They have little pink gills!!!

March 31, 2011 11:25 PM

Where can I find axolotls?

Looking for pet stores that carry axolotls! I'm not looking to have one shipped. Do you know anywhere that carries them? Philly/NJ/NYC would be best. Smaller is better, although not the most important thing, just super awesome axolotl greatness!

posted by troublewithwolves to Pets & Animals (6 answers total)

Axolotls are endangered because of habitat destruction, they breed well in captivity so obtaining one captive breed is ecologically a fine thing to do. I got mine from a local pet store, I suggest calling around, If you cant find one they are on the internet. Good luck, they make awesome pets.
posted by Felex at 12:14 AM on April 1, 2011

Best answer: I had one that I hatched from extra eggs I took home from a biology lab class; you might have success asking at a university to see if they have a colony.
posted by needs more cowbell at 12:16 AM on April 1, 2011

Yep, looks like they're commonly bred as pets. This FAQ directed me to this forum, and the United States-specific forum is full of people selling and giving away axolotls. Perhaps you can find someone in your area.
posted by rachaelfaith at 12:17 AM on April 1, 2011

There are some for sale at a local Mom&Pop pet store, but we're in Washington state so I don't suppose that helps you. Still, they're around. Neat critters.
posted by Pastor of Muppets at 12:20 AM on April 1, 2011

They're also often sold at reptile shows. I know there are a lot of those on the east coast, so you should be able to find one near one of your target cities, and probably pretty soon. I assume you can check the vendor list and make sure someone is selling them before you go-- I ALWAYS have things to look at at reptile shows, so I don't tend to worry about that part. Also, if you can find a reptile-oriented pet store, they're more likely to carry axolotls. And those you can definitely call in advance. (Yeah, they're amphibians. But "reptile" becomes kind of a blanket category for "reptile, amphibian, arachnid, et cetera" in the context of shows. I know a lot of people who keep frogs as well as snakes and/or lizards.)
posted by Because at 3:45 AM on April 1, 2011

Just wanted to add a caveat to hatching babies from eggs: baby axolotls only eat live brine shrimp. Their sense of smell (or whatever it is that the adults use to find food) isn't fully developed and they rely on some ingrained reflex to lunge after things that they see moving (like live brine shrimp.) Keeping yourself and your baby axolotls in live brine shrimp is an additional commitment to be aware of.
posted by needs more cowbell at 6:36 PM on April 1, 2011