This page holds the two agreements that govern your relationship with A Lot’l Axolotls and its affiliated companies: Part 1, the Terms of Service, and Part 2, the Privacy Policy. Together they form one agreement; by using our websites, buying from us or joining our community you accept both. Our affiliated company Axolotl City publishes the matching agreement for its own website at axolotlcity.com/terms. Last updated: September 14, 2026.
These Terms of Service (the “Terms”) are a binding agreement between you and A Lot’l Axolotls and its affiliated companies (defined below). They govern your use of alotlaxolotls.ca, the shop, The Lot’l Pond community, the Learn hub, the kids’ learning hub, Axel the AI assistant, our forms, newsletters, social channels and every other product or service we provide (together, the “Services”), and every purchase of goods or live animals from us. Please read them carefully; they contain a limitation of liability, an assumption of risk, an indemnity, a dispute-resolution clause and rules about live animals. Last updated: September 14, 2026.
“A Lot’l Axolotls”, “we”, “us” and “our” mean A Lot’l Axolotls, an online business headquartered in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada, together with its affiliated companies. “Affiliated companies” means Axolotl City (axolotlcity.com) and every parent, subsidiary, sister brand, joint venture or other business that is owned or controlled by, or under common ownership or control with, A Lot’l Axolotls now or in the future, in any jurisdiction (together, the “A Lot’l Group”).
“Covered Parties” means every member of the A Lot’l Group and each of their respective owners, directors, officers, employees, contractors, volunteers, moderators, agents, licensors, suppliers, successors and assigns. Every disclaimer, limitation of liability, assumption of risk, release and indemnity in these Terms is given for the benefit of all Covered Parties, each of whom may enforce it directly as an intended third-party beneficiary.
“You” means the person using the Services or buying from us and, where you act for a business, that business as well. “Services” and “Terms” have the meanings given above. “Content” means text, images, video, audio, code, data, lessons, guides, product listings and everything else made available through the Services.
By accessing, browsing or interacting with the Services in any way, including viewing content, placing an order, requesting a quote, creating an account, joining the community, using the kids’ learning hub, chatting with Axel, submitting a form, subscribing to a newsletter, redeeming points, buying from a partner link or clicking any link on the site, you confirm that you have read, understood and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated by reference. Ticking a box, clicking a button labelled “Register”, “Place order”, “Request a quote”, “Submit” or similar, or continuing to use the Services after an update, has the same legal effect as a handwritten signature. If you do not agree, you must not use the Services.
These Terms apply each time you use the Services and to every order, whether placed online, by email, by quote, at a local pick-up or through a member of the A Lot’l Group. Where a specific product, promotion or program has its own terms, those terms apply in addition to these; if they conflict, the specific terms govern that product only.
You must be at least eighteen (18) years old, or the age of majority where you live, to place an order, request a quote, buy or redeem anything, or enter into any other transaction through the Services, and by doing so you represent that you meet this requirement and have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms. To create an account and use the community you must be at least sixteen (16) years old, or at least thirteen (13) if you live in the United States; we ask for your date of birth and country when you register and refuse accounts below those ages. Younger visitors may use the Services only through, and under the direct supervision of, a parent or legal guardian who accepts these Terms on their behalf and is responsible for their conduct.
You agree to provide true, accurate, current and complete information when you register, order or request a quote, and to keep it up to date. We may ask for proof of identity, age or address before accepting an order for a live animal or releasing a high-value order, and may cancel any order where we cannot verify it. You are responsible for keeping your password confidential and for all activity under your account, whether or not you authorised it, until you tell us in writing that your account has been compromised. One person may hold one account; we may merge or close duplicate accounts, and we may refuse or revoke an account at our discretion.
You agree not to, and not to help anyone else to: (a) use the Services for any unlawful purpose or in breach of any law, including laws on the ownership, sale, import or transport of animals; (b) misrepresent your identity, age, location or the legality of keeping an axolotl where you live; (c) access, tamper with or use non-public areas of the Services, our systems or those of our providers; (d) probe, scan or test the vulnerability of any system or breach any security measure; (e) use any robot, spider, scraper, crawler, headless browser or other automated means to access, copy or index the Services, or to harvest emails, member profiles or content; (f) copy, reproduce, download or use our content, product data, photographs or lesson material to train, fine-tune or evaluate any machine-learning or AI system, or to build a competing dataset, product or service; (g) frame, mirror or deep-link to the Services for commercial purposes; (h) reverse-engineer, decompile or attempt to extract the source of Axel or any part of the Services; (i) interfere with or disrupt the Services, servers or networks, or impose an unreasonable load on them; (j) upload viruses, malware or harmful code; (k) impersonate any person or Covered Party, or misrepresent your affiliation with anyone; (l) send spam, chain messages or unsolicited commercial messages; (m) buy, sell or transfer accounts, points, credits or coupons; (n) abuse a promotion, referral, rewards or review program; or (o) use the Services to harm, harass, stalk or exploit any person, including a child.
We may investigate any suspected breach, involve law enforcement, and suspend or terminate access without notice. You are responsible for the losses we and the Covered Parties suffer because of your breach.
All content on the Services, including care guides, articles, lessons, quizzes, certificates, photographs, illustrations, packaging designs, product descriptions, videos, audio, software, page layouts, the Axel character and voice, the “A Lot’l Axolotls”, “The Lot’l Pond”, “Axolotl City” and “Axel” names and logos, and the compilation of all of it, is owned by or licensed to the A Lot’l Group and protected by Canadian and international copyright, trademark and other intellectual-property laws. Copyright © 2026 A Lot’l Axolotls. All rights reserved.
You may view, print and download a single copy of pages for your personal, non-commercial use only, provided you keep all copyright and proprietary notices intact. You may not otherwise reproduce, distribute, publicly display, modify, create derivative works from, sell, license, scrape or commercially exploit any content without our prior written permission. Nothing in these Terms transfers any ownership or grants any licence, by implication, estoppel or otherwise, under any patent, copyright, trademark or other right of the A Lot’l Group or any third party, except as expressly stated.
Other brand, product and service names appearing on the Services belong to their respective owners. Reference to a product, service or process does not imply endorsement, approval, affiliation or sponsorship by the A Lot’l Group.
You keep ownership of the content you post, upload, message or submit to the Services, including community posts, profile information, photos, videos, reviews, testimonials, quote requests and form submissions (“User Content”). You grant the A Lot’l Group a non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, fully paid, sublicensable and transferable licence to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, adapt, translate, publish, publicly display and perform, distribute and create derivative works of your User Content, in any media now known or later developed, for the purposes of operating, promoting and improving the Services and the businesses of the A Lot’l Group, including on social media, in advertising, on Axolotl City and in the Pond feed. To the extent permitted by law, you waive, and agree not to assert, any moral rights in your User Content against the Covered Parties and their licensees.
