E
Elise
Guest
I have a juvenile melanoid leucistic axolotl that recently started morphing under natural conditions and I wanted to make sure I was taking the correct steps as he becomes more terrestrial. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated as I want this little guy to be happy.
I setup a 20 gallon long aquarium with a glass divider partitioning a soil side from a water side. The dirt side consists of 5 inches of a coco choir, fir bark, and top soil mixture as outlined in this caudata article: Caudata Culture Articles - Vivarium Substrates There is a terracotta pot as a hide. The water is a 40% modified Holtfreter's solution. The water and the tank in general are kept at room temperature.
It's been roughly three weeks since I began to notice him morphing and he continues to be fully aquatic with no interest of transitioning to land. At night he raises his nose out of the water for prolonged periods of time to breath air. He has regained his appetite and has resumed eating small European nightcrawers and pellets, though there was a slight learning curve.
I have taken daily pictures detailing his morphing, which happened surprisingly fast, and can post them if there is interest. He continues to have his face markings which will be exciting to see how they change over time.
His conditions prior to morphing were very consistent. He was kept in a temperature controlled wine chiller at 64°F (17°C) in a 2 liter container with two other similar sized small juveniles. The water was a 40% Holtfreter's solution and there were daily to twice daily water changes. His diet was cut up nightcrawlers and Rangen manufactured sinking salmon pellets. He was kept under these conditions for roughly four months before he began to morph.
I setup a 20 gallon long aquarium with a glass divider partitioning a soil side from a water side. The dirt side consists of 5 inches of a coco choir, fir bark, and top soil mixture as outlined in this caudata article: Caudata Culture Articles - Vivarium Substrates There is a terracotta pot as a hide. The water is a 40% modified Holtfreter's solution. The water and the tank in general are kept at room temperature.
It's been roughly three weeks since I began to notice him morphing and he continues to be fully aquatic with no interest of transitioning to land. At night he raises his nose out of the water for prolonged periods of time to breath air. He has regained his appetite and has resumed eating small European nightcrawers and pellets, though there was a slight learning curve.
I have taken daily pictures detailing his morphing, which happened surprisingly fast, and can post them if there is interest. He continues to have his face markings which will be exciting to see how they change over time.
His conditions prior to morphing were very consistent. He was kept in a temperature controlled wine chiller at 64°F (17°C) in a 2 liter container with two other similar sized small juveniles. The water was a 40% Holtfreter's solution and there were daily to twice daily water changes. His diet was cut up nightcrawlers and Rangen manufactured sinking salmon pellets. He was kept under these conditions for roughly four months before he began to morph.
