# baby axolotls in outside pond



## rigsby (Jan 11, 2008)

i keep my axies outside 24/7/52 they are quite happy and breed every year.

apologies for the crap pics but the water is greenish


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## colinm (Sep 20, 2008)

Does it freeze over in the winter?


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## rigsby (Jan 11, 2008)

hell yeah, we had temps of -10 a couple of years ago, i call them ponds but they are raised large strong plastic containers that have been there years and i never touch so they are ballanced and have weeds and detrius in the bottom just like real ponds.


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## colinm (Sep 20, 2008)

Interesting,do you insulate the sides for the winter so that they dont completely freeze?


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## rigsby (Jan 11, 2008)

colinm said:


> Interesting,do you insulate the sides for the winter so that they dont completely freeze?


never do anything apart from throw food in, they also get natural food which breed in the "ponds" I think they are too big to freeze completely, dont think we will get temps lower than we did a couple of years ago and they bred as soon as the ice melted.


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## colinm (Sep 20, 2008)

They must be pretty big ponds then.Its nice to see someone keeping them this way.


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

That's really interesting!


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## rigsby (Jan 11, 2008)

colinm said:


> They must be pretty big ponds then.Its nice to see someone keeping them this way.


not that big 4foot square and 3 foot deep but they've been in there ten years now and thrive.
theres even alpine newts in them too


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## morg (Jul 20, 2007)

I think that keeping amphibians in outdoor set ups should be done more often.
I never had any luck breeding my fire salamanders untill I put them in an outdoor enclosure around three years ago, now I get larvae every year, and I dont have to feed the sals at all as they get natural foods that venture into, and live in the enclosure.
also look at this thread
Raising (& Breeding) Ommatotriton - Caudata.org Newt and Salamander Forum

I have just transfered mine into a simular set up and am hoping for simular results.
I also have a pair of bufo americanus in a converted coalshed year round. They amplex every spring, but sadly no spawn as yet.
again I do not need to feed them, but do occasionaly throw in waxmoth larvae or earthworms 
take a look at this forum also
Outdoor Vivaria - Home?


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

I remember there was a query about this for Oriental FBTs a while ago- it's probably doable.


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## ianxxx (Apr 25, 2011)

I have been looking at outside pond tanks for axolotls for a while, i currently keep a few babies in a 5ft x 2ft x 2ft outside, they really seem to like it and the natural diet it provides, they are always chasing bugs about the tank and are fun to watch,they look a good weight and healthy but are slower developing than the guys i keep inside and feed blood worm, might just be the lower temp slowing them down. The questions i want to ask are, do you leave the eggs in with the adults or remove them to a seperate pond ? and do you have any problems with water beetle predation? i grew my guys on for a few weeks inside before i placed them outside, i have seen a couple of pincer marks on the babys and assume it is water beetles, i net the tank to remove them but they keep flying in.
http://www.caudata.org/forum/members/xxianxx-albums-me-my-stuff-picture22487-005.jpg

Some of my guys beating up daphnia.


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## rigsby (Jan 11, 2008)

ianxxx said:


> I have been looking at outside pond tanks for axolotls for a while, i currently keep a few babies in a 5ft x 2ft x 2ft outside, they really seem to like it and the natural diet it provides, they are always chasing bugs about the tank and are fun to watch,they look a good weight and healthy but are slower developing than the guys i keep inside and feed blood worm, might just be the lower temp slowing them down. The questions i want to ask are, do you leave the eggs in with the adults or remove them to a seperate pond ? and do you have any problems with water beetle predation? i grew my guys on for a few weeks inside before i placed them outside, i have seen a couple of pincer marks on the babys and assume it is water beetles, i net the tank to remove them but they keep flying in.
> http://www.caudata.org/forum/members/xxianxx-albums-me-my-stuff-picture22487-005.jpg
> 
> Some of my guys beating up daphnia.


 its easier to move the adults to another pond,i have four seperate containers that are years old and i class as aged ponds. As for water beetles i've never seen any, everything but.


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## ianxxx (Apr 25, 2011)

rigsby said:


> its easier to move the adults to another pond,i have four seperate containers that are years old and i class as aged ponds. As for water beetles i've never seen any, everything but.


I live very close to a canal and a river, i have loads of beetles coming in despite regularly removing them and feeding them to my frogs.


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## rigsby (Jan 11, 2008)

ianxxx said:


> I live very close to a canal and a river, i have loads of beetles coming in despite regularly removing them and feeding them to my frogs.


i have leeches, water boatmen (From bags of daphnia) water louse pond snails, rams horn, fresh water cockles from USA and loads of other stuff but as yet no beetles.


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## ianxxx (Apr 25, 2011)

I introduced gammerus, hog lice, pond snails and daphnia to the outside tanks at the start of the year. I am amazed at the amount of invertebrates which have introduced themselves though, entomology is not a strong point but I have loads of bloodworm, assorted fly larvae, damsel fly nymphs and water beetles, I was hoping to get some great diving beetles as I was planning to stick them in a small tank and check them out for a few weeks but none showed up, may be just as well they would be a hazard to axolotls.


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## rigsby (Jan 11, 2008)

ianxxx said:


> I introduced gammerus, hog lice, pond snails and daphnia to the outside tanks at the start of the year. I am amazed at the amount of invertebrates which have introduced themselves though, entomology is not a strong point but I have loads of bloodworm, assorted fly larvae, damsel fly nymphs and water beetles, I was hoping to get some great diving beetles as I was planning to stick them in a small tank and check them out for a few weeks but none showed up, may be just as well they would be a hazard to axolotls.


 i can possibly send you some great divers if you want.


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## ianxxx (Apr 25, 2011)

Thanks i appreciate the offer but i would only be hanging onto them for a couple of weeks before i released them back into the wild. Not a species i would want to keep but interesting to view for a while.


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