You represent and warrant that you own or have all rights needed to post your User Content and to grant this licence; that it is accurate; that it does not infringe or misappropriate anyone’s copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity or other rights; and that it does not contain the personal information of any other person without their consent. You are solely responsible for your User Content. We are not obliged to publish, keep or return any User Content, and we may remove, edit, move or refuse any of it at any time for any reason without notice. Public User Content may be indexed by search engines and copied by other people; we cannot control that.
We respect the intellectual property of others and comply with Canada’s notice-and-notice regime under the Copyright Act and, where applicable, comparable laws elsewhere. If you believe content on the Services infringes your copyright, email info@alotlaxolotls.ca with: your name and contact details; a description and the URL of the material; a description of the work you say is infringed and evidence that you own it; and a statement, made in good faith, that the use is not authorised. We may remove or disable access to the material, forward your notice to the person who posted it, and terminate repeat infringers. Knowingly false complaints may make you liable for the resulting costs.
If you send us ideas, suggestions, feature requests, testimonials or other feedback, you agree that we may use them for any purpose, without restriction, attribution or payment, and that they become the property of the A Lot’l Group. Do not send us anything you consider confidential or proprietary.
Our Privacy Policy explains what personal information the A Lot’l Group collects, why, how it is shared (including among affiliated companies and with service providers) and how it is protected. By using the Services you acknowledge that you have read it. We comply with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable provincial, US state and other privacy laws. If these Terms and the Privacy Policy conflict about personal information, the Privacy Policy governs.
Conversations with Axel, messages sent through the community, quote requests and form submissions may be stored and reviewed by our team to provide and improve the Services, enforce these Terms, prevent fraud and keep members safe. You have no expectation of confidentiality in information you post publicly. We do not sell personal information.
You consent to receive communications from the A Lot’l Group electronically, including order confirmations, delivery updates, account notices, community notifications, legal notices and, where you have consented under Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation, marketing emails. You agree that agreements, notices, disclosures and other communications we provide electronically satisfy any legal requirement that they be in writing. You may withdraw marketing consent at any time using the unsubscribe link in any email or under My Account; transactional and legal notices will continue while you hold an account or have an open order.
Notices from us to you are deemed received when sent to the email address on your account, or when posted on the Services if addressed to all users. Notices from you to us must be sent to info@alotlaxolotls.ca or through our contact form and are deemed received on the next business day. Keep your email address current; you are responsible for notices sent to an out-of-date address.
Membership is free. Rewards points are a promotional benefit, not currency or property. Points have no cash value, cannot be sold, transferred, inherited or exchanged for cash, are earned only on eligible purchases on this website (live axolotls, gift cards and purchases made through partner companies are excluded), expire thirty (30) months after they are earned, and are reversed if an order is cancelled, refunded or charged back. Welcome points are awarded once per person on email confirmation. We may change the earning rate, redemption value, expiry, eligibility or any other part of the rewards program, or end it altogether, at any time without compensation. Points, coupons or credits obtained through fraud, abuse, multiple accounts or error may be removed and the account closed.
Subscribe & Save subscriptions renew automatically at the interval you choose, at the price shown when each renewal is created, and are charged to your saved payment method on each renewal until you pause or cancel from My Account, which you may do at any time before a renewal is processed. We will tell you by email before any change to the price, frequency or terms of your subscription and you may cancel before it takes effect. Subscription discounts apply only while the subscription is active. If a renewal payment fails, the renewal order is held as “pending payment” and no product ships until it is paid. Store credits and gift-card balances are not redeemable for cash, are not replaced if lost or stolen, may be used only on this website and remain on your account while it is active; they are forfeited if the account is closed for breach of these Terms.
The Lot’l Pond is a shared community operated by the A Lot’l Group for members of A Lot’l Axolotls and Axolotl City. You are responsible for everything you post, share, upload, message or otherwise contribute, including profiles, photos, topics, replies, activity updates, group content and direct messages. You must not post content that is illegal, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, threatening, harassing, hateful, discriminatory, misleading, infringing, or that invades anyone’s privacy, discloses another person’s personal information, promotes illegal activity (including the sale of animals where prohibited or the cruel treatment of animals), or contains advertising, spam or unsolicited commercial messages outside an area we designate for them.
We may review, edit, move, hide or delete any content, and suspend, restrict or terminate any account, at our sole discretion, without notice, for any reason and at any time. We are not obliged to monitor content but may do so, and we may limit features such as direct messaging for new or unverified members. You can block and report other members; we investigate reports but do not promise any particular outcome. Advice, opinions and care information posted by members are their own, are not reviewed for accuracy and are not endorsed by the A Lot’l Group; acting on them is at your own risk. The Covered Parties are not responsible for any User Content or for the conduct of any member, online or offline.
Any sale, trade, gift, rehoming, shipping arrangement or other transaction arranged between members, whether on a Buy and sell board, by direct message or otherwise, is solely between those members. The A Lot’l Group is not a party to it, does not verify members, animals, goods or claims, does not hold funds, and provides no guarantee of legality, quality, health, safety, delivery or payment. You are solely responsible for complying with all laws that apply to buying, selling, shipping or transporting animals, and for any dispute with another member. We may remove listings or restrict members at our discretion but have no duty to intervene. If you have a dispute with another member, you release the Covered Parties from all claims, demands and damages of every kind arising out of or connected with that dispute.
The kids’ learning hub is designed for children aged five (5) to twelve (12) and may be used only under a parent’s or legal guardian’s account. Children below the minimum account age (sixteen (16), or thirteen (13) in the United States) are not permitted to create their own accounts, post in the community or contact us directly. A parent or guardian who adds a child profile represents and warrants that they are that child’s parent or legal guardian, consents to the child using the hub under their supervision, accepts these Terms on the child’s behalf and is responsible for the child’s use. We collect only a first name and age for each child profile, store lesson progress against the parent’s account and never contact children directly. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information without a parent’s consent, tell us and we will delete it.
The Axolotl Ready certificate is an educational reward only. It is not a licence, qualification or guarantee that a child, or anyone else, can safely care for a live animal. Adult supervision is required for every “try it with a grown-up” task and for all contact with animals, water, chemicals and aquarium or electrical equipment. Parents and guardians accept full responsibility for their child’s safety and for any injury, illness, loss or damage arising from the child’s use of the hub or from anything the child does with an animal or aquarium.
