Aristotle Axolotl

[The Banana]

I just went and brought myself my second Axie.
I named him Aristotle Axolotl :grin: . My friend thought of the name, I think she saw it on TV somewhere. Anyway I think it is a cutie name!

Such a sweet thing. Already I'm attached. He is always smiling. :happy: Waves at me too. Dawwww. He (I hope it is a boy, as his name is Aristotle Axolotl afterall) is still very small -

That's my thumb. Bear in mind I don't exactly have the biggest hands around.

Banana, my yellow axie that my sister gave me for Christmas is from the same LFS. She told me that there was a smaller yellow one, and a grey/black speckled one there too. Aristotle Axolotl, I believe is that speckled on (there was also a small yellow one there as well)...... so they were AQUARIUM BUDDIES!!!! My sister Lacey said she felt a bit sad leaving Aristotle Axolotl behind, as they were hugging. They have now been reunited! I love happy endings.
They are together in a 400L tank, and are loving it. Swimming, playing, cuddling..

Does anyone know how old Aristotle Axolotl may be?

Forgot. There is a scratch on him that is thought to be from the LFS.
Seems clean, not infected.. should I just leave it and keep an eye on it?
If it needs treating, I've been told Melafix & salt will help. Any other suggestions?
Yes, I have read that some fish meds. are poisonous to axolotls, so I'm going to be extra careful.
Thanks.

 

[The Banana]

Would you suggest that he is a wild type colour?
And my avatar Banana is a golden albino?
Thanks.

 

[siona]

He looks lovely - and I really love that name! I think you're right about Aristotle Axolotl being wildtype and Banana being a golden albino. Is that the scratch in the photo? Looks like a nasty scar :-( but unless it starts showing fungus or affects his behaviour I would just leave it (though best to seek other's advice too! I'm fairly new to the axolotl scene!).

His gills are very short - do you think they might be growing back from a previous injury? Or are they just short lol?

As for their age I have no idea. 6 months maybe? :-S

 

[The Banana]

Thanks Siona.
Could be a scar.. but looks quite new-ish to me. Thanks for the tip.

Um, they are short, I just thought it was because he is very young (he is small, and has the cutest little hands).

Thank you for you comment.

 

[mewsie]

You name axolotls very well!!

Congrats, he's adorable so sweet they are reunited!

Hopefully his scratch will heal very quickly, you'll be surprised just how fast they fix themselves. Just make sure the water (and tank) is clean and he's fed well and happy and he should be fine, but yeah, keep an eye on him.

 

[The Banana]

Thank you Mewsie.
Hasn't eaten anything yet.. the tank is HUGE. Does anybody have tips on getting them to eat in a big tank? I tried moving him to a small place, but that stressed him out. Banana gobbled her food up though.
I think I'm going worm hunting this afternoon, so maybe that will be better than pellets.

 

[Bellabelloo]

What a little cutie!
I must admit when I first saw him I thought he was a lovely little melanoid, but now I am not sure.
There are a few problems however. The most obvious one I am sorry to say is the stones. They will be an absolute nightmare to clean. Axolotl are mucky little things and all the gunk will fall between the stones and pollute the water. Also, some will potentially be consumed by your axolotl, and this will cause awful problems. I would strongly advise you to remove them and use play sand or even a bare bottom.
When you get any new addition for your axolotl, you really should quarantine it for at least 30 days. This gives you the chance to check that your new addition is in good health, you are also able to monitor how much it is eating, and generally get to know its little habits. Hopefully all will be well now they are together, but please bare this in mind if you add anything else.
What is the size difference between your original axolotl and little Aristotle?

 

[The Banana]

The stones are much too large to be consumed. That's why I picked them. I was thinking adding sand on the top..

I've never really quarantined.. but since they were aquarium buddies, if one had something, the other will too. I'll make sure to remember that next time. Thanks.

Um, size difference.. quite a bit actually. I was concerned when I got them.. but they seem to get on. Hiding places are in there (PVC pipes, a large tree-stump, plants).

One thing is.. I said little Aristotle Axolotl is constantly smiling.. as in constantly. I'm worried he can't actually close his mouth. Is there anything I can do?

 

[Kaysie]

Sand will just sift through the rocks. I'll tell you from experience those rocks will trap a TON of waste. They'll be literally impossible to keep clean.

 

[mekkha]

Haha you have the best names for your axies. You could start a naming business. :lol:

 

[The Banana]

Hmmm... yeah your right. I've had these in the past.. they are a pain.
Mekkha - Thanks. Actually my friend thought of it. I'm pretty sure she saw it on TV, so I can't take credit for it.

 

[Kaysie]

You do know Aristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher, right?

 

[DeCypher]

Aristotle was a VERY intelligent greek philosopher. He was a good mathematician. He did a lot of geometrical stuff, like all the other Greek philosophers from his time.

 

[Ken Worthington]

According to certain University lecturers in Australia (strangely all called 'Bruce' ), who teach at the University of Woolloomooloo, it would appear that Aristotle was, and I quote, "a bugger for the bottle" *

I just thought I'd add this for cultural reference

Hope this helps,

KW :lol:




* Eric Idle and M. Python. c.1975

 

[The Banana]

Yup, we studied him when we did Ancient Greece.
Could that mean Aristotle Axolotl will be a genus? I hope so.

 

[rhinotime]

I like Aristotle's colors; I've been looking for axolotls here who look like that (and, actually, like Banana!) but the only type I've been able to find are albino. Your tank set-up looks pretty good too! :happy: Oh, and as others have said already, good name choice!

 

[The Banana]

Thank you Rhino Time!
I've been actually looking for albinos! Hope you can find some new colours soon. Can you order them in?
Thanks. Haha.. I love the name too.

 

[rhinotime]

Thank you Rhino Time!
I've been actually looking for albinos! Hope you can find some new colours soon. Can you order them in?
Thanks. Haha.. I love the name too.

Well, to be honest, I'm not sure about how ordering would work here. I'm currently living in China, but I'm not actually from China so I don't know much about how I'd even go about ordering. All the pet stores here- if they have axolotls- seem to favor the albino kind. Actually, I did once during the summer actually see a box full of axolotls of various colors outside a stand at a pet market, and I was quite taken by a green axolotl in it...but as the box had been sitting out in the hot sun for hours by the time I saw it I don't think the axies inside were very healthy. Unfortunately proper animal care in many places in China is still far behind what it is in the West.

But let's not end this on a bleak note. Hurray for Aristotle and all his glory!

 

[The Banana]

Hope you can find some pretty colours soon Rhino-Time.

It has been 1 week today that I got Aristotle Axolotl, but still won't eat anything.
I'm pretty worried for his health, sure, they can go that long without eating - but why would he? The temp is fine, everything is fine.. but no interest of food. He hasn't even been trying to eat it.
I'm contemplating trying to force feed him.. but he is a juvie, and I don't want to harm him.. what should it do!?!

 

[The Banana]

Oh yeah!
We force-fed him. It was unbelievably easy. He cooperated with us.
We put him in a Chinese-container, covered him with water, then I held him softy, and pryed his mouth open with a cotton-bud/q-tip (gave him watered down axolotl pellets in a syringe). Waited 10 minutes, gave him the other half. This time we just used the syringe, as he knew what we were doing and seemed pretty happy. He was hungry, just gulped it down straight away. I'm so happy.
He didn't even try to struggle, must have been starved the poor thing. Will try giving him a small worm tomorrow, or even doing this again.