Axolotl

Ambystoma mexicanum is a salamander from the lake system around Mexico City. Adults normally keep external gills and remain aquatic. Domestic colours do not prove wild ancestry or conservation value. Regeneration does not protect an animal from injury or infection.

Plan for a 25–30 cm adult and a decade or more of care. Keep one animal for observation, with daily checks, water-testing supplies and an amphibian vet. Arrange holiday care and a workable hot-weather plan in advance.

Plan around the larger published adult aquarium size of about 110 litres, with more floor area where possible. Another veterinary guide lists 78 litres. Account for the actual water left after furnishings. Use smooth hides and a secure lid. A bare base helps quarantine monitoring. Avoid swallowable gravel, sharp objects and fish companions.

University and veterinary guidance overlap around 16–18°C water as a planning band. Measure the aquarium through summer afternoons. Sustained warming towards 22°C needs prompt correction. Choose cooling before a heatwave and avoid sudden improvised changes. Diffuse the filter outlet so the animal can rest without strong current.

Provide a day-night rhythm and shaded shelters. Avoid a brightly lit, exposed display. The reviewed sources do not establish a pet axolotl UVI target; do not improvise a reptile basking lamp above the aquarium.

Cycle the biological filter before arrival and confirm it by testing. Aim for no measurable ammonia or nitrite and keep nitrate low, using around 20 mg/L as a practical working ceiling. Test replacement water, treat chlorine and chloramine, and avoid distilled water alone. Very low nitrate in a planted tank does not itself mean the cycle failed.

Offer suitably sized earthworms and a nutritionally suitable complete axolotl pellet. Bloodworms alone are not a complete adult diet. Young animals commonly need daily small meals; adults often start at two or three meals weekly or every other day. Adjust to condition and remove leftovers promptly.

Leave the axolotl in water during ordinary care. For necessary transfers, use a smooth container instead of gripping delicate gills and limbs. Keep animals separately to avoid biting and unintended mating. Watching resting, feeding and movement is more useful than handling.

Gill deterioration, persistent abnormal floating, wounds, swelling or sustained appetite loss need water tests and prompt amphibian-veterinary advice. Bring chemistry and temperature records. Do not try fish medicines, salt baths, refrigeration or forced metamorphosis as home remedies. Eggs and larvae need a separate specialist plan.

Choose documented captive-bred stock and retain identification and seller records. Check current CITES and movement requirements before any import or export. Never release animals, eggs or aquarium material into natural waters.

Verify filtration, safe housing, water treatment and cooling before arrival. Each day, observe the animal and remove waste and food remains. Use test results to guide partial water changes. Preserve mature filter media and clean it gently in removed aquarium water when needed, rather than disinfecting or replacing all of it.