Nothing on the Services, including care guides, articles, lessons, quizzes, product descriptions, dosage or treatment information, community posts, videos, emails, social posts, and anything said by Axel or by our team, is veterinary, medical, legal, financial or other professional advice, and no veterinarian-client-patient relationship is created. All content is provided for general information and educational purposes only and reflects our experience as breeders, not a professional opinion about your animal or your circumstances. It does not substitute for, and must not be used in place of, examination, diagnosis and treatment by a licensed veterinarian.
If your axolotl or any other animal is sick, injured or behaving abnormally, seek help from a qualified veterinarian promptly, and in an emergency contact an emergency animal hospital. Never delay, disregard or discontinue professional veterinary care because of something you read or heard on the Services. Medications, salt or tea baths, temperature changes, fridging, water treatments and every other intervention described on the Services carry risk, vary with the animal, the product and local regulations, and may be prescription-only or illegal to use on animals where you live; any intervention you carry out is done at your own risk and is your sole responsibility. Where content describes a medication or chemical, you must read and follow the manufacturer’s label and the law where you live.
You acknowledge that keeping live animals and aquariums involves inherent risks that cannot be eliminated, including illness, injury or death of animals; disease transmission between animals; bites or skin irritation; water leaks, flooding and water damage to property; electrical hazards from heaters, lights, pumps, chillers and filters; injuries from glass, chemicals and sharp objects; and the transmission of zoonotic diseases. Amphibians and aquarium water can carry Salmonella and other organisms that can make people ill, particularly young children, older adults, pregnant people and anyone with a weakened immune system. Wash your hands with soap after touching animals, water, tanks or equipment; never wash aquarium equipment in a kitchen sink; and never let children put hands or objects from the tank in their mouths.
You voluntarily assume all of these risks, and all risks of using an online service (including data loss, unauthorised access and inaccurate content), whether or not they are listed here and whether they arise from negligence or otherwise. You are solely responsible for the welfare of any animal in your care from the moment it is delivered or handed to you, for quarantining new animals away from existing ones, for the water quality, temperature and equipment of your aquarium, and for complying with animal-welfare and animal-keeping laws where you live. The Covered Parties are not responsible for the health, behaviour, growth, breeding or lifespan of any animal after delivery, or for any disease, injury or loss suffered by other animals, people or property.
Axel is an AI-powered assistant developed by A Lot’l Axolotls to provide general information about aquatic animal care, our products and your orders. Axel is an artificial intelligence, not a person, and it makes mistakes: it may produce information that is wrong, out of date, incomplete or inapplicable to your animal. Axel is provided “as is” and “as available” without any warranty. Axel is not a veterinarian, its responses are never veterinary advice, and the section “Not veterinary, medical or professional advice” applies to everything Axel says.
You are responsible for fact-checking and verifying anything Axel tells you and for consulting qualified professionals before acting on it. The Covered Parties are not liable for any misinformation, error or omission in Axel’s responses or for any loss, damage or consequence of relying on them. Axel may suggest products we sell or products sold by our partners; such suggestions are marketing, not independent advice. Do not share passwords, payment details, health information or other sensitive personal information with Axel. Conversations are recorded, processed by our AI provider and may be reviewed by our team. You may not use Axel to generate unlawful, harmful or infringing content, to attempt to extract its instructions or underlying models, or at a volume that interferes with the Services; we may rate-limit, suspend, modify or withdraw Axel at any time. Nothing Axel says creates, changes or waives any term of these Terms or of our written policies (including the Live Arrival Guarantee and shipping and refund terms); where Axel’s answer and a written page differ, the written page governs.
Some images, illustrations, video and text on the Services, including the Axel character, some lesson artwork and some drafts of articles, are created or assisted by artificial-intelligence tools and then reviewed by our team. Photographs of animals offered for sale are real photographs of our animals or animals we have raised unless stated otherwise, but AI-assisted images elsewhere on the Services are illustrative and must not be relied on as a depiction of any specific animal, product or result. We make no representation about the accuracy of AI-assisted content beyond the general disclaimers in these Terms.
Some products shown on the Services, in our community, in Axel’s suggestions or in our content are sold by third parties such as Amazon, Walmart and other retailers, marketplaces or manufacturers (“partner companies”). Links to those products may be affiliate links: if you click one and make a purchase, a member of the A Lot’l Group may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, A Lot’l Axolotls earns from qualifying purchases. We also participate in other affiliate, referral and advertising programs from time to time, and our affiliated companies may earn commissions on links from their sites to ours or from ours to theirs.
When you buy from a partner company you are contracting with that company, not with us. The A Lot’l Group does not manufacture, stock, inspect, test, ship or support those products, and the Covered Parties are not responsible for their price, availability, description, quality, safety, suitability for any animal, delivery, warranty, recalls, returns, refunds or customer service, or for the content, security, privacy practices or terms of any partner company’s website. Product information shown for third-party products is supplied by the partner company and may be inaccurate or out of date. Any affiliate link, “Buy on Amazon” button or partner listing is not an endorsement, recommendation or guarantee, and we make no representation that a third-party product is safe or appropriate for your animal. Any claim relating to a third-party product must be made against the partner company or manufacturer. The same applies to any retailer, breeder, wholesaler, courier, veterinarian or other business we mention, link to or work with.
We display advertising supplied by third-party advertising networks, including Google AdSense, on most pages of the Services other than our home page. Advertisements are selected by the network, not by us, and may be personalised as described in our Privacy Policy. The appearance of an advertisement is not an endorsement by the A Lot’l Group of the advertiser, its products or its claims. Your dealings with any advertiser, including payment, delivery and any representations or warranties, are solely between you and that advertiser, and the Covered Parties are not responsible for any loss or damage arising from them. We do not display advertising in the kids’ learning hub or on cart, checkout and account pages.
The Services contain links to, and embedded content from, third-party websites and platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Google, Gravatar, couriers and payment providers, and to the websites of our affiliated companies, each of which has its own terms and privacy policy. We do not control third-party services and the Covered Parties are not responsible for their content, availability, accuracy, security, cookies or privacy practices. Reviews and ratings shown on the Services are supplied by the individuals who wrote them or by the platform that hosts them and reflect their opinions, not ours; we do not verify them beyond what the hosting platform does.
