How do reduce infant mortality?!

[Munchausen]

At the beginning of this summer, I had ten baby axolotls. Now I have six. At this rate, I won't be able to keep the two females I hoped or give three to the dude who got them for me, to whom I promised three. I give them a varied diet of black worms, red wigglers, feeder rosie reds, and pellets. I changed their water about 25% a day.

They have no fungus, they just randomly die. What is the cause?

The only thing I think it could possibly be is maybe they bully each other when I'm not looking somehow and it stresses them out?

 

[mechanic380]

I'm sure someone with lots of experience will reply shortly but in the mean time. Every post asking about Axy husbandry the experienced members ask for water parameters. Nitrates, nitrites, ph and Temperature. If you are able to test for these start there as I'm sure that will be the first step in the diagnosis of your young guys problem.

 

[Darkmaverick]

This link might be useful.

http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/why_larvae_die.shtml

 

[Munchausen]

Thanks for the link. I am on vacation now so I can't get the water readings here. I left them at home in the care of my mom because I thought moving them in a car for 7 hours would be more stressful than leaving them home in the care of someone who doesn't normally do this.

I have an air stone in each tube, the water is aged with the AmQuel that neutralizes chloramine, chlorine, and ammonia (its in a big tub where it ages a day before its used), they have been eating red wiggler worms, pellets, occasional black worms and mosquito larvae, there are only about 3 each in plastic tubs, and I remove the waste and uneaten food daily when I changed 20% of their water.

The only thing I haven't done is provide hiding places. I'm going to experiment with giving them dead leaves to hide in on one of the remaining babies. These leaves are from a pond, but have been dried out for a month so I doubt anything is living in it that can harm them.

A scientist gave them to me and he said that the leaves were safe. When they were given to me, the leaves were already in there and they lived for weeks in those leafs.

I really hope I can get an adult female from this brood! I wanted to get into breeding them and selling them to pet stores. It literally took me years to find these. Axolotls are not common in the United States.

 

[Azhael]

Axolotls are not common in the United States.

You are very much mistaken there....axolotls are very popular in the US.