To get a second axolotl or not?

Hi everyone,

I need advice. I have had my axolotl, Toothless (who is 15-16cm long), for two months now and only today found out she was a girl! I have her in a tank of 60cm (L) X30cm (W) X40cm (H) and i am soo tempted to buy a friend for poor toothless because she seems quite lonely. I read in the guide "Keeping Axolotls" by Linda Adkins that having two axolotls would make each other happy, more curious and less likely to be bored. Has anyone heard something else?

I was also wondering would this tank have enough space for another axolotl?

I saw axolotl in an aquarium shop and it seemed a little bit smaller, probably by two centimeters and i was wondering is that too small to mix with Toothless? would i have to wait for the other to grow just as big before i introduce them or would it be ok?

i would love some advice as i am a first timer with axolotls :happy:

Thanks.

That tank should be okay for 2 axies, i wouldnt add any more though,

and most people wouldnt mix axolotls if one of them was 25% bigger, so i think 2 cm isnt much of a problem, however i would maybe think about a divider to get them used to each other as they may not get along..

At 16cm, I wouldn't be so sure it's female. It's often hard to tell until they're a year old or so.

Thanks for your comments
my axolotl has grow to 17-18 cm since last time. If i tried to post a pic of her would someone be willing to tell me if its indeed a girl or boy please? because i am seriously tempted to get her a friend as she sits alone in the tank, cuddling up to ceramic fish and face pressed up to the glass...its kinda sad

Aww!

If you posted a picture, we'd be happy to try to sex your axolotl for you.

Thanks so much, im attaching pics now...i hope it works these were taken yesterday

i also have a question concerning what to use as gravel, because i had lil pebbles in there at first, i know...stupid, then i changed to sand...made her sick, now i have rather big rocks in there but i heard they can hold up mold and create the tank to get seriously dirty. Is there anything else anyone could recommend because up to now ive been using bare aquarium and that i have heard isnt good for her either....any suggestions?


Thanks again

To me, this looks to be female, judging by the size of my dozers cloaca!

She does look like a girl at the moment - but I've heard plenty of stories of people that were sure they had 2 girls, then all of a sudden... eggs.

So they surprise us sometimes!

She's a complete sweetheart though - what a cute face.

As far as substrate goes, I was going to suggest a thin layer of sand - what made her ill about it? I think quite a lot, if not most of us axie owners on here use sand with no probs.

You can use aquarium silicone to stick and seal a slate floor down (Use the search function at the top, I'd do it for you but I'm literally just dashing out) which is quite funky.

What type of sand was it?

As far as getting a friend goes - I like the antics my big two get up to together, it's so cute. And they definitely do both try and squeeze into the tiniest spaces together! 60cm is alright for two, but only just. If you really wanted to give them a great little universe, (remember that what we give them is all they will ever know - make it really nice ^_^) you would be better to upgrade the tank.

If you find her cuddling up to things, she might be looking for shelter (or a friend ) so make sure you have plenty of places for her to hide away in the dark - they love this.

Thannks soooooo much for all the advice and having a look at the pics

she is a sweetheart! when i first bought her, people kept telling me "ull get bored of her within a week!" and i was worried but she is the love of my life! everytime i walk into the room she dashes to the front of the tank and greets me with that big gorgeous head of hers and almost seems to wag her tail. she has her only lil characteristics that i lovee too! By far one of the coolest pets i have had and i would loveee to have someone to keep her company whilst im away during the day. Have you ever had issues with having two? im worried that since shes been alone for almost three months, that introducing another axolotl would unsettle her, do u think that would be the case?

as for a new tank, it maybe something i will look out for in the future but i think whilst im a student ill be saving up for something bigger but i have only had the tank for three months so i wouldnt wanna toss it straight away.

As for the sand, i had a thin layer of sand for about a month, i noticed her coughing it up but after a month she got ill, coughing up her food, slow, barely swam, kept to herself...i thought she was dying...then i kept a close eye on her and noticed she was pooping out sand at great amounts so i decided to keep away from it. it was the aquarium type of sand thats used for fish too. so im at a loss as to what to use, they have these fake filter sheets that can be used at the bottom of tanks for them but they are quite pricey...

as far as her tank is concered, and deco...im thinking of redoing it, giving her loads of plants (fake ones though because the live ones carried parasites and snail babies everywhere!) to hide behind and stuff to discover...i just dont wanna over crowd her tank and have her be put off by it. so im taking it slowly

the friend i feel is a must, Toothless seems pretty damn lonely with her face pressed up to the tank as i type away at this message

Thanks sooo much again for your help and advice, and ill check out the aquarium silicone