Ethical Axolotls, 1175 NW 9th St, Corvallis, OR (2026)

06/30/2026

You may be wondering what I'm doing in the Corvallis FedEx parking lot, getting rained on...

Well, intakes never stop, so a lot of our responsibilities are taken care of on the go. I've recently had several out-of-state surrender requests - up to 10 axolotls will be coming my way in the next month - and I have a nice system for receiving shipped axolotls.

I prepare an insulated box with a shipping kit (fish bags, rubber bands, ice packs, live animal labels) to be sent to either a local FedEx outlet or the person's doorstep. The remainder is as simple as fasting the axolotl for 7 days, then packing via video call on the day of shipment.

The axolotl is bagged up in the morning, early enough for the box to be dropped off at a FedEx hub or collected by a pre-arranged FedEx pick-up. I typically cover all expenses out of pocket, since someone giving up an exotic animal generally cannot financially contribute to its transportation or continued care (though I vastly appreciate when an owner donates towards the intake's care, it's not expected). This is why adoption fees are 'so high', by the way, I help axolotls regardless of monetary loss. Many of the axolotls who come into my care take hundreds to successfully rehabilitate to good health so that they can find homes, because I get some of the worse cases. It's well worth it, though.

I digressed quite a bit there, didn't I? I usually refer to that as my brain going down rabbit trails. Anyways, since I had forgotten to pick up a sheet of Styrofoam the prior week, we popped by Home Depot before FedEx. A key problem remained, and its keyword was 'sheet'. An 8'x4'x1" piece of Styrofoam, an insulated box does not make. I start with a singular large sheet under most circumstances, but this unwieldy beast is usually tamed in my living room, not in a breezy parking lot.

Handling a box knife is a little harder when wind comes into play 😅 so yes I sliced my finger a lil bit. Better yet, no band-aid could be located, but a napkin and packing tape still did the job. Still, I got three shipping boxes completely assembled and sent out, so it was a successful day. Minus that I'm wishing I had gills right about now... thanks, Oregon. So glad to be here, I really appreciated the reminder to hydrate.

06/14/2026

Well, lately we haven't posted much about our rescue axolotls that are ready to find homes, and I really need to fix that. For starters, meet Benny and Kohlrabi. Benny is a male who is around 1 year old, and he is a Melanoid Leucistic. Kohlrabi is a presumed female who is also around 1 year old, and she is a GFP Melanoid Copper.

Kohlrabi should not be cohabitated until we are positive she is a girl, and even then she would need a rather small female tankmate for cohabitation to be considered, and she's a bit spicy anyways so it's probably better she go to a solo tank. Benny is old / large enough to either cohabitate with another male or live alone, and he is a very sweet boy who is not very sensitive to much other than diet.

Benny is rather picky; he takes either cut or blanched worms. Do NOT offer him pellets or any other nutritionally insufficient food, as he will likely start to reject worms in favor of hoodwinking you into feeding him junk food. He outsmarted his prior parents too many times, though I've had great luck with thirded Canadian Nightcrawlers.

Kohlrabi's preference, on the other hand, is to eat. Eat what, you may ask? The answer is yes. She'll happily follow you around her enclosure to beg for nightcrawlers, just watch out when you do water changes or put your hand in the tank. Kohlrabi's default reaction to anything unexpected is to quickly swim in any direction, and her favored Y-axis has caused a handful of unplanned floor excursions. It's yet to knock any sense into her, so keep that in mind if adopting her is something you're looking into.

If you're interested in adding a rescue axolotl to your family, feel free to reach out. We're located in Corvallis, Oregon, and FedEx Express is generally an affordable option if you're not local - though 2-day to Alaskan addresses comes at no cost, as always.

06/10/2026

Mole salamanders are well known for their tendency to burrow. Axolotls are no exception, however they lack much of the strength that terrestrial salamanders come by naturally.

05/30/2026

It's not often that I honestly cry over an intake axolotl. When tears are shed, they have always been over horribly upsetting, disturbing situations. This is somehow so different. I am a bit sad, but I haven't put a name to the more prominent emotions.

Mr. Ambystoma is a male 11 year old GFP Leucistic. He was bought from a Washington pet store from their very first shipment of axolotls in early 2016 by an amazingly sweet woman. She has since then kept him solo in a 40 gallon breeder in her office for his lifespan.

A recent life changing health diagnosis has caused her family to plan a move across the country, and because Mr. Ambystoma is older than my marriage, his mom (quite accurately) identified that the combination of a stressful transport, hotter climate, and extreme water transitions would likely result in his passing.

Mr. Ambystoma's mom and I made contact and we worked out his permanent retirement in my personal stock, and I made the trip to Portland today to pick him up.

We said a fairly emotional goodbye while I gave him a quick inspection. His mom told me that while she had a good water change schedule prior to the family diagnosis, she had struggled severely since with his husbandry.

I got him home and settled into his quarantine tub, then grabbed some of his water to test as I always do. I had confirmed with his mom that he had been transported in tank water. So, when I saw the pictured test results, the incredible shock I felt would be understood by anyone experienced in aquatics.

His so-called 'neglected' tank actually had cleaner water than the tap water found in about half of American households. His pH was 7.6 on low and high range, ammonia had barely hit 0.5ppm even after his day-long transport, nitrites were 0ppm, and nitrates weren't even 10ppm. I could drink it, if I weren't considerate of a salmonella infection.

I was so moved; I started crying. Mr. Ambystoma's mom had cared for him with dedication and love for over a decade. She couldn't personally provide what he needed any longer. Even her first step was not prideful, but selfless, she started looking for an experienced home who would retire him with as much love as she had given him.

