So, where do axolotl conversations go? I see where they can fit

Aren't they basically salamanders?

>>2174743
They are purely aquatic so I think they are better off in the aquarium threads.

>>2174743
Salamanders are amphibians, so they would fall under any general herpetological thread

Shameless self bump

Aren't they primitive lizards/amphibians

Aren't they fishes

I think both work, nobody in herp or aq will bother you when you post about axies in one thread or the other.

Aren't they just genetically advanced worms

Aren't they just iodine lacking goldfish?

aren't they just advanced tunicates?

>>2174722
Aren't they endangered species?

>>2175729
only in the wild, easy to find in captivity.

Aren't they really easy to kill via habitat loss, thus they lack adaptability to their environment

>>2175775
I'm not even sure if wild ones actually exist anymore. Axolotls only lived in 2 lakes, of which one got completely drained, while the other one is just a bunch of polluted canals nowadays.

>>2175729
oh, extremely.
They may or may not be extinct in their natural range, but are kept going through the pet trade.
Sometimes CUUUUUTE is a viable survival strategy

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Anyone have any tips for owning one?

I've been considering getting one and I talked to a breeder at a reptile expo a bit, but I really have no experience with aquariums

>>2175798
What the fuck happened to this little guy

>>2176264
It's a harlequin morph.
Basically, one half of its tissues arose from a cell with wildtype coloration while the other arose from one with a mutation that had a leucistic-color mutation.

>>2176263
prepare a cooler if you live in a warmer place

don't keep them together with fish or something, they'll try to eat them or get their gills bitten

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>>2176263
This is mine. I took care of one in a marine biology course and fell in love, it is so easy to with these guys. They're illegal in California and New Jersey, and you need a license in Hawaii because they're endangered.
Tank coolers are expensive, so I settle with an AC in thr summer, try to feed him frozen blood worm and brine shrimp from your pet store's freezer, and occasianally dried blood worm from the shelf that has special vitamins in it for him. You can hand feed him, but only after a week of sloely introducing your hand, don't stress him out. Don't touch him often, if you while off his slime he can get infections and burns from the amonia he produces, so DEFINITELY get a java fern, they take care of amonia for you, his tank will be fresh forever.
Change a quarter of the water weekly if you can (it can be bi-weekly with the java fern), change the entire tank and the filter pad monthly, look up lists of safe plants and rocks for his tank, use either sand, nothing, or large rocks for substrate (they inhale to eat so he will choke on gravel), and give him at LEAST 10 gallons of water to swim around in.

>>2177814
>10 gallons
If this was my jam, that animal would have at least 50 gallons, sir.

>>2177828
Mine currently has 20 gallons. I want to upgrade to 50 gallons. That's optimal for any aquatic pet, but 10 gallons per axie is really what they recommend for science labs that have the room full of tanks.

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>>2177832
I keep mine in a 30 gallon, she is nearly 10 years old.

>>2177814
is putting ice cubes in the water a good way to keep it cool or is it a stupid idea?

>>2179064
Bad idea.
He may try to eat the ice cubes and they can actually send him into shock.
Only use ice cubes in an emergency where a cooler or AC breaks and float them in a baggy to keep him safe.

>>2178731
Your grandma axie is so cute

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>>2179103
Here is a better photo of her, I am hoping she hangs on for another 10 years.

>>2180258
She's beautiful. She looks a little darker than normal wild types. Does she have black melanoid in her?

>>2181031
She's het for leucistic other than that she's wild type as far as I know.

Aren't they considered very important to some ancient people's lore?

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>>2174722
My axolotl ate a fly that got stuck in his tank the other day. Then yesterday took a poop about the size of a raisin. I introduced a Plecostomus this afternoon to help in the cleanup effort

>>2181660
Don't you use a tukey baster to clean the poop? I have sand substrate, so I use a java fern to help with amonia since it's hard to get the poop, but no substrate tanks seem easy.

>>2181740
The pet store merchant told me to drain the water to about 2-3 inches then pour in fresh, clean water as a way to keep the water pure. I'm not sure if this is the best method but it appears to keep the water clean enough. I havent had any algae or scum build up

>>2181744
Amonia builds up fast with these guys. It's best to get an amonia loving plant so you don't have to do those drastic water changes all the time.

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>>2181773
I didn't know about the quick amonia build up. The pet store here knows next to nothing about care for them.

I couldn't seem to find any java fern available through the online store (canada), so i will try me luck with a Marimo Moss Ball

>>2174722
Should I put a fish filter to help purify the water? Or is changing and topping up the water good enough?

>>2182945
Using a filter is going to help a lot, but heavy water flow really stresses them out, so be careful of that. A lot of people, breeders and hobbyists, do just change the water with no issues though.

>>2182945
Go with a filter. It helps, and they like bubbles. Mine sits right under the filter. Make sure the water is high enough and there shouldn't be an issue.

>>2181107

You know I really hate this meme, but why hasn't every fucking animal species done this already?

Keeping animal in the 'juvenile' stage indefinitely like a few salamanders and stuff do is extremely useful for the species. Regeneration to name one. Why haven't all species adapted some similar formula to themselves?

>>2183390
Are you a pedophile?

The real answer is that animals will only adapt if it helps them reproduce. Staying in the juvenile stage means no reproduction.

>>2179096
>he will try to eat the ice cubes and go into shock

What dumb little goobers

I want 5

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Best axie coming through.

>>2183812
The doctor is OUT!