Hi Everyone! Excited to be a new member here!

[eklinds]

Hello

My name is Lindsay, from NH- USA. I am getting my very first Axolotl this weekend and I am beyond excited! I will be adding a Leucistic to my new 29 gallon set up. I do have a question though, are babies hard to take care of? Our local exotics shop has a lot of babies and I believe a 3" I want a baby because that's what they have for leucistic but i'm nervous that babies might have a high mortality rate?

thanks all!
-Lindsay

 

[Mana]

Hi Lindsay!
Welcome to the forum! I wouldn't say juveniles are more difficult to care for than adults. You just gotta be weary of the info you get from pet stores. My local pet store said that they keep them on gravel because they eat it and it aides their digestion, reccomends feeding them goldfish, and keeping the tank at 75 degrees, all of which could mean a death sentence for an axolotl. As long as you keep the ammonia levels down with frequent water changes, the water flow low as possible and the temperature 50 to 65 degrees they stay pretty healthy. Signs of stress are curling of the tip of the tail or curling forward of the gills. Check them for any kind of fungus or grayish patches on the skin before you buy them. I would not reccommend buying them if they have a gravel substrate as many pet stores seem to have. They could have already ingested the rocks and when you get them home could die because they cant pass them. You want to look for ones kept in sand or on bare tank bottom. There are pet stores that keep them he right way too, just gotta do a little research before you buy. If you cant find one locally, there are lots of great breeders on the site that can provide a wealth of information. Good luck with getting your axolotl! Let us know how it goes!

 

[Cloppy]

Welcome to the Forum! I do not think you will have a problem with your new axolotl dying if you read the caresheets and abide by them.