I am absolutely honored to have him. He will never leave my house until the day he is laid to rest under my mentor's rose garden.

05/27/2026

Hello to all of my fabulous supporters, I want to ask for your help with a recent surrender case. Addressing two things beforehand; I want to sincerely thank everyone who interacts with our posts, because each 'react', comment, and share is a microdonation. Even better, we get boosted on the feeds of new people, placing more rehabilitated axolotls in loving homes. Again, I appreciate everything. Every ounce of support we receive gives me the strength to push through each hardship.

My second point of concern, I'm wondering why I keep getting axolotls in with the initials L.L.? "Lemon Lime" aka "Little Lotl" is practically famous, but there's not arguing that we have a theme building with our newest "Leucy Luna".

Now, steering away from both my thankful and silly ramblings.

Leucy Luna desperately needs diagnostics, and we are quickly working towards taking him into our local exotic veterinarian for blood work. He is around 5 years old, and has been kept by a loving couple for most of his life. Due to personal health complications, Leucy Luna's owners were unable to correct the water chemistry in his aquarium when it became unsafe for him, and despite their efforts, his health eventually declined. Thankfully, his owners and I were able to connect recently, and since they quickly tranferred him into my care, I have had him in treatment to reduce edema and encourage systemic regeneration.

In hopes of confirming that his organs are functioning appropriately, ruling out potential infection, and establishing a plan of care, we need to get him seen quickly. He deserves to find an adoptive home that loves him as much as his prior parents do, and that can't happen until we can promise his new owners that his health is stable.

Consider donating *any* amount to our Facebook fundraiser, or engage with the post to boost its reach. We also have PayPal and Venmo options for donation methods.

Our payment tag is always

Thank you so much!

05/13/2026

It's 💩-posting time! An Original Content meme, courtesy of myself.

These aren't my actual adoption rules - but it's not a bad start. Proper axolotl husbandry is indeed a money-sink, though in my opinion it is completely worth it.

If you would like to review our Live Arrival Guarantee policy or adoption vetting requirements, visit our TOS page as linked below.

https://ethicalaxolotls.com/terms-of-service/

05/12/2026

Eugene, Oregon!!! Are You Ready? Experience the excitement of the Show Me Reptile Show! 🐍🦎🐢
Come explore the largest and most diverse reptile expo in the country when we roll in to your town! We bring fun, education, and adventure together for all ages! Whether you're a longtime reptile lover, an aspiring keeper, or just curious, this event is the perfect place to explore the amazing world of exotic animals.
Our shows feature an outstanding lineup of top breeders and trusted vendors offering:
🦎 Reptiles of all kinds
🐸 Amphibians
🕷️ Invertebrates
🐹 Small exotic mammals
🌿 Plants & bioactive supplies
🐠 Aquatics
🛒 PLUS all the equipment, feeders, enclosures, décor, and care essentials your critters need to thrive!
Not ready to bring home a new pet? No problem!
You're welcome to browse, learn, and enjoy the incredible animals on display. Many guests simply come to experience the show, take photos, ask questions, and meet the amazing community behind the hobby.
🎟 Admission:
===============
• GENERAL ADMISSION
===============
-Advance Purchase Via Show Me Reptiles App/Site:
Adults $12 / Kids 7-12 $5 / Kids 6 & Under Free
-Paid At The Door:
Adults $15 / Kids 7-12 $5 /Kids 6 & Under Free
===============
• VIP PASS: $17 Pre-purchased / $20 At The Door
===============
-Includes early entry (1 hour before GA) and
-Free admission for Day Two at all two-day shows
=============
• SHOW HOURS:
=============
•One Day Shows
-VIP Hour 9am-10am
-General Admission 10AM-3:30pm
•Two Day Shows
Saturday 10am-5pm (VIP 9am)
Sunday-10am-3:30pm (No VIP Hour)
👨‍👩‍👧 All ages are welcome, and there's something for everyone to enjoy!
For tickets, details, and upcoming show dates, visit:
👉 ShowMeReptileShow.com

05/12/2026

We are going to be in Eugene this weekend (Saturday and Sunday) for the Show me reptile show exotic animal expo! I will be joining Siserah’s Aquatic Escape at an adjoining space within the expo, and we will be showing off the best of the best.

This is my first expo after finalizing Ethical Axolotl's registration for our 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, so my excitement levels are through the roof. Even better, I will have several rehabilitated rescue axolotls who you can speak for, as well as care guide handouts, cool axolotl merchandise, and a few exciting extras for the exclusive VIP hour that takes place on Saturday from 9am-10am. Doors are open until 5pm on Saturday and 3pm on Sunday. General admission starts at 10am both days, so be in line early!

As a note, we do NOT adopt out any animals same-day, this is a practice we have left behind. Anyone is welcome to place a reservation on any axolotls at our table, as well as choose from current stock via email. This ensures that my vetting protocols can be appropriately met without requiring that interested parties bring tap water and pictures of their set up with them, in addition to providing ample opportunity for someone to back out if the provided husbandry guidelines are not something they are looking to commit to - avoiding impulse purchases and neglected axolotls.

While I always provide healthcare guidance and accept surrenders, I would prefer to avoid tragic situations altogether. You'll often hear me repeat, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This is especially true with axolotl keeping. If someone is set on leaving with an axolotl on the day of the expo, they will unfortunately need to source their new pet elsewhere, because I vastly prefer developing a dialogue with my adopters that favors the well-being of the axolotl.

My table will also have some printed explanations of these policies, and I'm getting everything put up on my website for future reference.

See you on Saturday!

Ethical Axolotls

06/30/2026

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06/10/2026

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