Live axolotls are sold by quote, subject to availability, our approval and the shipping conditions below. Before requesting an axolotl you represent and warrant that: (a) it is legal to own, import, transport and keep an axolotl at your delivery address under every applicable federal, provincial, state, territorial and municipal law, and you hold any permit required; (b) you are an adult; (c) you have, or will have before delivery, an appropriately sized, fully cycled aquarium kept at a suitable temperature and the knowledge and means to care for the animal; and (d) the animal is for your own keeping and not for resale, fishing bait, laboratory use or release into the wild. Some jurisdictions restrict or prohibit axolotls; checking and complying with those laws is solely your responsibility, and the Covered Parties will not be liable for any animal that is delayed, seized, refused, quarantined or destroyed because of local law, nor for any fine or penalty imposed on you.
Axolotls are living creatures whose colour, pattern, size, sex, gill development, growth, temperament and behaviour vary and change over time. Photographs, morph names and descriptions are illustrative; we do not guarantee any specific appearance, sex, genetics, fertility, breeding outcome, growth rate or lifespan, and we do not guarantee that any animal is free of every disease or parasite. All descriptions of care, water parameters, tank mates and feeding are general guidance, not a guarantee of results. Newly arrived animals must be quarantined away from existing animals; the Covered Parties are not responsible for any illness transmitted to or from animals you already keep.
Title to and risk in an animal pass to you when it is delivered to the address you gave or handed to you at pick-up, subject only to the DOA and live arrival guarantee below. From that moment its health and welfare are your responsibility. Animals cannot be returned, exchanged or refunded except under the DOA guarantee. After-sale care support we provide is a courtesy, not an obligation or a warranty. We may decline, delay or cancel any animal order for any reason, including weather, courier availability, welfare concerns or doubts about legality, and will refund any amount paid for a cancelled animal order.
A quote is an invitation to purchase, not an offer, and is valid for the period stated in it (seven (7) days if none is stated). An order for an animal is formed only when we have received payment in full, or a deposit if we agree to one, and have confirmed the animal and a shipping or pick-up date in writing. Until then we may sell the animal to someone else or withdraw the quote. Deposits are non-refundable if you cancel or fail to complete payment or to accept delivery on the agreed date, because we reserve and stop offering the animal once a deposit is paid; they are refunded in full if we cancel. If you ask to postpone shipping after a date is confirmed, we may charge for continued care and re-quote if the animal’s size or availability changes. Prices quoted are exclusive of shipping, taxes and any permit or inspection fees unless the quote says otherwise.
Where we offer local pick-up, it is by appointment only, at a location and time we confirm in writing. You (or an adult you name in advance) must show identification, inspect the animal or goods before accepting them and sign or confirm acceptance. Acceptance at pick-up ends any claim about the condition or appearance of the animal or goods; the DOA guarantee does not apply to animals collected in person, and you are responsible for transporting them safely and promptly. If you do not attend a confirmed pick-up and do not give at least twenty-four (24) hours’ notice, we may charge a rebooking fee or cancel the order and keep any deposit. Pick-up locations are not retail premises and are not open to the public.
Our foods, salts, treatments and other supplies are for aquarium and animal use only and are not for human consumption. Store them as directed, keep them away from children, and follow the feeding rates and instructions on the packaging and on the product page. Nutritional information is provided in good faith from our suppliers’ analyses and may vary between batches. Product images, packaging and formulations may change. You are responsible for deciding whether a product is suitable for your animal, for using it as directed and for any consequence of misuse, overdose, incorrect storage or use with a species or in a way we do not describe. Where a product page says a product is for a species other than axolotls, it is not sold as axolotl food. Report any suspected product problem to us promptly with the batch details so we can investigate.
Photographs and renders of products on the Services are illustrative. Many are generated or staged to represent the item and are provided for example purposes only. The live product you receive — including any live animal — will resemble the image but will not be an exact match: colour, pattern, markings, size, packaging and presentation vary naturally, between individual animals and between production batches. Images do not form part of the description of the goods or of any contract, and no claim may be based on a difference between an image and the product delivered, except where the item delivered is a different product from the one named in your order.
Prices are shown and charged in Canadian dollars (CAD) for delivery addresses in Canada and in United States dollars (USD) for delivery addresses in the United States, based on the delivery address you provide at checkout. The currency shown while browsing is an estimate until an address is entered, and where a CAD price is derived from a USD price the conversion rate is set by us and may differ from bank or market rates. Prices, shipping rates, promotions and availability may change without notice and do not include taxes, duties or permit fees unless stated. Despite our best efforts, a product may occasionally be listed at an incorrect price, with incorrect stock or with incorrect information; we may cancel or refuse any order placed on the basis of an error, even after it has been confirmed or charged, and will refund any amount paid for a cancelled order.
Payment is processed by third-party providers under their own terms; we do not see or store full card numbers. By submitting payment you confirm that you are authorised to use the payment method. We may cancel any order that we suspect is fraudulent, that fails verification or that would breach these Terms, and may refuse future orders from the same person, address or payment method. Your order is accepted only when it has shipped or, for animals, when we have confirmed the shipment date; an order confirmation email is an acknowledgement, not acceptance.
If you have a problem with an order, contact us first; most issues are resolved quickly. Starting a chargeback or payment dispute for an order you received, for a DOA claim outside the guarantee conditions, or without first giving us a reasonable chance to resolve the problem is a breach of these Terms. Where a chargeback is reversed or found to be without basis, you agree to reimburse us for the amount disputed and any fees and reasonable costs we incur, and we may suspend your account, void points and credits, and refuse future orders until the amount is paid.
We ship live animals only within Canada and the contiguous United States, by next-day or second-day courier (currently Reptile Express and Reptile Runner; Canada Post is not used for animals), on Mondays to Wednesdays only so no animal sits in a depot over a weekend, and only when weather, courier and welfare conditions allow; we may hold a shipment for those reasons and will tell you the new date. We ship food and supplies to Canada, the United States and its territories (including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam and the US Virgin Islands) and, for most products, worldwide, subject to carrier availability and the laws of the destination. Couriers and delivery services are independent contractors, not our agents.
Title to and risk of loss for goods pass to you when the goods are delivered to the shipping carrier, except as provided under Package coverage and the DOA and live arrival guarantee below and except where consumer-protection law requires otherwise. Delivery dates and transit times are estimates only; carrier delays, weather, customs holds and events beyond our control are not our responsibility and do not entitle you to cancel an order once it has shipped. You must provide a safe, accessible delivery address where an adult can receive live animals on the first delivery attempt.
