Slightly addictive?

[coendeurloo]

You're lucky if you can get her to look at you the way she's looking at the tank in the bottom picture!:wacko:

Check! (this is getting offtopic, sorry you can see some newts in my flickr photostream via that link though)

 

[Abrahm]

I'm definitely addicted. I've been on a limited budge (and I still am) and I really wanted to get tons of caudates. I wanted Plethodonts of all stripes, Neuregus, Tylototriton and basically everything I saw. With much thought (and over time gradually becoming caretaker to the extensive array of animals of my girlfriend) I've decided I want a small collection. I want to continually upgrade enclosure sizes, their design, and get top end equipment (a chiller for my Pachytriton) and expand the size of my species groups with an eye on breeding them. Maybe I will add a group of Plethodon cinereus and a species of anuran, but I'm thinking 5-6 species of amphibian total.

It's a good upper limit that allows me to observe an array of animals, breed them, and give them the best I can supply wise. It will also keep the routine tasks fun. I love water changes and cleaning tanks, but I bet I would hate it if I had Jacob's collection.

I've just turned my addiction in a new direction.

 

[lims]

addicted

I have 11 mouths to feed, decided I can't sell any, but the pictures make me want more!! I'm addicted too, I think you can really get to know amphibians when observed in captivity, my Chinese Fire newt threesome use the plants in great ways with tail hooking etc and seem to get on with things no nonsence, compared to my P. hongkongensis who have varying levels of aggression towards each other and seem sensitive.. My 5-6 inch axolotl is 100% fearless, hungry and knows exactly what's going on. It's worse than a tank full of piranas, I may have about 2-3 seconds, (if the wild type is at other end of the tank) to remove a rock before he/she is taking bites at my hand... The urge to seek out amphibians in their own habitat is strong as well, similar to how an alcoholic may choose to leave his comfy chair and cans in search of a bar to drink in.

 

[gr33neyes]

I am finding axolotl keeping very addictive although I only have 2 of them. I find myself quite often thinking of ways I can improve the tank by ways of more plants, rocks etc. I have been lucky, my husband although not really "into" keeping animals has been totally fascinated by them and this has extended to my daughter who ended up having to take photos of them into school just to show everyone what they are, they are a bit of a rarity in this neck of the woods. I have an empty tank sitting upstairs and am trying to fight the urge to put something in it.

 

[lims]

wow Coen you've done well, very beutiful,,,, newts you have there...

 

[coendeurloo]

Those were actually C. e. popei's in a Zoo I went to

 

[Azhael]

I´m now starting to control myself. A year and a half earlier i had no caudates....and now i have 23 newts, and a bunch of larvae. Lims, i understand what you say about wanting them all, and being limited by space, etc...some time ago i thought about giving away my Cynops orientalis to a good home, and get another species....but i can tell you that now i would never do that!! They may not be the most impressive animals, and of course there are lots of other species i´m dying to keep....but nowadays i wouldn´t change them for anything. I´m extremely happy with all my animals, and though i´d love to keep many more, i now know my collection is big enough for my space and capacities. It´s a hard point to get to though...

 

[dea]

Circus

I'm surprised to hear that people would prefer to possess these beautiful ancient creatures rather than dedicate the same amount of time to ensuring their persistence in the future - what with climate change and all. The reason I became an ecologist was to do my best to conserve habitats for amphibians and get to see what they are like in their natural habitats, not in a tank for my own amusement. Maybe it's just the hippy in me, but wouldn't anyone else rather save these animals they like so much from extinction than collect them as objects?

 

[Otterwoman]

A good way to learn their habits and needs is to keep them and watch them. Also, this fosters interest in them as a whole and I'm sure that many people here are environmentalists, and in addition to keeping newts at home, support environmental issues. We can't all be ecologists for a living, but we all do our part.

 

[lims]

I just had a deja vous...

 

[dani]

My favourite saying lately: Small is beautiful. There's no need to own everything...

Very true, once you get one though its so hard to stop wanting different species, having the time and resources to care for a large collection would be brilliant it is far better to put time and effort into caring for a smaller collection as the more you get the less time you have to devote to each species. Saying that i went out and bought a slimey salamander today, however that's the end of my buying more species for now, since i have university and work to contend with.

 

[Nathan050793]

I too like a smaller collection, it makes it easier to "get to know" my newts. I think it would be really stressful to worry about a lot of different species, each with their own needs. However, having said that, there are a lot of tylototriton and ambystoma species I would love to have a chance to keep.

 

[Kaysie]

I don't keep many species either. I tried for a while to 'branch out', but it didn't do so well for me. I like my ambystomatids.

 

[Saspotato]

Dea, I would prefer my axolotl in my tank well-fed and looked after, than in the wild where its habitat is in decline. I live in Australia so do not have the option to "see what they are like in their natural habitats". Of course I share your sentiments about preserving habitats but I do not have an objection to people keeping them as pets as long as they are well cared for.

It is interesting that your first post here is basically an attack on a great deal of people here who keep newts and salamanders as pets... perhaps take the time to read over the forums and you will realise that most people care for their newts and salamanders a great deal.

 

[MistressOfAxies]

I love my axolotls they're all I think about at work to keep me going through the day haha. I agree with what Sarah said plus I don't think I could sleep at night if hypathetically speaking they were returned to mexico in their own environment with the way their species is declining in the wild. This may be stupid but I swear I read somewhere people eat them??

Anyway I couldn't say no at the pet shop so that's why I ended up with 5 plus I got the room. I think my credit cards gone down alot since owning them but I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm renting & can't have a dog but just to come home & see all their chubby lil selfs waiting at the tank looking at me for dinner is addictive in itself gets you on a personal high. I think somewhere they know I love them. They're hugely spoilt axies, I feel sorry for their friends in the wild hehe