Photo: axolotl vs. frog

[Mistwalker]

Fed my axolotl a small frog I caught. First time he got everything but one leg down, coughed up the frog after about ten minutes, and the frog, still alive, swam around the tank frantically until it went by the axolotl again, which engulfed him entirely the second try. This picture is from the first attempt.

And I know there may be issues about passing on parasites and so on, but that may be just as true with captive bred food.

Anyway, the photo:

 

[Scorpendra]

didn't you tell him to chew his food?

so, i'm to assume the second attempt worked?

 

[Mistwalker]

Yeah, the frog dissapeared on the second try, sucked entirely in.

 

[nightbreed]

Cool, I've always wanted an axolotl but I think the wife will kill me if I get any more pets.

P.S Although parasites would worry me I think its the fact that amphibians are sponges when it comes to pollutants that would put me off using them as feeders

Take care

 

[Thoth]

Isn't there a chance of causing it to metamorph by doing that? I thought I had heard that some where (probably wrong).

 

[cacoseraph]

dang
i always thought these things were awesome!

how big is that guy?

 

[Mistwalker]

Thoth: I haven't heard anything like that, but it's ok, this will be a one time thing. I mostly just wanted to see if he could catch and eat a frog.

Cacoseraph: He's about 5" or so. The frog was quite small.

They're great pets if you can find them. Our local pet shop had a bunch after a university breeding project sold them some, but haven't had any since. Glad I got one while they had them.

 

[TarantuChimp]

My local exoctics shop as got some in recently is there any chance you could run down the things I need if I were to get one....water heaters/filters and size of tank

 

[Mistwalker]

Ten gallons per adult is a good measure. They can get to be about a foot long as adults. You definitely do NOT need a tank heater or heat source of any kind. They like it cold. I've read of people keeping them ponds outside all year round, and they do just fine underneath the ice outside in the wintertime. In fact, overheating can be an issue in the summertime. Watch the temp in the summer to make sure it doesn't go too high.

You can use a filter if you want, but from what I've read they hardly make a dent in the mess. Axolotls are poop making machines. I just keep an aquarium syphon around to suck up the nastiness from the bottom of the tank every so often (and then I use the syphoned muck to water my plants).

I keep a bubbler going to oxygenate the water, and though I've read that axolotls don't like the water being disturbed, mine doesn't seem to mind. And if you replace enough of the water often enough, supposedly you don't need any method of oxygenating the water at all.

You should also dechlorinate the water you put in the tank.

 

[Thoth]

I found this site which has a lot of info.

http://www.axolotl.org/

 

[Mistwalker]

That's an excellent site. I didn't think to post it, but it's got a lot of very good information.

 

[RVS]

I'd like to find some axolotls, they were the first pets I ever owned. I was only four, so I wasn't really caring for them myself, but I loved them.

 

[Mistwalker]

They're not always so common in pet shops, but if you look online, sometimes you can find eggs for sale. Or, depending on where you live, you could go look for mudpuppies, which are similar neotenous aquatic salamanders. I plan on collecting mudpuppies from the wild myself, and perhaps breeding them.

 

[lwbfl]

Isn't there a chance of causing it to metamorph by doing that? I thought I had heard that some where (probably wrong).

True axolotls don't metamorph naturally, but there is a tiger salamander that looks the same in its juvie stage, then goes to being a land salamander just prior to sexual maturity. True axolotls live in the water thier entire lives, but have been morphed by experimentation with certain hormones in labs.

 

[jarrell]

asolotls are so cool! they seem pretty hardy animals. but where to get them, I live in North Carolina so i could find mudpuppies maybe. they look so cute when they smile!

 

[JungleGuts]

thats pretty cool, very unique animals, i believe USA Reptile mag. has an article on them out now