blueberlin
2010 Research Grant Donor
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2008
- Messages
- 1,935
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- Age
- 55
- Location
- Illinois
- Country
- United States
- Display Name
- Eva
Hi Ganymede264,
I admit that I share your aversion to some of the things that axolotls like to eat. I bought a box of crickets once - I never want to open a box to all of those wiggling legs again! :uhoh:
Things with no legs fortunately don't bother me, though. When I feed worms, I put them in a little bowl and rinse them with water, then use a tweezers to feed them, so I don't even have to touch them. It is actually kind of funny to watch an axolotl eat a worm; looks like a child with spaghetti.
Caves can be anything under which an axolotl can fit. You can buy plastic or ceramic logs at pet shops, which are decorative, but also quite expensive. You can lay a flower pot on its side. You can use a piece of PVC pipe. You can build something out of rocks - here, you need to be very careful that the rocks are sturdy, so that they do not collapse onto your axolotl! You may find inspiration by looking at pictures of other people's tanks in the axolotl gallery.
You are right, too, that any decorations can trap dirty stuff. For this reason, you need to clean underneath and between decorations when doing your water changes. Adding some coldwater snails to your tank will help a bit with cleaning, too (and they make a nice axolotl snack, as well!).
-Eva
I admit that I share your aversion to some of the things that axolotls like to eat. I bought a box of crickets once - I never want to open a box to all of those wiggling legs again! :uhoh:
Things with no legs fortunately don't bother me, though. When I feed worms, I put them in a little bowl and rinse them with water, then use a tweezers to feed them, so I don't even have to touch them. It is actually kind of funny to watch an axolotl eat a worm; looks like a child with spaghetti.
Caves can be anything under which an axolotl can fit. You can buy plastic or ceramic logs at pet shops, which are decorative, but also quite expensive. You can lay a flower pot on its side. You can use a piece of PVC pipe. You can build something out of rocks - here, you need to be very careful that the rocks are sturdy, so that they do not collapse onto your axolotl! You may find inspiration by looking at pictures of other people's tanks in the axolotl gallery.
You are right, too, that any decorations can trap dirty stuff. For this reason, you need to clean underneath and between decorations when doing your water changes. Adding some coldwater snails to your tank will help a bit with cleaning, too (and they make a nice axolotl snack, as well!).
-Eva
