Housing axolotls of the opposite sexes

[evelyn_003]

I have a pair of axolotls. they are siblings and I have had them together since birth (having raised them from eggs for my herpetology class). a couple of months ago I deduced that they were the opposite sex but they hadn't reached sexual maturity yet and thus I continued to house them together. today i woke up to find spermatophores and the female laying eggs. I have separated them with an acrylic barrier (one of them had an issue of not realizing legs were not worms but have grown out of it but that's why i have the barrier). I was wondering what i could do about housing them in the future. do female axolotls have an estrus cycle that I can track and just separate during that time? I feel really bad having them on their own cause they get visibly lonely (they spend a lot of time platonically cuddling, as they have since they first grew legs). Would you recommend getting two more axolotls so they are not lonely or is their bond just unusual? Any advice would be helpful.

 

[axolotl nerd]

I have a pair of axolotls. they are siblings and I have had them together since birth (having raised them from eggs for my herpetology class). a couple of months ago I deduced that they were the opposite sex but they hadn't reached sexual maturity yet and thus I continued to house them together. today i woke up to find spermatophores and the female laying eggs. I have separated them with an acrylic barrier (one of them had an issue of not realizing legs were not worms but have grown out of it but that's why i have the barrier). I was wondering what i could do about housing them in the future. do female axolotls have an estrus cycle that I can track and just separate during that time? I feel really bad having them on their own cause they get visibly lonely (they spend a lot of time platonically cuddling, as they have since they first grew legs). Would you recommend getting two more axolotls so they are not lonely or is their bond just unusual? Any advice would be helpful. View attachment 95319

yes, they need to be separated. depending on how large your tank is, you can continue using the acrylic divider- but if it is too small for two adults, then getting another tank is the way to go. don't feel to bad about them being lonely, axolotls are quite literally too stupid to feel affection or loneliness. you will have to cycle your new tank, if you go that route, so i suggest putting a small sponge filter into your main tank for a few weeks then move it to the new one to jump start your cycle. keep us updated!

 

[evelyn_003]

yes, they need to be separated. depending on how large your tank is, you can continue using the acrylic divider- but if it is too small for two adults, then getting another tank is the way to go. don't feel to bad about them being lonely, axolotls are quite literally too stupid to feel affection or loneliness. you will have to cycle your new tank, if you go that route, so i suggest putting a small sponge filter into your main tank for a few weeks then move it to the new one to jump start your cycle. keep us updated!

I have a 40 gallon tank so i think it should be fine (ill probably save up some money for a larger one.

 

[Autistic Catholic]

If they are brother and sister, the eggs should be culled. There are going to be a lot of defects and the gene pool is going to breed further defects.

 

[evelyn_003]

If they are brother and sister, the eggs should be culled. There are going to be a lot of defects and the gene pool is going to breed further defects.

I am culling the eggs. I’ve been collecting them all day and have them in a bag in my freezer until I can dispose of them.