Is my axie lonely?

[franksmum]

Hey guys,
I'm not sure if this is silly or not but my axie seems really lonely & stares at his reflection all day, do I need to get him a friend? He's all by himself & I feel bad. Are they social? Or will he just be territorial over his tank & It will cause more harm than good? He's a juvenile albino & still growing if I do get him a friend , what's the best type of axie or gender? Thanks!

 

[bellyache]

Hey guys,
I'm not sure if this is silly or not but my axie seems really lonely & stares at his reflection all day, do I need to get him a friend? He's all by himself & I feel bad. Are they social? Or will he just be territorial over his tank & It will cause more harm than good? He's a juvenile albino & still growing if I do get him a friend , what's the best type of axie or gender? Thanks!

i always think they are better with a friend, humans get lonely when alone and guess animals do too.
get one of the same sex otherwise you will have constant eggs.

I have two males and two females and both in seperate tanks, they are happy together, dont fight and they sit on each other and nussle up to each other. they seem happier together

if you get another just put a mesh barrier between them so they can see each other but not touch, do that for about a week so they get used to each other and then remove the barrier and they will be fine

 

[Cliygh and Mia]

But be sure to quarantine! The new axie could carry diseases that could infect your current one, so if you do get one have a 60 day period of the new one being in a separate tank and being monitored before you put it in with your old axie

 

[AbrahamAxolotl]

I, too, was thinking about getting another. I know that you have to get one that is within an inch length-wise to prevent the bigger ones thinking the smaller ones are food. (So keep that in mind, too, franksmum!)

I was wondering, though, if the quarantine is still necessary if you buy from the same breeder?
I was also wondering, if you have an adult and buy a juvie would you be able to separate the two with a mesh divider permanently until the juvie is big enough to safely be kept with the adult? And would introducing a second axie to a 1.5yr old, highly active axie maybe be dangerous? Or would they get along fine enough provided they are kept separate for a few days to get used to each other?

 

[Cliygh and Mia]

Even though you can get them from the same breeder, you still should do a quarantine, just to be safe. The shortest quarantine period can be thirty days instead of sixty, so yeah. :artist: I just felt like using that face.

 

[franksmum]

So even if it is from the same breeder, I need to keep it in a separate tank for 30 days to prevent illnesses being transferred to my axie? I don't own another tank so will have to get another one, is it alright if it's a small sized tank just for the 30 days? Thank you all so much for your help!

 

[franksmum]

Is it absolutely necessary to quarantine them? Thanks

 

[JM29]

Well I think the first questions from franksmum were not answered :

- No, axolotls are not social and your axolotl is not unhappy or sad because it is alone.

- As a juvenile, and especially if it is less than 4 inches long, it could have cannibalistic behaviour. So, even if the new mate has the same length, you can expect some limbs injuries sometimes.

- I don't know about territoriality but I suggest you to clean the tank and change part of the water when you decide to put the two axies together. After a real quarantine, of course.

- And yes, the quarantine is a good security because you don't know what could happen to the breeder's animals during the time you have had your axolotl alone.

 

[LSuzuki]

They aren't social, but they aren't (usually) anti-social either, and do seem (to the observer) to enjoy company. Mine will often climb on each other and cram themselves into the same hiding place. So, they certainly look like they enjoy each others company.

Having said that, just having a tank mate doesn't guarantee they won't still spend time with their nose in a corner seeming (to the observer) to be lonely. Mine do that too.

If it would make you happy to have another axie, and if the tank is big enough, and they are both similar sizes and big enough to not consider each other to be snacks, then you could get another.