Customs, import duties, brokerage fees and taxes may be applied to international orders when the shipment reaches its destination. Such charges are the responsibility of the recipient, vary from country to country and are determined by the customs office at the time of import; contact your local customs office for details. Import laws are different in each country. It is your responsibility to check with your customs office or local authorities whether the destination permits the products you order, and any shipment refused, seized or destroyed for that reason is not refundable. The Covered Parties are not responsible for any direct, indirect, punitive or consequential damages that arise from international shipping, import restrictions or customs delays. We do not ship live animals outside Canada and the contiguous United States.
When placing an order, ensure the address you provide is written correctly and in full; we copy it to the package exactly as received and are not responsible for addresses submitted incorrectly or for parcels delivered to an address you gave. If a shipment is returned because the address was wrong, incomplete or undeliverable, or because nobody was available to receive it, you must pay the courier’s return charge and the shipping cost to resend it before we ship again; if free shipping was originally offered, a shipping fee now applies. Your transaction is incomplete and payment is outstanding until these amounts are paid and cleared. Live animals returned for these reasons are not covered by the DOA guarantee, and we may keep or rehome them.
Standard coverage. Every tracked shipment of goods ordered through the Services includes the carrier’s standard coverage at no charge: up to $100 (one hundred dollars in the currency of your order) for goods lost or damaged while in the carrier’s possession, plus the shipping fees paid. This coverage is standard on every order and needs no action from you.
Additional package coverage (optional). When the goods in your order are worth more than $100, checkout offers additional package coverage for the full value of the order. The fee is the carrier’s own declared-value rate for the amount above $100, calculated from the value of your order and shown before you place it (for example, CA$2.75 for each further CA$100 or part with Canada Post, or US$2.80 for the first band with USPS), up to the carrier’s maximum of $5,000 per package. The fee is charged in the currency of your order, is taxed in the same way as the delivery it extends, and is not refundable once the package has shipped. Additional coverage is a carrier service for that delivery only: it covers loss of the package, or damage to its contents, while in the carrier’s possession, up to the covered amount, and nothing else. It is not insurance underwritten by us; it does not extend the DOA and live arrival guarantee; and it does not cover live animals, delays, packages refused or left unclaimed, damage after delivery, items excluded by the carrier’s conditions of carriage, or an address you gave incorrectly. Where the carrier requires a signature for the covered amount (Canada Post from CA$200), a signature will be required on delivery, and a package that cannot be signed for may be held for pick-up or returned at your cost. Orders worth $100 or less are fully covered by the standard coverage and are not offered additional coverage. Live animals are never sold or shipped through checkout: they are quoted and invoiced separately and travel by a dedicated live-animal courier, so package coverage does not apply to them; their only coverage is the DOA and live arrival guarantee below.
Claims. Damage under either coverage must be reported within forty-eight (48) hours of the delivery time recorded by the carrier, and a missing package within seventy-two (72) hours of the delivery time recorded by the carrier or, if it never shows as delivered, of its last tracking update, in each case by email or contact form, with your order number and photographs of the packaging and contents. We submit the claim to the carrier; you agree to keep the packaging and the damaged goods until the claim is settled and to provide any statement the carrier requires. Coverage is paid as a non-expiring store credit that can be used immediately to replace the items or saved for later, except where the law requires a refund to the original payment method. Coverage does not apply to packages the carrier records as delivered to the address you gave, or to damage caused after delivery.
We charge sales tax on goods ordered through the Services based on the applicable federal, provincial, state or local rate and the location to which the order is shipped. Where we are not required to collect tax in your jurisdiction, you are responsible for any use tax or other tax that applies.
Live animals travel under a separate invoice through a dedicated live-animal courier, arranged with you directly; the package coverage described above applies to parcels of goods only and never to animals. In the unlikely event that an axolotl arrives dead (DOA), we will replace it or credit its purchase price up to $100 CAD (one hundred Canadian dollars) per animal. Shipping charges are not refunded and are not covered. On request only, and for a small fee agreed before shipping, a higher coverage amount can be arranged. The guarantee applies only if all of the following are met: (a) the shipment was sent by next-day or second-day courier on a date we set, without a change of method, date or address requested by you; (b) an adult signed for or received the package on the first delivery attempt, and it was not held at a depot, redirected or left unattended; (c) you contact us within one (1) hour of the delivery time recorded by the courier, by email or contact form, with clear photographs or video showing the animal deceased in its unopened shipping bag; and (d) you keep the animal and packaging until we have reviewed the claim. We may not reply instantly, but a timestamp within that hour is sufficient.
The covered amount is issued as a non-expiring store credit, not to the original payment method, and can be used immediately to replace the animal or saved for later; you pay shipping for the replacement at the invoiced cost. The guarantee does not cover animals that die after arrival for any reason, including water quality, temperature, tank set-up, handling, feeding, stress or illness that develops after delivery; animals collected at pick-up; animals held, delayed, refused or seized by a carrier, customs or an authority; or shipments to an address or in conditions we advised against. Making a false DOA claim is fraud and will result in account closure and recovery of any credit issued.
All sales are final. Refunds and store credits are approved on an individual basis under the DOA guarantee, Package coverage, for items we cancel or that are out of stock, or where the law requires. Except where the law requires a refund to the original payment method, refunds are issued as store credit. Food, water treatments, medications, salt and other consumables cannot be returned once opened, and live animals cannot be returned at all. Any return we agree to must be authorised in writing first, sent back in original condition at your cost within fourteen (14) days of authorisation, and may be subject to a restocking fee. Nothing in this policy limits rights you have under consumer-protection law that cannot be excluded; where such a right applies, it applies to the extent the law requires and no further.
Promotions, coupons, free-product offers, referral rewards and review programs are available while stocks last, may be limited to one per person or household, may exclude live animals, gift cards and third-party products, may be changed or withdrawn at any time, and cannot be combined unless we say so. We may refuse, cancel or claw back a promotional benefit obtained through error, abuse, multiple accounts or a breach of these Terms. Where we offer a free or discounted product in exchange for a review, you must disclose that fact in your review and give your honest opinion; we never require a positive review, and your review must comply with the rules of the platform on which you post it. Gift cards and store credits are not redeemable for cash except where the law requires, are not replaced if lost or stolen, may be used only on this website, and may not be resold.
Wholesale, retailer and other trade pricing is available only to approved business customers, is confidential and must not be published or shared. Trade orders are subject to minimum quantities, separate payment terms and any written agreement we sign with you; if that agreement conflicts with these Terms, the agreement governs the trade relationship. Trade customers are responsible for their own resale, labelling, import and consumer-law compliance and for any claim by their own customers. We may revoke trade status at any time.
