Vacation: To take or not to take?

[AprilRosyButt]

I am a new axolotl owner. We have 3 of them and they're 4-5 months old. Our room is out in a converted garage so it isn't as insulated as the house. This will be great in the winter, but is not so great right now in the summer. Oregon usually has just a couple 95-100 degree days in a row during the summer and then we are done. We have had weeks of it though :/. I've kept the tank at 68 by continuously rotating water bottles. This next weekend we are going camping at the beach. Temps here are supposed to be in the mid to upper 80's. The beach is in the 60's. I will be gone from friday morning until sunday evening. Will it be better to take them with me or leave them home? I can put some baby platy fish (they love them) and will feed them before I leave. I just don't know how warm the tank will get without rotating bottles.

 

[Chinadog]

Will you be able to enjoy your break if the temp creeping up on the axolotl tank is in the back of your mind? I ended up coming home early last week because the well being of my newts was bugging me so much. Mind you, how do you take axolotls camping?

 

[limnologist]

Is there some way you can put them in a very deep container? Or maybe put them in a container (very large bucket) with a filter and bury it to the brim outside in the shade and add at least 2 or three bubblers. Its a weird thing to try but I've done it before in august and I live in Missouri. If not that, just wrap foam around the tank and leave a fan on it.

 

[AprilRosyButt]

They're still small enough that I could put them in a larger tupperware container and bring them. It is going to constantly be in the back of my mind that's why I asked. Their tank does have a fan on it though constantly and it does seem to help. I have a 5 gallon bucket that I use for water changes on their tank and my fish tank. Maybe I'll see about putting them downstairs (my parent's house is tri level). It does stay cooler down there!

 

[xxianxx]

Put them in the fridge in separate containers, its generally recommended not to fridge small axolotls but try asking for actual proof its a problem and you will not get any. One of the members in this forum raised hatchlings in a fridge, removing them to feed and they did fine, they just had a really low growth rate.

 

[michael]

I agree with Ian. Put them in the fridge in individual containers. Don't feed them so the water does not get fouled unless you have large containers.

 

[Boomsloth]

I moved into dormitory with my juveniles and the ac was not working so kept them in the fridge for 5 days with out issues.

 

[allied123]

I actually had this exact dilemma. I left Saturday morning and came back Sunday night. I left both of my (probably 4-5 inches at the time) juvies in separate containers in the fridge and they both ended up with ammonia burns they were pretty large containers too! (probably about a gallon of water it may have been too small but it seemed okay) And I don't exactly remember now but I don't think there was even any poop in the containers.

I fed them extra for a few days before so they would be nice and fat and I wouldn't be worried about them being hungry. But I definitely think you should do what Michael said and hold off on feeding for a few days before hand to avoid this as it was really heartbreaking knowing I hurt them like that and it was completely 100% my fault

 

[keiko]

Would it be possible to put them in the fridge and have a friend change their water once during that time?
Or get containers as big as possible and put some ornaments from their tank in the fridge with them. The ornaments will have some bacteria on them that'll take care of some of the ammonia. It won't take care of all of it but at least it'll help a little. During the worst heat we had here I put my axies in the basement in half filled 30 liter containers with some fake plants from their tank and I only change their water every other day and the ammonia is always still under 0.25.

 

[michael]

Unless your friend is an axolotl keeper chances are they will do more harm than good.

 

[keiko]

Unless your friend is an axolotl keeper chances are they will do more harm than good.

They don't necessarily have to move the axies. They could just clean out any wastes and take out a few cups of water. Have some water ready in the fridge so they can just put the same amount back in that they took out.