You have your flight planned, hotel booked, and bags packed. Now, there’s only one matter left: ensuring your axolotl remains safe while you’re away. But how?
Your best option depends on many factors, namely your axolotl’s age. You should have no problem leaving a healthy, mature axolotl alone for a week, with some experienced owners boasting even longer. If you have a juvenile axolotl (or worry about its general health), you may have someone stop in every couple of days and check on them until your return.
Identify Any Possible Risks to Your Axolotl’s Safety
Above all else, you want to protect your axolotl from possible injuries or illnesses while you’re traveling. This includes considering:
- Their habitat’s chemical parameters. The last thing you want is for your aquarium to “crash.” This term refers to any rapid problem that destabilizes your tank’s chemical parameters. Before leaving, test your axolotl’s water, evaluating its hardness, acidity/basicity, and other levels.
- Their overall health. You may rethink going on vacation if your axolotl is bloated, refuses to eat, or hasn’t defecated recently. These symptoms could point to a medical problem that needs your attention. You could risk your pet’s health if you leave for too long.
- Tankmates. Axolotls do just fine by themselves, but you may have recently opted to include some fish in their aquarium. If so, consider whether they could hurt your axolotl (for instance, some fish see the axolotl’s external gills as worms!). You may consider putting newcomers to your axolotl’s aquarium in a separate tank.
Ensuring your axolotl has a clean, safe environment works to ensure their safety while you’re adventuring.
Consider Tubbing Your Axolotl
If you’re going on a weekend getaway, you shouldn’t have a problem leaving your healthy axolotl behind. Yet, if you’re going away for longer, you have an option: putting them in the refrigerator. Axolotls’ metabolism slows down when the water’s temperature dips below 50 degrees Fahrenheit; in these cooler conditions, they won’t expend as much energy, so they won’t be as hungry or produce as much waste.
Refrigerating your axolotl involves:
- Placing them in a plastic container filled with cool, treated water (not straight from the faucet). The water should be filled an inch from the top, enough to submerge the axolotl and allow them to turn around.
- Setting your refrigerator at the warmest possible setting. Note that some food may spoil at warmer temperatures, so you may need to do some reorganizing.
- Putting the tubbed axolotl in the warmest part of the refrigerator (ideally between 42 to 54 degrees Fahrenheit).
You can keep a refrigerated axolotl for about a week before it would need a water change or be relocated to its main aquarium, according to the University of Kentucky. You should also avoid refrigerating your axolotl too often, as the cooler temperatures could stunt its growth.
Have Someone to Monitor Your Axolotl
Your peace of mind is priceless. Although your axolotl should be fine while you’re away on vacation, it couldn’t hurt to have a trusted friend or family member stop in and check on your smiley-faced salamander. During these visits, ask your axolotl-sitter to take notice of:
- Any changes in behavior, such as gasping for air near the water’s surface
- Physical changes, including bloating and limb loss
- Increases in nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia levels
- Cloudy water or algae blooms
- Loss of appetite
- Listlessness
Being alerted to these factors could help you make informed decisions regarding your axolotl’s safety. Depending on the nature of the issue, you may consider cleaning the aquarium, doing a partial water change, or tubbing your axolotl.
Install a Live Stream Camera
Wouldn’t it be great if you could install a camera that could allow you to watch your axolotl 24 hours a day, seven days a week? Good news: these products exist, and they’re relatively cheap, with some models costing less than $20. All you need is a smartphone, an internet connection, a reliable power source, and the app that comes along with the device. Upon installing a camera to watch your axolotl, you’ll feel like you’re right at their side—and to some extent, you truly are.
Can I Take My Axolotl on Vacation?
It’s your vacation and your axolotl, so you can do whatever makes you feel comfortable. However, the matter of practicality must be considered when attempting to travel with your axolotl. For starters, you would have to transport their aquarium and ensure the water remains between 60 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit. You likely wouldn’t want to travel with their tank and a water chiller!
Another consideration is stress. Axolotls do not need the same social interaction and enrichment that cats or dogs do. Being in a car, plane, or another mode of transport could make them feel threatened or insecure in their environment—the last thing you want them to feel! It may comfort you to know that axolotls are simple creatures that are content to entertain themselves. Sure, your axolotl loves you in its own special way, but it likely won’t realize that you’re gone.
When Shouldn’t I Leave My Axolotl Alone?
You should always reconsider leaving your axolotl if you have any concerns about their health or aquarium’s water parameters. These are two factors that can go south very quickly without immediate intervention. For example, if your axolotl has a bowel obstruction (from swallowing a piece of gravel, perhaps), they could suffer fatal consequences without treatment. If you haven’t done a water change recently, nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia levels could increase and threaten your axolotl.
In short: there’s nothing to worry about if you’re going on vacation and have an axolotl. With some preparation and forethought, you can do everything possible to help them remain safe.