We may change, suspend, restrict or discontinue any part of the Services, including features, content, products, the rewards program, the community and Axel, at any time and without liability to you. The Services may be unavailable from time to time for maintenance, upgrades, outages or reasons beyond our control. We do not guarantee that the Services will be uninterrupted, timely, secure or error-free, that defects will be corrected, or that any content, order history, points balance or User Content will be preserved. You are responsible for keeping your own copies of anything you need.
The Covered Parties are not liable for any delay or failure to perform caused by events beyond their reasonable control, including extreme weather or temperatures unsafe for shipping animals, natural disasters, fire, flood, disease outbreaks or quarantine measures, epidemics, courier or postal failures, customs or border actions, government orders, labour disputes, power or internet outages, cyber-attacks, hosting or payment-provider failures, or shortages of animals, food or materials. Where such an event affects an order, we will tell you and, where possible, offer a new date or a refund of amounts paid for goods not shipped.
THE SERVICES, ALL CONTENT, AXEL, THE COMMUNITY, OUR PRODUCTS AND EVERY ANIMAL ARE PROVIDED “AS IS”, “WITH ALL FAULTS” AND “AS AVAILABLE”. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE COVERED PARTIES DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, CONDITIONS AND REPRESENTATIONS OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY, MERCHANTABLE QUALITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, DURABILITY, TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, ACCURACY, QUIET ENJOYMENT AND THOSE ARISING FROM A COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE OF TRADE. We do not warrant that content is accurate, complete or current; that the Services will meet your needs or operate without interruption or error; that any animal, product or piece of advice will produce any result; or that the Services are free of viruses or harmful components. Any warranty for a third-party product is given by its manufacturer or seller, not by us. No advice or information, oral or written, obtained from any Covered Party creates any warranty not expressly stated in these Terms. The only guarantees we give are the DOA and live arrival guarantee and Package coverage, on the conditions stated above.
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT WILL THE COVERED PARTIES BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANYONE ELSE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS OF ANIMALS, LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, BUSINESS, GOODWILL, DATA OR USE, PROPERTY DAMAGE (INCLUDING WATER OR ELECTRICAL DAMAGE), PERSONAL INJURY, ILLNESS, VETERINARY OR MEDICAL COSTS, OR THE COST OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS, THE SERVICES, ANY CONTENT, AXEL, THE COMMUNITY, ANY MEMBER, ANY PARTNER COMPANY OR ADVERTISER, OR ANY PRODUCT OR ANIMAL, WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), STRICT LIABILITY, STATUTE OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, AND WHETHER OR NOT A COVERED PARTY WAS ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF ALL COVERED PARTIES TOGETHER, FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICES, WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US FOR THE SPECIFIC PRODUCT, ANIMAL OR SERVICE GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS BEFORE THE CLAIM AROSE AND (B) ONE HUNDRED CANADIAN DOLLARS ($100 CAD). These limitations are fundamental elements of the bargain between you and us, apply even if a remedy fails of its essential purpose, and apply to every Covered Party. Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain warranties or damages; in those jurisdictions the Covered Parties’ liability is limited to the greatest extent the law permits, and nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot be excluded by law.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, you release and forever discharge the Covered Parties from any and all claims, demands, losses, damages, rights and actions of any kind, known or unknown, suspected or unsuspected, that arise out of or relate to: your keeping of any animal or aquarium; any dispute or interaction with another member, a partner company, an advertiser, a courier or any other third party; any content, advice or information obtained through the Services; and any use of the Services. If you are a California resident, you waive California Civil Code section 1542, which says: “A general release does not extend to claims that the creditor or releasing party does not know or suspect to exist in his or her favor at the time of executing the release and that, if known by him or her, would have materially affected his or her settlement with the debtor or released party.”
You agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless the Covered Parties from and against any and all claims, demands, suits, proceedings, losses, liabilities, damages, judgments, settlements, fines, penalties, costs and expenses, including reasonable legal fees and costs, arising out of or related to: (a) your use of the Services or any product, animal or service obtained through them; (b) any animal you obtain from us, from a member or through the Services, including its escape, illness, death or transmission of disease, and any injury, illness or damage it causes; (c) your User Content, messages or conduct, including any claim that your User Content infringes or violates the rights of any person; (d) your breach of these Terms or of any representation or warranty in them, including any misrepresentation of your age, identity, location or the legality of keeping an animal; (e) your violation of any law, regulation or permit requirement, including laws on owning, selling, importing or transporting animals; (f) any chargeback or payment dispute you bring in breach of these Terms; (g) a child’s use of the Services under your account; and (h) your dealings with any member, partner company or advertiser. We may assume the exclusive defence and control of any matter subject to indemnification, at your expense, and you agree to cooperate with us. You may not settle any claim involving a Covered Party without our written consent.
Talk to us first. If you have a dispute with us, email info@alotlaxolotls.ca with your name, order or account details and a description of the problem and what you want. We will do the same if we have a dispute with you. Both sides agree to try in good faith to resolve the dispute informally for at least thirty (30) days before starting any formal proceeding.
Arbitration. To the extent permitted by the law that applies to you, any dispute, claim or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms, the Services, or any product or animal that is not resolved informally will be finally resolved by binding arbitration before a single neutral arbitrator in Ontario, Canada, administered under the rules of a recognised Canadian arbitration institution agreed by the parties (or, failing agreement, the ADR Institute of Canada), conducted in English, with the arbitrator’s award final and binding and enforceable in any court of competent jurisdiction. Either party may instead bring an individual claim in a small-claims court with jurisdiction. Nothing in this section prevents either party from seeking injunctive or other equitable relief in court for infringement or misuse of intellectual property or unauthorised access to the Services.
No class actions. To the fullest extent permitted by law, you and we agree that disputes are personal to you and us and will be resolved only on an individual basis, and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class, collective, consolidated or representative proceeding.
Consumers. If you are a consumer in a jurisdiction (including Ontario and Quebec) whose law gives you the right to bring a claim in court or to join a class proceeding despite an arbitration agreement, nothing in this section takes that right away. Time limit. To the extent the law allows, any claim must be started within one (1) year after it arises or it is permanently barred.
We may suspend or terminate your access to all or part of the Services, remove content, cancel orders, void rewards points, coupons and store credits, refuse future orders and close your account at any time, with or without notice, if we believe you have breached these Terms, acted abusively toward our team or other members, engaged in fraud or a chargeback in breach of these Terms, posed a risk to any animal or person, or for any other reason at our discretion. You may close your account at any time by contacting us; unused points and credits are forfeited on closure. Termination does not affect orders already paid for and shipped or any amount you owe us. Sections that by their nature should survive termination, including definitions, intellectual property, your content licence, assumption of risk, disclaimers, limitation of liability, release, indemnification, dispute resolution and governing law, continue to apply.
