I have a question about Axolotls?

Question

I have a Betta at the moment, and waiting for it to pass on (Had it for a good 6 months), Once he's gone, I'm thinking of buying an Axolotl or two. I live in Australia, and I was wondering if you need any licences, or things like that. I was also wondering, How big should the tank be?
I know you have to feed them raw meat, but which meat?
Thank you.

Answer 1

I can't answer regarding licenses (I'm in the US), but local pet stores or wildlife officials should be able to answer that for you.

I've kept a pair in a 10 gallon (38 liter) tank. That included an undergravel filter (they shouldn't have too strong of water movement or aeration, so an undergravel is ideal for them), a few logs for hiding/climbing and gravel.

They don't need to eat "meat" as such (although they are carnivores). I kept mine just by feeding them turtle pellets and fish pellets as a main part of their diet, and supplementing this with bloodworms, brine shrimp, small earthworms, and other frozen fish foods. Any seafood or fish will do, even that meant for humans. This makes feeding a lot easier than having to come up with meat for every meal.

The hardest part of keeping them is to get the water temperature right. They're adapted to deep-lake environments, so the temperature should be kept around 65oF (18oC). If kept properly, they should live for 10+ years, but if the temperature is too warm, they usually only live 1-3 years.

By the way, don't count on the betta departing too quickly. If he's kept properly, these live for 3-5 years, with a few records of them over 9 years of age.

Some axolotl info for you:
http://www.axolotl.org/
http://inky.50megs.com/axolotlnewfaq.html