Should Axolotls be kept in Pairs?

Should Axolotls be kept in Pairs?

It is only human to think that your axolotl friend is lonely and needs company. These little creatures are very inactive, and to a new and inexperienced owner, such may translate to loneliness.

Axolotls are naturally solitary animals who enjoy living all alone and do not need any other form of company. As such, there is no need to keep them in pairs.

Furthermore, axolotls view almost anything that moves within their vicinity as food. They are known even to gobble down their kind.

Their babies, on the other hand, have a crazy appetite, and all they want to do is eat and eat. Consequently, anything that can fit in their mouths is considered a meal, including other axolotls.

Axolotls also tend to injure each other by nibbling at their pair’s gills and fins. These body parts resemble live food hence the temptation to bite at each other.

These creatures are highly susceptible to stress, and a slight bother such as a nibble, or any other form of bullying is bound to affect them. Stress is unhealthy as it significantly drops their immunity to infections.

If you think that your little friend is lonely and needs company, you are wrong. Axolotls can happily live without company and only engage each other during mating.

However, to boost your pet’s happiness and keep them in the healthiest conditions ever, you have to keep their environmental conditions perfect.

Best Conditions to Keep a Solitary Axolotl Happy and Healthy

You will not have any worries about your axolotl’s loneliness if you maximize on the following conditions:

• Axolotl Housing

Getting the best room for your little friend is the initial stage in ensuring that they are happy and satisfied. The housing should be in a position to tone down any chances of stress maximally.

The housing should be between 10 – 20 gallons for a single axolotl. However, going for the maximum is the most recommendable choice since these creatures produce large amounts of waste products.

Axolotls spend most of their time in water; hence you would not need a land area in your tank. You can fill your tank with clean tap water to the depths of your liking.

Furthermore, ensure the tank has a steady lid which must be kept in place at all times. These creatures are known to jump whenever they decide to be active and could fall off their tanks.

Fit your tank with an appropriate filter to keep off foreign contaminants. Furthermore, ensure that the tank filter has a spray or flow-spreading outlet that does not adopt a free-flowing mechanism.

Axolotls thrive in stagnant water or little flowing water environments. Fast flowing water induces stress and may make them unable to trace food.

If the water filters lets in fast-flowing waters, soon you will notice your little friend’s curling gills, which translates to stress. They then lose appetite and may die of starvation if not of other stress-induced infections.

• Axolotl Lighting and Temperature

In their natural habitats out in the wilds, axolotls are nocturnal creatures with little or no need at all for light. In domestic settings, it might be a tough call falling in line with such a requirement since you would want your pet placed in a lighted position where your visitors and friends can appreciate it.

However, it would be best if you considered furnishing your axolotl tank with caves, water plants and rocks to provide hiding places for your little friend.

Since your lighting is solely aimed at exposing your pet to the world around you, get a lighting source that is not too bright. There are friendly light bulbs sold for fish aquariums that would be perfect for your axolotl tank.

Avoid bulbs that produce a lot of heat that could compromise the temperatures of your tank water.

When it comes to temperatures, remember that axolotls naturally live in cold waters. The water temperatures should range between 14 degrees Celsius and 18 degrees Celsius.

Temperatures above this range usually cause heat stress, which causes loss of appetite and consequently, death. Furthermore, excess temperatures are known to heighten metabolic reactions unwarrantedly.

If you live in high-temperature regions, it is always advisable to buy an aquarium chiller to maintain the expected temperatures.

• Axolotl Substrate

Getting the most appropriate substrate for your axolotl comes in handy in the bid to keep a natural habitat for your axolotl. The substrate acts as the walking ground for your axolotl since they are bottom feeders.

The best and most ideal substrate for your tank is aquarium-safe sand like Aqua Terra’s Aquarium & Terrarium Sand. Avoid large gravels since your pet may attempt to swallow them and chock.

Axolotls have a weird habit of ingesting gravel and mouth-sized objects if they are available. This can lead to gut impactions and the death of the axolotl.

However, if you must add gravel, consider large-sized Exo Terra’s Large Natural Turtle Pebbles. Smaller gravels are a recipe for impaction and chocking.

• Axolotl Food

Adopting the right diet for your axolotl is also among the top drills in keeping your pet happy and healthy. Get a specialist to recommend you the proper feeding schedule if you are a first-time axolotl owner.

Axolotls are typically carnivorous creatures; hence their diet should mainly consist of worms and other smaller aquatic animals. Live foods such as worms are considered the best diet for your little friend.

You could adopt the following expert-recommended food options for your axolotl:

• Live Food; Daphnia, live worms (black and white worms), tubifex, crickets, and other aquatic insects
• Frozen Food; Earthworms, baby brine shrimp, and blood worms
• Pellets: Sinking pellets, and smaller pellets

You could also throw in pinkie mice and other fatty food options as an occasional treat for you axolotl. Fatty food options are recommended for growing juveniles to boost their growth.

You should, however, avoid feeder fish due to the risk of parasites and infections. Remember, your axolotl can catch most of the fish infections.

• Axolotl Water Quality

The water quality of your axolotl tank should be as pure as possible. Ensure before you introduce it into your tank, you should check it and remove chlorine and chloramines.

Furthermore, ensure that you clean up after your axolotl after feeding it. This is to avoid contamination of the water.

Regular water change is also highly recommended in the bid to dispose of contaminated water. Due to axolotl waste, the water becomes contaminated over time and may no longer be safe for your axolotl.

You should also test the water’s pH and keep it at the expected levels. If the levels exceed 7.5, you should change the water with immediate effect.

• Axolotl Handling

Unless it is necessary, you should avoid handing your axolotl. They are delicate creatures with very soft skins that get injured easily.

Furthermore, handling them induces stress, which is unhealthy for your little friend. Remember, stress compromises the immune system of your axolotl.

However, during water change or feeding, you might be prompted to transfer them into a different tank. In such a case, you should handle them with utmost care.

Use a soft and fine mesh net that cannot hurt them to trap them. Moreover, ensure you wash your hands thoroughly before handling them to avoid the transfer of bacteria and fungus.