Will a group of axolotls over breed the female to death?

[purplemuffin]

So I had been planning on eventually having a really big tank with for axolotls. I know they will possibly occasionally breed if I get both males and females and I'm prepared for that. But--Will they breed too much? If in a group like this(with many plants and hiding spaces) will it seem like a constant breeding ground, or will they get over it and be able to just relax and swim like a normal axolotl group?

I'm nervous about getting young axies if they will end up being the two different sexes if this is the case!

So.. A group of four--What if we get unlucky and have 3 males and 1 female. Is that girl going to have to fight for her privacy? Or are those boys going to fight over her privates! Would a group of 1 male and 3 females help spread around the ladies so that no one girl is being picked on too long? Is this even something to be worried about--I don't know how much they would even breed under normal keeper conditions.

I'm willing to keep a divider if things don't go the way I want them to, but I would love to have them all swim around comfortably in the nice big tank.

Just before I run into trouble, I'd like to check and make sure I'm not dooming my ladies to a life of constant egg laying and stress!

Oh--are there any fatalities associated with breeding? Can the females become eggbound and die?

 

[Jenste]

I do think that you can over mate your females to the point of illness/death. They use up massive amounts of energy when breeding to produce the hundreds of eggs they can, so repeatedly doing so can lead to a very ill mother producing weak eggs - not good for the mother or the potential offspring.

 

[purplemuffin]

But is this common to happen when they are just simply housed together? I don't mind occasional eggs, but I also don't want to get a sick female. I just see people on here post their groups of axolotls who live together in a large tank--how do they manage?

 

[xxianxx]

But is this common to happen when they are just simply housed together? I don't mind occasional eggs, but I also don't want to get a sick female. I just see people on here post their groups of axolotls who live together in a large tank--how do they manage?

If the female doesnt want to breed she will not, the males cant force her, though they may push her around the tank before she gets fed up and hides. If she starts to lay eggs too often just partition her off till she is recovered.

 

[purplemuffin]

How long would she need to rest after laying eggs?


And how old/large do they need to be before they can be sexed? I know they need to hit maturity first, but I'm not sure when that is.

 

[Jake]

How long would she need to rest after laying eggs?


And how old/large do they need to be before they can be sexed? I know they need to hit maturity first, but I'm not sure when that is.

Let her rest for at least 4 months, the more time you give her the better.

They do not need to be mature before you can sex them. Some are late bloomers, but I've had sexable males at as small as 4 inches or so.

 

[purplemuffin]

Okay, awesome. I'll just ask the breeder for a group of all females! I had been under the impression they had to be big giants before they could be sexed!

 

[jinian]

I think all males might be safer -- I've heard of several people who were sure they had females, but suddenly their masculinity became clear...

 

[purplemuffin]

Yeah good point. I didn't think about that.

Haha, oh well, I liked the idea of occasionally getting eggs, but only if it was going to be a rare thing. I had always heard they don't tend to breed often. But I won't risk hurting little ladies now that I know.

 

[Jake]

I had always heard they don't tend to breed often.

They can lay eggs every other week if allowed to do so, but then will be more prone to illness so it's best to give them a break. It's fine to let the males mate every 2 weeks, but sperm production doesn't take nearly as much out of them as egg production.