We may modify or replace these Terms at any time. The “last updated” date at the top of this page shows when they last changed, and for material changes we will also post a notice on the Services or email account holders before the change takes effect. It is your responsibility to review these Terms periodically. Your continued use of the Services after a change takes effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms; if you do not agree, stop using the Services and close your account. Orders are governed by the Terms in force when the order was placed.
These Terms, and any dispute arising out of or relating to them or the Services, are governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable in Ontario, without regard to conflict-of-law rules, and excluding the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. Subject to the Dispute resolution section, you and we submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Ontario, Canada, and waive any objection to venue there, and both parties waive trial by jury to the extent permitted by law. If mandatory consumer-protection law in your province, state or country gives you additional rights or a different forum that cannot be waived, those rules apply to that extent only.
Void where prohibited. Not all products, animals or services are available to all persons or in all locations. We may limit the provision of any product or service to any person, geographic area or jurisdiction and limit quantities, and any offer is void where prohibited. Entire agreement. These Terms, the Privacy Policy and any product-specific terms we publish are the entire agreement between you and us about the Services and supersede all prior or contemporaneous communications and proposals. Severability. If any provision is found unenforceable, it will be enforced to the maximum extent permitted and the remaining provisions remain in full force. No waiver. Our failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of it or of any other provision. Assignment. You may not assign or transfer these Terms or your account; we may assign them to any member of the A Lot’l Group or to a successor of our business without notice. No agency. Nothing in these Terms creates a partnership, joint venture, employment, franchise or agency relationship between you and any Covered Party. Third-party beneficiaries. Except for the Covered Parties, who may enforce these Terms, no third party has any rights under them. Language. These Terms are drafted in English; if they are translated, the English version governs to the extent the law allows, and you confirm that you have asked that this agreement and related documents be drafted in English. Headings and interpretation. Headings are for convenience only; “including” means “including without limitation”.
Questions about these Terms can be sent to info@alotlaxolotls.ca or through our contact page. A Lot’l Axolotls is an online business headquartered in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada.
This Privacy Policy explains what personal information A Lot’l Axolotls and its affiliated companies (together, the “A Lot’l Group”, “we”, “us”) collect when you use alotlaxolotls.ca, including the shop, The Lot’l Pond community, the Learn hub, the kids’ learning hub, Axel the AI assistant, our forms and our newsletters (together, the “Services”), how we use and share it, how advertising and cookies work on the site, and the choices and rights you have. Last updated: September 14, 2026.
A Lot’l Axolotls is a registered axolotl breeder and aquarium supplier headquartered in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. We are the organisation responsible for the personal information collected through the Services. We have designated a privacy officer who is accountable for our compliance with this policy and with privacy law.
Questions, access requests, corrections, complaints or withdrawal of consent can be sent to our privacy officer at info@alotlaxolotls.ca or through our contact form. We aim to respond within 30 days.
“Affiliated companies” means Axolotl City (axolotlcity.com) and every parent, subsidiary, sister brand, joint venture or other business owned or controlled by, or under common ownership or control with, A Lot’l Axolotls, now or in the future. Together with A Lot’l Axolotls they form the A Lot’l Group. Some Services are shared across the group: The Lot’l Pond community serves members of both A Lot’l Axolotls and Axolotl City, our mailing list may carry news from any member of the group, and customer support, order fulfilment, technology and administration may be provided by any member of the group on behalf of the others.
Personal information collected by one member of the A Lot’l Group may be shared with and used by the other members for the purposes described in this policy, under the same protections, and each member of the group is bound by this policy. Where an affiliated company publishes its own privacy policy for its own website, that policy applies to information collected there; this policy applies to information collected through the Services described above and to information shared within the group. Our privacy officer is the single point of contact for privacy requests about any member of the group. Axolotl City’s own Terms of Service and Privacy Policy are at axolotlcity.com/terms.
Information you give us. When you create an account, place an order, request a quote, submit a form, join the newsletter, claim a promotion, post in the community or chat with Axel, we collect what you provide: your name, email address, delivery and billing address, order details, the content of your messages, quote requests and form submissions, uploaded files (such as review screenshots), and your community profile (username, display name, profile picture, and any optional profile fields you fill in, such as location, the morphs you keep or your tank size).
Signing in with Google. If you choose “Continue with Google”, Google sends us your name, email address and profile picture and confirms that the address is yours; we never receive or store your Google password. Your use of Google sign-in is also governed by Google’s privacy policy.
Payment information. Payments are processed by PayPal. We never see or store your full card number. We receive confirmation of payment, the amount, and the name and address associated with the payment.
Child profiles. If you use the kids’ learning hub, we collect only the first name and age of each child profile you create as the parent or guardian, together with lesson and quiz progress. See “Children and the kids’ learning hub” below.
Information collected automatically. When you visit the site we and our service providers log your IP address, approximate location derived from it (country or region, used to show prices in the right currency and to shape what is shipped where), browser and device type, the pages you view, referring links, and the date and time of your visit. Cookies and similar technologies are described below.
Rewards and activity records. Points earned and redeemed, orders placed, subscriptions, form submissions, community posts, reactions, friend connections and private messages are stored so the Services work and so we can help you when something goes wrong.
We use personal information to: process and deliver orders and quotes; create and manage your account, membership, rewards points and subscriptions; run The Lot’l Pond community and the kids’ learning hub; answer questions, including through Axel; send order confirmations, delivery updates, account notices and other service messages; send marketing emails and care tips when you have consented; show prices and shipping options for your region; keep the Services safe (fraud prevention, spam filtering, moderation, enforcing our Terms of Service); understand how the site is used so we can improve it; display advertising on Learn articles as described below; and meet our legal and tax obligations.
We do not sell personal information, we do not use the personal information of children for advertising or profiling, and we do not make decisions about you using automated processing alone that would have legal or similarly significant effects on you.
Under Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and provincial privacy laws, we collect, use and disclose personal information with your knowledge and consent, except where the law permits or requires otherwise. Your consent may be express (for example ticking the mailing-list box or creating a child profile) or implied by your actions (for example providing your address so we can ship an order). You can withdraw consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice, by contacting us; withdrawing consent may mean we can no longer provide some Services.
