Axolotls-Guide to keeping

Note: This Amphibian salamender is protected under CITIES and in some countries requires special permit to keep them. You would have to apply for the permit with your country's ministry that monitor CITIES protected species

Scientific Name: Ambystoma mexicanum
Common Names: Water Dog, Mexican Walking Fish
Lifespan : 15 years

Introduction
Axolotls come in many colour varieties. Grey, tan, brown, white, golden albino, white albino, as well as other varieties, such as the black melanoid. The normally coloured or "wild type" can come in anything from near-black like the one in the group photo to the left, to chocolate brown like the one at the top left of the page, to almost cream in colour and anything in between.

The name "Axolotl" comes from the Aztec language "Nahuatl". A translation of this name connects the Axolotl with the God of deformation and death, Xolotl.
(Cool huh?)

Axolotls might be protected because they are near extinct in the rivers they live in however they are often use as lab animals because of their special regenerative system which allow them to regrow limbs. Axolotls are also interesting because of they stay in their larve stage through out their life and have the ability to breed in the larve stage. A term to discribe this is "perennibranchiate"

Axolotls can be forced to morph by soaking it in T4 thyroxine hormones however this greatly reduce their lifespan to about only 1 to 2 years

Tank Requirements

Tank
A 22 gallon tank would be suitable for 3 adults, I would reccomend a 15 gallon tank at least for 1 speciment although most people do keep them in much smaller tanks

Filter
Not really nessary however if you are using one. It is reccomended to use a slow flowrate of 150L/H because they do not like fast flowing currents in their tanks

Gravel
highly reccomended to use as Axolotls would have better grip of the tank.From what I know, Axolotls would be stressed if they could not grip the bottom of their tanks

Lighting
they are highly sensitive to lighting thus little or no lighting is reccomended.

Tempreture
The water should be kept between 14 and 20oC (that's 57-68 Fahrenheit).Although they are able to survive up to 80 F but that would result in a higher matabolism rate resulting to more feeding while anything lower than 14 degrees will result in sluggish behaviour

Feeding

Axolotls are carnivores, and as that implies, they require a meat-based diet. They have rather rudimentary teeth, designed for gripping rather than biting or tearing. As a result, their food is generally swallowed whole. Thus suggested staple would be daphnia or brine shrimps. Bloodworms, mealworms, strips of beef heart are also some other kinds of food which they eat.


Pictures taken from the web

U mean that they can regenerate and grow back lost body parts?

apparently .. yes... they can regenerate lost body parts

Originally Posted by axolotl88

apparently .. yes... they can regenerate lost body parts

pls remember to credit the original article if uve not written it urself. and fyi, axolotls CAN be found in sg.

article wrote up by me after compiling frm a few webbies

Originally Posted by AhMiao

bro, are u local (Singapore)?Any info on the breeding?

btw... i am keen in the axolotl.Can u recommend me where can i get it?

Bro his location at Lake Xochimilco,Mexico

Anyway, he posted that the temperatures must be kept at 14-20 egrees, how to attain theis temp?

Chiller?

[AhMiao]

Originally Posted by Iron

Bro his location at Lake Xochimilco,Mexico

Anyway, he posted that the temperatures must be kept at 14-20 egrees, how to attain theis temp?

Chiller?

i have 19-22 °C, it will do

Originally Posted by AhMiao

bro, are u local (Singapore)?Any info on the breeding?

btw... i am keen in the axolotl.Can u recommend me where can i get it?

I think you would be able to get at your local pet store, if not you might need them to order 1 for you

yep 19-22 will be fine, in fact they could tolerate up to about 30degrees however that would greatly increase their metabolism rate