Transporting axolotls on a long car journey

[sliemm]

I'm moving from Melbourne to Sydney by car soon - a journey of about 9 hours. I don't really want to give my axolotls away or sell them; I'd rather take them with me to my new house.

The problem is, I'm afraid they won't survive the journey. I can adjust the temperature in the car with air con if needs be (it's autumn here, so a hot car shouldn't be a problem). It's more stress I'm worried about.

Am I overly concerned? Would my axies easily survive a 9 hour car journey? And if so, any recommendations for transporting them?

 

[Yucca Patrol]

At some point in time, their ancestors survived a trip at least the distance from Mexico to Australia. They will survive 9 hours in the car. :happy:

I would put them in individual tubs and place them in a cooler. If necessary, a little ice in there will keep the temps down.

 

[sliemm]

Haha, love it. Cheers for the advice. I think I'll give it a shot - I'll buy some large containers for the journey. I guess using existing tank water would be best for them in the containers.

 

[snuggly time]

You could used aged dechlorinated water for the journey. I'd take some spare in case you have any leaks or their water gets messy. Perhaps plan a stop to make sure they are OK and review the water situation. Also, if you're emptying their tank, don't forget to store the filter in dirty tank water. Hopefully some bacteria may survive.

 

[Kerry M]

You could also use large fish bags. One lotl in each bag with lots of air. Perhaps double bagged for safety. Then put the bags in a polystyrene box (free from most pet shops). When I use this method I put ice bricks in the bottom of the box, put a towel on top of the ice bricks and then put the lotls on top. I use material is needed to create support.

I hope that you and your lotls enjoy your new home.

 

[Bdyoung]

The axolotls should be fine for the drive as long as the temperature doesn't get too excessively high. I would take Yucca's advice and just put them in a cooler so you don't really have anything to worry about. Also the cooler would keep them dark which would also releave some of the stress. I would bring some extra water along that's fresh and about halfway through your drive just check up on your axolotls and do a quick water change. Also don't worry about bacteria dying off. Bacteria are pretty strong and durable. As long as your media is kept wet and free from other chemicals touching it I wouldn't be surprise if none of the bacteria dies off.

 

[Kerry M]

Oh, you can buy the fish bags from pet shops, let them know that you need larger bags to give your lotl space to stretch out. Also ask for their help to learn how to tie the bags if you don't know how to already.