Juvenile Axolotl & rock substrate

[K1TTYx]

Hello everyone. I had a question I couldn't quite find the answer for. I just got a juvenile Axolotl. I'm not sure of the age but it's probably about and inch and a half long I would guess. I set it up in a 10 gal aquarium with rock substrate from petco. If you look it up on their website it's called "river rock shallow creek aquarium gravel". The rocks range from about the same size of the axolotls head to a bit larger. I'm concerned that when I try to feed it the salmon pellets that he/she won't find them as they fall between the gravel. It's hard to hand feed the pellets because they're very tiny. Should I take out the rocks and maybe put a sand down or just leave the bottom bare?

I'm new to this forum and would love to introduce myself but I'm at work. I'll say hello later! Thank you in advance for any advice

 

[Chirple]

I would remove the rocks.

Another problem is that in addition to "losing" food and waste in them, axolotls can swallow rocks the size of their heads or larger and it can cause fatal impaction - and those rocks will only grow smaller compared to the axolotl as it grows.

Axoltols don't have very good eyesight, so they can mistake unsuitable things for food, together with sucking food in as they eat.

Sand is much better, just get a fine-grain, regular sand (no "live sand" or reptile sand). And a bare bottom to the tank is fine, too.

 

[K1TTYx]

I would remove the rocks.

Another problem is that in addition to "losing" food and waste in them, axolotls can swallow rocks the size of their heads or larger and it can cause fatal impaction - and those rocks will only grow smaller compared to the axolotl as it grows.

Axoltols don't have very good eyesight, so they can mistake unsuitable things for food, together with sucking food in as they eat.

Sand is much better, just get a fine-grain, regular sand (no "live sand" or reptile sand). And a bare bottom to the tank is fine, too.

Oh wow thank you. I knew they could swallow the gravel but I thought I got a large enough size. I'll remove it this afternoon. It looks nice but I'd rather be safe!

 

[Kaysie]

I wouldn't use any substrate until it gets larger. It's just easier to keep little ones on a bare-bottom tank, and you don't have to worry about someone getting accidentally trapped or squished by a shifting rock.

And in the future, never trust anything the pet shop says without a second opinion. Their main goal is to sell you stuff. Some have the added bonus of genuinely caring about the animals' welfare, but most don't, and some are just grossly uneducated.

 

[K1TTYx]

I wouldn't use any substrate until it gets larger. It's just easier to keep little ones on a bare-bottom tank, and you don't have to worry about someone getting accidentally trapped or squished by a shifting rock.

And in the future, never trust anything the pet shop says without a second opinion. Their main goal is to sell you stuff. Some have the added bonus of genuinely caring about the animals' welfare, but most don't, and some are just grossly uneducated.

Very true. I don't want to come home to a squished axxie. I actually got it at a reptile expo. The guy gave me a care sheet but I had also tried to do a little research online. I figured it would be best to find a forum and talk to people who have had more experience than myself. Thanks for the advice.

 

[weofui]

Very true. I don't want to come home to a squished axxie. I actually got it at a reptile expo. The guy gave me a care sheet but I had also tried to do a little research online. I figured it would be best to find a forum and talk to people who have had more experience than myself. Thanks for the advice.

We got our axies from a reptile expo dealer as well... along with some advice that was roughly equivalent to abuse. The dealer was very clear that we shouldn't use any type of pebble for substrate, a definite boon over most pet store advice, but he also suggested that we house them in plastic deli containers until they were 4-5 months old. He assured us this would be fine as long as we changed the water every other day and that we didn't need to worry about temperature as long as the house thermostat was set between 68-70 °F. Following this advice would have left our poor little guys soaking in toxic levels of 74+°F* ammonia with scarcely enough room to turn around.

In contrast, the information I've gleaned from this forum has been brilliant. The advice of contributing members is clearly geared toward helping everyone's axies to live long and HAPPY lives, not merely to survive.

TL;DR - I recommend giving the information found here in the forum a greater degree of respect than that handed out by pet shops and expo dealers.


* I actually filled the plastic deli container they were delivered to us in with water, set it near their current tanks, and checked the temperature. After a few hours, with our home thermostat set at 68°F, the water was 74°F and slowly climbing. A home thermostat is no way to determine safe temperatures in a tank.

 

[K1TTYx]

We got our axies from a reptile expo dealer as well... along with some advice that was roughly equivalent to abuse. The dealer was very clear that we shouldn't use any type of pebble for substrate, a definite boon over most pet store advice, but he also suggested that we house them in plastic deli containers until they were 4-5 months old. He assured us this would be fine as long as we changed the water every other day and that we didn't need to worry about temperature as long as the house thermostat was set between 68-70 °F. Following this advice would have left our poor little guys soaking in toxic levels of 74+°F* ammonia with scarcely enough room to turn around.

In contrast, the information I've gleaned from this forum has been brilliant. The advice of contributing members is clearly geared toward helping everyone's axies to live long and HAPPY lives, not merely to survive.

TL;DR - I recommend giving the information found here in the forum a greater degree of respect than that handed out by pet shops and expo dealers.


* I actually filled the plastic deli container they were delivered to us in with water, set it near their current tanks, and checked the temperature. After a few hours, with our home thermostat set at 68°F, the water was 74°F and slowly climbing. A home thermostat is no way to determine safe temperatures in a tank.

Some people are just uneducated. I mean besides that dealer there are a ton of people who just have the wrong information. Or they just may not care! I'm anal about everything though so I make sure I do a ton of research for what's best for any animals I have. I have a general knowledge about animals especially being a veterinary technician and owning a ton of animals my whole life but that doesn't mean I know it all. I just want what's best =). I'll be reading through the forums shortly. I'm just glad there was a forum I could come to for advice. Thank you for the information!

 

[Camirdra]

Perhaps we should be printing out pamphlets to hand out at the expos? It seems there are more uneducated people passing their "knowledge" on to others, maybe educating some of them would help.

 

[michael]

[Q
TL;DR - I recommend giving the information found here in the forum a greater degree of respect than that handed out by pet shops and expo dealers.

Ouch! Some of the people selling axolotls at reptile expos are world renowned experts. All advice should be taken with a grain of salt. Be sure the salt is noniodized or it will be bad for your axolotl.

 

[weofui]

[Q
Ouch! Some of the people selling axolotls at reptile expos are world renowned experts. All advice should be taken with a grain of salt. Be sure the salt is noniodized or it will be bad for your axolotl.

You're right, Michael - that was an emotional response rather than a rational one, and I apologize.

My experience with expo dealers over all has been VERY positive, and my experience with expo dealers specifically selling axies has been very limited (I've only encountered two personally) and only partially negative. I know better than to speak out of frustration. *slaps hand*