Terrestrial Axolotl Habitat, How to set-up

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Well all is still going well, tried feeding. Pellets were a no go, as expected, dried mealworms were a no go as expected. She did accept a worm. It wasnt graceful to say the least and she took her time fighting moss out of her mouth but she got it down without eating her veggies. Looking good
 
I was worried about that possibility when I saw her bite it by mistake. What kind of leaf and will it still hold a suitable humidity/moisture? I am worried about how dry the air is and am trying to keep the humidity up and I need to at least be able to keep the substrate moist

Would it be a more advisable choice to remove the moss and just use the normal sand? Keeping the sand 1/4-1/8" below the water? Or even right at the water level? Or would it be best to still try to find a better substrate?
 
You should go with the typical substrate used with other ambystomids; those are largely terrestrial and in some cases, do not even require water bowls.

It looks really cool though. Have you been to caudata.org? The affliated websites contain a host of information.
I think you should simply use leafs that take a long time to decompose, the typically indian almond, oak. I haven't heard(from my short experience) any concerns about these leafs being unable to withhold humidity.
 
She is still looking good and eating well. Still uses the water from time to time and I dont think Ill ever permanently do away with a large water section. My problem with leaves is a mold problem. I know it can take awhile and it is not usually common but I have seen alot of mold on leaves that are kept in high-humidity. Ive talked with a few people and the consensus seems to be that accidental moss ingestion shouldnt be a big/fatal problem. I always hand feed and monitor the entire feeding process anyways.

Thanks for the link, ill check them out
 
Ive talked with a few people and breeders. It is very rare and can be caused by a few different possibilities.

1) Stress from keeping in shallow water...HELP! My puddle is gong dry, must morph to live!
2) High iodine concentration in the water
3)Possibly a rare genetic disposition to morph.

I can tell you my water does not have a high iodine concentration. I do keep my axols in shallowish water. Only one axol morphed and there were no signs of stress from any of the axols. She started to morph right after she reached sexual maturity. I am guessing that in my case it was genetic since it took place at maturity and there were no other signs of stress, But shallow water could easily have played a role. Since it is so rare, this could easily be something that takes place under multiple triggers(genetic predisposition + shallow water = salamander)
 
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