught him sitting in his plant. He was just sitting there zoned out. At first I thought he was floating but then after realising he was just sitting in his "tree" I figured he must have been trying to get a better view point of my TV or something hahaha!
Man they are little characters!

Nat xx

 

[paul]

hi natalie, Mine does this strange "tree" sitting thing too. he does it all the time. he even climbs up the air hose and sits out of the water for sometimes 40 mins or so. At first i freaked cause i read that they cannot breath out of water, but he does it daily. he is only about 7" long (not sure how old) albino. it is so cute to see him play and climb trees. he also does this cute thing where he walks on his back legs, sorta like a T-Rex...hence i call him my dinosaur.

 

[natalie]

hahaha! What a laugh! I like to think mine is meditating when he zones out, yeah mine walks on his back legs too, mainly if im about to feed him as he's usualy looking up at me.

 

[sharn]

woah fourty mins! lucky dude i wish my axies did that!! is he morphing or something?

 

[sharon]

That is weird. I've never heard of them coming out of the water voluntarily before... Mine have had access to lily pads and cords and tubes but I've only seen them sitting or laying on them beneath the water. Thats fascinating. Maybe you can get a picture?

 

[brian]

My little albino is in isolation right now (still trying to figure out his chronic floating problem), and he has a rock that sticks out of the water just slightly. He'll come and stick his nose out for a few minutes, but thats about it.

 

[sharon]

Floating problem?? Mine float all the time... and yesterday I watched one of the melanoids do this funny wiggle dance while floating at the top. Later he just turned his nose down and to the bottom he went.