Axolotl is a fairly large salamander native to Mexico. The salamander spends its entire life in the water, although with lungs, so they need a tank to live.
The Axolotl is a great pet for those with little experience taking care of exotic animals, as they are hardy and easy to care for.
When raising Axolotls, there are a few things to keep in mind that we’ll cover shortly. How to get an Axolotl as a pet? Is that a pet you should have? Read on to discover!
Contents
About Axolotls
While Axolotls can make great pets, they are not recommended for new pet owners, especially those without experience caring for amphibians.
Salamanders have impervious skin and fragile, soft bodies, and it is relatively difficult to adapt to small changes in their habitat, such as temperature and water quality.
In addition, because their bodies are composed of soft cartilage and not bone, they are very susceptible to disease and damage.
Although Axolotl pets can breed like many other amphibians, they are still vulnerable to infections and other diseases due to poor care.
Iguanas are known to be quite adventurous and will gladly move around the tank or even to the edge of their tank when someone is watching.
However, they do not need any tank mates as they are not gregarious creatures.
Since salamanders can eat aquarium fish, you should not keep them with other species.
Even keeping them with other salamander species requires caution, as they can eat each other. An iguana can recover a body part if it is bitten, but care should be taken seriously to avoid this.
An Axolotl can be purchased for $20-$70, depending on the rarity, color, shape, and age you want. They are usually quite cheap to buy as pets, as they have been very popular in the pet trade lately.
They can live for more than 10 years in your tank, making them perennial pets.
Remember that this is only a very small part of the total cost of raising your Axolotl. Breeding tanks, water filters, substrates, veterinary checks, and feed can incur additional costs.
Set up a “pet fund” for your Axolotl to guard against any extra fees.
How To Get An Axolotl As A Pet?
Buying An Axolotl
Axolotls require a slightly different temperature setting than most snakes and lizards, so they are not usually found at pet and reptile stores.
Still, you can buy large or small quantities of salamanders from individual breeders and salamander enthusiasts. They can also be accessed at reptile events and exhibitions.
Moreover, you can buy them online, or the exotic pet store in your area can order them for you. Make sure a private breeder is licensed and raises healthy, high-quality animals if you buy from them.
Tank Condition For Axolotl
One iguana can fit in a 10-gallon aquarium, but salamanders are naughty and produce a lot of waste, so consider using a 20-gallon or larger tank.
Your axolotls will greatly benefit from chloramine- and chlorine-removed tap water with an aquarium water conditioner. Make sure the pH of the water stays between 6.5 and 7.5, and never use distilled water.
To prevent the salamander from jumping out of the aquarium, you should place a mesh filter over the aquarium and secure it.
The water depth should be at least slightly larger than the size of the Axolotl. Adding depth will improve water quality and give your animals more space to roam.
The tank should have natural rocks, plants, and plenty of hiding places for the salamanders. You can spread ordinary aquarium sand at the bottom of the tank.
Many people think the Axolotl can be stressed if it can’t get a foothold on a flat bottom when the owner leaves the bottom of the tank empty.
If you choose to use gravel, it should be coarser and larger than the head of the salamander because it can swallow small pebbles.
Keep your Axolotl’s water clear by ensuring a clean water filter. Salamanders produce more waste than regular fish, requiring frequent filter replacement.
Since unfiltered water needs to be changed regularly to remove litter, most owners find a filtered aquarium easier to manage.
However, the strong flow generated by high filtration rate filters can be stressful for the Axolotl.
Regular tank cleaning requires removing waste from the bottom of the tank and changing 20% of the water in the tank per week.
You may need to replace 20% of the water daily or every other day if the filter is not being used.
Never do a complete water change, as this can alter the composition of the water and cause stress for your animal.
Lighting and Temperature
Due to their shy nature, baby salamanders should be kept in low-light environments.
Older iguanas may be familiar with brighter light, but their tank should still contain some natural rock and hiding places.
Iguanas prefer colder temperatures than many fish and can’t survive well above 75°F.
If you want to keep your pet comfortable year-round, you may want to purchase a kit of tank cooler.
Feeding Axolotl
Salamanders are carnivores, but you should not feed them raw meat to avoid contaminating their aquarium.
They enjoy brine shrimp, water fleas, worms such as night bugs and blackworms, a portion of beef, and a modest raw liver when kept in captivity.
Otherwise, pet supply stores and online merchants all sell commercial pellets.
Feed your pet as much as they can consume in three minutes for two to three times weekly. Infants and young salamanders may eat more often or almost every other day.
Feeding the salamander every day is unnecessary as it needs a few days of “break” to digest the food.
The simplest method of feeding Axolotls is to put food in their aquarium.
To avoid choking or digestive problems, keep the food smaller than the distance between the salamander’s eyes. Use tweezers or tongs to handle their food instead of your hands.
When it’s time to eat, you can signal your salamander by slapping the tank wall or shoving food close to its face.
Conclusion
As long as you keep your Axolotl in a well-living environment and feed them according to our recommendations, it will make an excellent companion. You will enjoy looking at this adorable animal for hours at home.
How to get an axolotl as a pet? We hope this guide on how to keep a salamander in an aquarium has been helpful to you. Comment below for the earliest support. Thank you!
