Well, in the first place, I'd make sure the store has axolotls, and not "water dogs". Axolotls are a specific species of tiger salamander-
Ambystoma mexicanum. "Water dogs" are any other species of
Ambystoma while it's in the larval form. Axolotls are the only ones of these that are truly neotenic. Other species of tiger salamanders may stay in larval form for YEARS, but then spontaneously turn to adults. I had a water dog a while back and it was awesome (I actually liked it better than my axolotl), but it turned into an adult tiger salamander for no reason. Apparently just the stress from shipping was enough to make it turn. As someone who works in a pet store, I can say that in general axolotls are difficult to get in. But there were a bunch of tiger salamander larvae available this year.
So, care- I don't know about that site Stingray linked to, but
www.axolotl.org is a great one. Basic care:
First: DO NOT USE GRAVEL. Axolotls eat by sucking in mouthfuls of water, and they swallow gravel. They get impacted with it, and die. Bare bottom tanks are fine, as are sand, and rocks large enough that they can't swallow them. I use pool filter sand with some smooth polished rocks that are about 1.5-2.5" mixed in with the sand.
They need clean water, and are filthy animals. They make a TON of waste, and pollute water really fast. But they don't like current in their water, and it stresses them out. So, you want your filter to have a high turnover, but you don't want too much current. I have mine in a 20H with a Penguin 150 power filter, and it works great. There's plenty of water so the pollution isn't too concentrated, plenty of flow rate, and the biowheel does great for biological filtration. The tank is deep enough that there's good surface movement from the filter for oxygenation, but there isn't too much current to bother my axie. I siphon water out of mine about twice a week at least to pick up what waste sits on the bottom. I normally don't even change 10% at a time, just enough to get out waste. All water parameters are fine, so I don't worry about it.
Room temperature water is good. They don't like anything over about 68 F, so if you're in a really hot area, you can't really keep them effectively unless you have an air conditioner. Axolotls kept warmer than 70 will slowly waste away.
A 10 gallon aquarium is good for one adult, and depending on who you ask, you can even keep 2-3 in there. I wouldn't keep them like that, but. . .
They often show cannibalistic tendencies, at least while young. Under 4-5" they often nip each other, and will bite off each others legs, gills, and tails. Adults are normally fine kept in groups, though. So, if you're keeping a group, make sure you provide plenty of hiding places!
For food, bloodworms are great as a primary diet. Mine eats about 40% bloodworms, 40% red wrigglers, and about 10% feeder guppies. I leave feeder guppies in the tank so that they can help pick up some of the missed food, and he eats them when he can catch them. Bloodworms are probably the best thing for a staple diet. They also make an "axolotl pellet," which is supposed to be great for a staple diet. Ed's Fly Meat sells them online at $6/lb, and a pound should last a long time.
very slow flow,,,
