Just got my first! Help!!

[BioGirl]

I just got my first axolotl. I got two, one for me and one for a friend. They are only about 2 inches long, and had an overnight trip to get here. they look pretty shell shocked at the moment. One is floating at the top of the water, not moving unless it decides to gulp some air. the other one is floating in a plant not moving. Will they come out of shock??? What can I do? I know they have not eaten for a while..
My tank is fully cycled and I just did a partial water change yesterday so everything should be good in that department. It is probably on the warmer side, not much I can do about that right now though.. Its a ten gallon with lots of plants, sand substrate and a fake log to hide in.
Any suggestions would be great. I really don't want to lose them, I fell in love as soon as I saw them!!

 

[Aaran]

Hows your water flow? Is it a strong current?

How long did you spend settling your axies into the tank?

Have you tried tempting them with any live food?

sorry for all the questions

 

[BioGirl]

Ha ha, no its cool. Thankfully they both snapped out of it. My waterflow is really low, I have an algae sponge rubber banded to the filter so there is hardly a current at all. They are now venturing in and out of the log and in the java moss with occassional trips up to the surface. Its normal for them to gulp every once in a while, right? just as long as its not all the time? My tank is at 70 F right now... wish it were cooler... They accepted some bloodworms from me quite happily so I think they finally snapped out of it. How often/how much should I feed them?

 

[blackdog]

yes it's normal for them to gulp air every once in a while.

I havent had very young axies, mine were pretty much fully grown when i got them, but i'm told that feeding everyday is fine for youngsters. As they get bigger you will find they dont need to be fed everyday and mine actually started refusuing. I feed mine every 2-3 days now.

They will also be a lot more active younger that they are when they mature, so that'll be the next thing "When i got them they were so active exploring their tank, now they just sit in the hide all day, what's wrong?" - nothing they just realised they are axies and they like to sit around in the hide all day

17-18 celcicus is the ideal temp, but if it creeps up to 20 celc it should be ok too - it's wild (fast and large) temp swings and 21 celc + for long periods that can be a problem

Consider buying / saving for a chiller - seems like a big investment, but well worth the peace of mind on those hot days

Bren

 

[Aaran]

Well im glad to hear they are doing very well, and you have the appropriate filter setup!

They are lazy things, and gulping is normal every once in a while. All fish have to do it so i cant see why amphibians cant xD