Fast growth = shorter lifespan

[indipendance]

Hey all,

Since my local fish shop carries axies, everybody and their mother that works there thinks they are an axie expert (ha!). Went in tonight to get some worms and told the guy that my 5" axie has been enjoying himself a few feeder fish. I know that fish should be a treat and not a staple, so I said I was pretty sure it was time to move from blood worms to earth worms, since my little dude is a strong eater and has been growing really fast (went from 2.5" to 5" in three months).

He made this weird face, and told me I shouldn't feed my axie everyday as "the faster they grow, they shorter they live."

Uh, what?!?

That's not true is it?!?

Halboy is super active, swims around and explores his tank a lot. His water temp is 68 F, and right now I tong/hand feed him blood worms everyday in the evening and occasionally a couple of white cloud feeders. His body is slightly thinner than his head, even with daily feedings.

Should I feed him less? I'm not shortening his lifespan via food coma, am I?

Thanks!

 

[Lemi]

That's bizarre.
I'm certainly not an expert, but I keep reading that for a while you should feed them two or three times a day, but I know my local reptile shop feeds their small axolotls every other day or every two days. They always look unhealthy and badly underweight though, and one guy didn't know the difference between albino and leucistic, so I don't really trust their opinion. They also said earthworms and sand are bad for axolotls, they need calciworms and rocks.
Yeah... sorry for the rant, but that sounds like a load of ****. There's way too much misinformation floating around, especially (though unfortunately) among pet store owners and workers. I also saw a store several years ago that kept them together in a hot tiny tank on gravel.

 

[indipendance]

Whew! Thank you! That makes me feel a lot better. I felt like he might have been feeding me a line, but I got really nervous (first time axis mommy over here)! He also told me that they didn't have another item I wanted for my tank (and then I, of course, found it on my own) and sold me too many feeder fish. >:/

That's what I get for changing my routine... I like the guy that works on Sat better.

 

[snuggly time]

Haha, that's a new one to me. My juvenile eats one or two small worms a day at the moment and I still think he looks on the skinny side. Juveniles need more food for growth and they're more active. If yours is like mine and never stops swimming around then it will need more food compared to an adult.

 

[wandering]

Growth rate is affected by temperature. And axolotls at very low temperatures (as in fridged) do not want or need to eat much. Perhaps the chap at the shop is thinking of this. And perhaps axies at higher temperatures who will therefore be hungry more often do live shorter lives than those who drift about in cooler tanks at a slower pace. There must be some research out there somewhere to answer the question.


Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Alkylhalide]

Also, I was told you cannot overfeed a juvenile. and though temperature has a huge effect on growth rate that the more you feed them while they are young contribute to bigger adults. If you dont feed them much as small juveniles your adults will be smaller then one that you feed them till they are bursting full.
I heard thats what contribute to a 7" adult vs a 10-12" adult. which does make a bit of sense. Because as they age, their growth slows down. So if you have a 6month old that is already 8-10" well chances are they will be on the bigger side. whereas if at 6monthes your axie is only 5-6" it may be a smaller adult.

Like my two juveniles are 5monthes and are 8" ! And were kept at 62F water. Ive had them for 3monthes and they were 2.5" when I got them! I contribute that to how much I feed them, because their water is definately not on the warmer side!

I have never heard of a shorter lifespan. In my opinion I think it contributes to healthier axies with longer lifespans.

 

[Azhael]

It has been suggested that very fast growth does affect lifespan negatively. Females in particular seem to have shorter lifespans the earlier they start reproducing. I believe there is literature on the subject as i seem to recall reading about this phenomenon with anurans. Maybe a quick search will unearth some topics where this has been mentioned or discussed, it´s certainly an idea that floats around throughout the hobby, particularly among reptile keepers.

 

[Alkylhalide]

But is it a huge impact? Like 5years instead of 15years? Id like my axies to live long healthy lives but if its their lifespan goes down a year or two that is okay.
I really didnt expect mine to grow so fast but i was told to feed them once a day so thats what ive done. And that their bellies should be as wide as their head, which it never was until i started feeding them nightcrawlers about a month ago. So i think i "could of" been feeding them more before that
I mean the water temp was so low that i dont know why else they grew so fast except from me feeding them. But that would make me sad to know i shortened their life because of trying to keep them nicr and chubby

 

[pondweed]

It has been suggested that very fast growth does affect lifespan negatively. Females in particular seem to have shorter lifespans the earlier they start reproducing. I believe there is literature on the subject as i seem to recall reading about this phenomenon with anurans. Maybe a quick search will unearth some topics where this has been mentioned or discussed, it´s certainly an idea that floats around throughout the hobby, particularly among reptile keepers.

The female and reproduction thing would make sense to a layperson (like me!) because it's surely got to be draining on your resources to produce eggs. (I'm thinking this is also the reason why females should be given a rest between spawning? Not only to improve the quality of the offspring!)

I might search as well, for curiosity's sake.

 

[indipendance]

What if you only have one axie and therefore no spawning?

Btw, we are moving our little guy to every other day feedings due to his size and water temps. We will monitor water temp/conditions and adjust accordingly.

 

[shock]

Reproduction can be the reason. Now do feeding them accelerate age when they start breeding ?

 

[Kaysie]

I don't know how well this correlates to amphibians, but power-feeding reptiles will greatly reduce their life span.

A growth of 2.5 inches in 3 months is not fast, it's average. If it'd gone from 2 to 7 inches in 2 months, that would be pretty excessive.

Shock, no, feeding them extra will not make them mature faster. It'll make them fatter.