The paradox of caring for Mexican axolotls is that they need extremely clean water, but their eating habits are extravagantly messy – creating anxiety for our Animal Caretakers at Pacific Science Center. Fortunately, our creative staff have figured out a way to keep our amphibians’ habitat clean and healthy.
Axolotls are native to two lakes in Mexico; their habitat is very threatened in the wild. They do well in captivity and are fascinating animals for those who are willing to work hard to keep water quality high.
Unfortunately axolotls are very messy eaters. They dive at food, eating as much as they can and letting the leftovers scatter through the water. In an aquarium habitat, this leads to loss of water quality and can make the animals fall ill.
Pacific Science Center's animal care team takes this problem seriously - but they also like to have fun. Adrian and Nancy have been working on some feeding schemes to help keep the mess to a confined area. Here are Nancy's drawings.
And here is the feeding chamber.
The animals can learn to go in, eat, and come out again safely. The chamber can then be pulled back out, taking most (but never 100%) of the leftover food with it, and leaving the water relatively clean.
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