Are axolotls difficult to care for? – Water Critters (2024)

FAQs

Are axolotls difficult to care for? – Water Critters? ›

Axolotls are very easy to care for if you have the right setup. Given proper housing conditions, all you need to do to keep your axolotl happy is to feed it and keep its water clean. An adult axolotl only needs to eat one live earthworm every other day (the kind used as fishing bait all over the country).

Caring for a pet axolotl is complex and requires a great deal of maintenance. Axolotls require an aquatic environment with very specific temperature, water quality and husbandry requirements. Axolotls can live for up to 10 years of age if cared for correctly. Axolotls should be kept in an aquatic environment.

Once you have their housing setup correct, you generally only have to spend a few hours per week on feeding and cleaning. The rest is simply enjoying them as a quiet aquatic companion. Axolotls tend to be fairly bold and are perfectly content to move about their tank as they're being watched by their humans.

Axolotls make great first time amphibians, and due to their strange appearance they make great talking points (with questions usually resembling 'what on earth is that? '). They are very hardy and quite forgiving of the kinds of mistakes that beginners can make.

Axolotls are messy animals, and sensitive to poor water quality. They therefore require excellent filtration to maintain pristine water conditions. A filter rated at x2 aquarium volume would be recommended, unless the water level is not filled to the top of the aquarium.

Perhaps the only real disadvantage of the axolotl is the difficulty of obtaining frequent fertile spawnings throughout the 12 months of the year. A partial regression of the sex organs takes place during the summer months.

Axolotls (and all other mole salamander species, by the way) have been made illegal in California due to concern over the potential threat an axolotl might pose to native wildlife species if it were to be released.

If axolotls make you smile, don't you want to make them happy too? They might always appear to be smiling, but axolotl dietary and water quality needs are very hard to meet in captivity and they are generally not recommended as pets for this reason.

Axolotls have a very heavy bio load, which means they produce a lot of waste, resulting in a lot of nitrate. The nitrate level is constantly rising in an aquarium, and it must be kept below 20 ppm at all times with partial water changes in order to not induce stress in axolotls.

The most important thing to remember is that Axolotls are more of a watch-and-observe type of pet than the type you might interact and play with. But overall, they make excellent pets! They're fun to watch, cute as can be, and easy to care for.

Why can't you touch axolotls? ›

Like fish, axolotls have a slime coat over their skin that serves as a shield against their environment. Touching them (fish or axolotls) can damage this coat, making them vulnerable to various infections.

Use the turkey baster to remove any axolotl poop. Dump it right into your aquarium! It will keep your bacteria fed and help the cycling process. Feed your axolotl before transferring it to the new clean tub.

Diet: Axolotls are the top predator in their natural habitat. They are carnivorous and will feed on a range of prey including, insects, worms, mollusks, fish and arthropods. Lifespan: In the wild, axolotls generally live 5-6 years but can reach 15 years in captivity.

Axolotls are capable of biting food items and giving any neighboring tank fellows a nip if they get too close. There is also some suggestion they can remove limbs and indulge in a spot of cannibalism when growing up.

In a properly maintained tank with a healthy animal, the answer is almost always a resounding NO. Axolotls themselves do not smell bad.

Axolotls can recognize organisms and shapes from a distance, including people coming to feed them. One study suggests that salamanders can count to at least three.

The leading causes of Axolotl decline are human development, waste water disposal, and loss of habitat due to droughts. Despite their prevalence in the aquarium trade, these species are critically endangered in the wild.

Axolotls have a calm and docile nature, making them suitable pets for people of all ages. They are not aggressive and will generally keep to themselves. However, they do exhibit interesting behaviors and will interact with their owners during feeding time or when they are exploring their tank.

Axolotls can become stressed easily, therefore consider placing the aquarium in a low traffic area of the house to minimize the stress caused by constant flashes of movement. Axolotls are cool water salamanders and can stress and even develop illnesses in warmer water.

The axolotl has few predators in the wilderness, though they may be taken by storks and herons, as well as large fish (carp and tilapia), on occasion. Their biggest threat is urbanization and pollution of the freshwater lakes and ponds they inhabit.