Axolotl and clawed frog

[Truffs1178]

Who here thinks an axolotl could live happily in the same tank as an African clawed frog

[MatthewM1]

I think you would end up with a happy ACF with an axolotl tail hanging out of his mouth

Sent from my LG-P930 using Tapatalk 2

[Felis]

I think you would end up with a happy ACF with an axolotl tail hanging out of his mouth

Sent from my LG-P930 using Tapatalk 2

That´s what I think. These two species don´t get along! Also, the Axolotl prefers lower temperatures.

[mpmistr]

Xenopus are subtropical, Axolotls are cold water, mixing amphibians is a bad idea.. for a ton of reasons.

Your biggest pitfall would be that Xenopus are aggressive predators, Axolotls are rather delicate and timid, the Axolotls gills will be fair game and attacked frequently, it will stress and die even if it is too large to be swallowed whole.

Quite literally, your clawed frog would tear your axolotl apart..

I once kept an apple snail with my frogs, every time it left its shell one of my frogs would go after it and try to bite its antenna off, they will attack vulnerable parts of a creature. I had to remove the snail, it was so stressed it died shortly thereafter.

[Gemma]

I agree with the others. I think it could only end in disaster.

[Jenste]

I also think the ACF is in danger of losing a limb or two to the axolotl. I have kept and bred both species. Axolotls have a type of "teeth" - they have ridges in their gums used to tear off junks of food. Axolotls have been known to latch onto another axolotls arm during feeding time and rip it off. Not often, but it does happen and it is rarely an intentional act of aggression. Axolotls have regenerating capabilities, ACF do not.

[mpmistr]

I also think the ACF is in danger of losing a limb or two to the axolotl. I have kept and bred both species. Axolotls have a type of "teeth" - they have ridges in their gums used to tear off junks of food. Axolotls have been known to latch onto another axolotls arm during feeding time and rip it off. Not often, but it does happen and it is rarely an intentional act of aggression. Axolotls have regenerating capabilities, ACF do not.

I didn't realize axolotls had teeth. I've wanted one for a while, they've had them for sale around here now and then. I never really wanted to invest in it because of their temperature requirements since they do need cold water to thrive. I figure they would really need a chiller unit to 'do well'.

For my ACF last summer I had to run the AC a lot and keep a fan blowing on the tank to keep the temperatures 75F or lower..

[UncleChester]

A good read when considering mixing aquatic species Caudata Culture Articles - Species Mixing Disasters

The particular combo of Axolotl and ACF isn't on the list but you can see what kinds of atrocities they have committed to tank mates and how it's been reciprocated.

[mpmistr]

As the old saying wisely goes .. "When in doubt, leave it out.".

[Truffs1178]

Why does everyone think the African clawed frog which on average reach like 6 inches would kill the 8 to 12 inch axolotl

[Jenste]

That is assuming you put them together as adults.

The frog will be extremely tempted to go after the axolotls gills (the frilly extensions on the side of their head). This will be quite painful and could lead to infection.
The axolotl has ridges on the inside of it's mouth at the gum line which are used to grab and tear. This could severely injure the frog and frog's do not have the regenerative capabilities that axolotls do. Bear in mind that the older the axolotl gets, the slower they regenerate.

I have kept and bred both species and I would not house them together. Axolotls also should be housed at cooler temperatures than the frogs.

[mpmistr]

Why does everyone think the African clawed frog which on average reach like 6 inches would kill the 8 to 12 inch axolotl

What Jen said. Axolotls external gills are a tempting target to ACF or even small nippy fish. Constant damage to their gills stresses Axolotls out very fast, even if they can regenerate it puts tremendous strain on the animal. If the Axolotl gets a hold of the small delicate arm of an ACF, it could be torn off, why would you want to risk your frog being damaged for life?

Even if these two animals never physically injured one another, like Jen said one is a cold water species and the other is a subtropical species. So it's either going to be too cold for the frog or too warm for the axolotl.. inadequate water temperatures for prolonged periods leads to a compromised immune system, then disease sets in.

Both these animals are fantastic and enjoyable pets but they don't belong together. It's just a bad idea to mix amphibians of different species, period. You wouldn't house a Pacman frog with an African Bullfrog would you?

[rodsboys]

Why does everyone think the African clawed frog which on average reach like 6 inches would kill the 8 to 12 inch axolotl

Because axi's need their gills. Hard to thrive without them.

[SanderB]

I had 2 frogs and 1 axolotl that grew up in the same tank. But after a while the axolotl started to get much bigger then the frogs. Never had any problems. But when you add them as adults they will eat eachother, so I DON´T recommed it.