Where the EU or UK General Data Protection Regulation applies, our legal bases are: performance of a contract (orders, accounts, community, kids’ hub); your consent (marketing emails, advertising and analytics cookies, child profiles); our legitimate interests in running, securing and improving the Services; and compliance with legal obligations.
Cookies are small text files stored on your device. We use them for three purposes.
Strictly necessary cookies make the site work and cannot be switched off in our tools: your login session, your shopping cart and checkout session, the currency and shipping region you have chosen (alotl_region), the community “app view” preference (alotl_view), the active child profile in the kids’ hub (alotl_kid, which holds only a profile number), security tokens and your cookie-consent choices.
Analytics cookies (Google Analytics 4) help us understand which pages are useful. In the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland they are set only after you agree; elsewhere they are on by default and you can switch them off at any time through “Your privacy choices” in the footer.
Advertising cookies are set by Google and its partners when ads are shown, as described in the next section. For every visitor they are used to cap how often an ad appears, to report on ads in aggregate and to prevent fraud; they are used to personalise ads only where the next section says so.
Visitors in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland see a consent banner before any analytics cookie is set, and Google’s own message for advertising. Everyone can change their choices at any time through “Your privacy choices” in the footer. You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings; the site will still work, but you may need to sign in again or re-select your region.
We use Google AdSense to display advertising on most pages of our site, other than the home page. Advertising helps keep our care guides free. Ads are never shown in the kids’ learning hub, in the cart, checkout or account pages, or in private areas of the community. Outside Europe, ads are shown to every visitor; what changes is whether they are personalised. In the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, Google asks for your consent first through its own message and, depending on your answer, may show limited ads or none. In Quebec, ads are not personalised unless you turn personalisation on (Quebec’s Law 25 requires this), and the same applies to any visitor in Canada whose province cannot be determined. Elsewhere, including the rest of Canada and the United States, ads may be personalised unless you turn personalisation off through “Your privacy choices” in the footer or your browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal. To tell provinces apart, when a visitor in Canada first interacts with a page that has ads (unless they have already made a choice or their browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal), their browser asks a location service run by Axolotl City, our affiliated company, on Cloudflare’s network; it receives the visitor’s IP address and returns only the country and province.
Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user’s prior visits to this website or other websites. Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to our site and/or other sites on the Internet. Where you have not consented to personalised advertising, or where the law does not permit it, Google serves non-personalised ads, which rely on contextual information and may still use cookies for frequency capping, aggregated reporting and fraud prevention.
You may opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings. You can opt out of some third-party vendors’ use of cookies for personalised advertising at aboutads.info/choices (Digital Advertising Alliance), youradchoices.ca (Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada) and, in Europe, youronlinechoices.eu. Information on how Google uses data when you use our site is available at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites. Third-party ad networks and vendors that may serve ads on the site are listed by Google at support.google.com/adsense/answer/9012903.
Our publisher relationship with Google is declared in our ads.txt file. We do not pass Google your name, email address or other information that identifies you.
Some links on this site are affiliate links. A Lot’l Axolotls is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and the Amazon.ca Associates Program, affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. When you click an affiliate link, the partner (for example Amazon) may set its own cookies to attribute the referral; those cookies are governed by the partner’s privacy policy, and the partner does not share your personal information or purchase details with us.
We share personal information within the A Lot’l Group as described under “Affiliated companies”, and otherwise only with service providers that help us run the Services, and only what they need. They are contractually required to protect it and to use it only for the services they provide to us. They currently include: our web host (GoDaddy Managed WordPress); PayPal for payments; delivery carriers, who receive your name, address and contact details to deliver orders; our email delivery provider, which sends order, account and newsletter emails; Google, for advertising (see above) and for YouTube videos embedded on our media page (loaded in privacy-enhanced mode only after you press play); Gravatar, if you have linked a Gravatar image to your email address and have not uploaded a community profile picture; and the artificial-intelligence provider that powers Axel (see “Axel, The AI”).
The Lot’l Pond is a shared community for A Lot’l Axolotls and our sister site, Axolotl City. Public community content (topic titles, excerpts, board names, your display name and public profile picture, and reply counts) is published through a feed that appears on axolotlcity.com. Private messages, email addresses and account details are never included.
We may also disclose information when the law requires it, to protect our rights, customers or the public, to investigate fraud or abuse, or as part of a business transfer, in which case this policy would continue to apply.
Anything you post in the community (topics, replies, activity updates, photos, documents and profile fields marked public) is visible to other visitors and may be indexed by search engines. Your display name and profile picture appear alongside your posts. You control the visibility of optional profile fields in your profile settings. Private messages are visible only to the participants, but may be reviewed by our moderators when a message is reported or when we investigate abuse. To limit spam, new accounts must wait 48 hours before sending private messages. You can block or report other members from their profile. Content you delete is removed from public view, but copies may remain in backups for a limited time and quotes by other members may persist.
Accounts may only be created by people who are at least sixteen (16) years old, or at least thirteen (13) in the United States. We ask for a date of birth and country at registration and keep them only to enforce this rule. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children below those ages, and we will delete such information if we learn of it.
The kids’ learning hub (ages 5–12) is designed so that children never need their own account or give us any information. A verified parent or guardian creates up to six child profiles under their own account, providing only the child’s first name and age, and can edit or delete a profile at any time from their account. Lesson and quiz progress is saved against that profile so a child can pick up where they left off and earn a printable certificate. We do not show advertising, use advertising or analytics cookies, or collect any behavioural data on kids’ hub pages, and we never contact children directly. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information without a parent’s consent, contact us and we will remove it.
Axel is an AI assistant. Your messages, Axel’s replies and, if you are signed in, the order and rewards information Axel looks up on your behalf are processed by a third-party AI provider (currently Anthropic) to generate replies, and are stored by us so we can review the quality of Axel’s answers, improve the Services and follow up on requests you ask us to handle. Please do not share passwords, payment details or other sensitive information with Axel. Conversations may be reviewed by our staff.
We send updates, promotions and care tips only to people who have joined our mailing list, created an account or made a purchase, in accordance with Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) and other applicable law. Every marketing email includes an unsubscribe link, and you can also change your email preferences under My Account → Account details or by contacting us. Unsubscribing does not stop transactional emails such as order confirmations or password resets.
Our website is hosted in the United States and our business operates from Canada, so your information may be stored and processed in both countries and, through our service providers, in other countries where they operate. While it is outside Canada, information may be accessible to the authorities of that country under its laws. We use contractual and technical safeguards to protect information wherever it is processed.
We keep personal information only as long as needed for the purposes described here and to meet legal obligations. Order, payment and tax records are kept for seven years as required by Canadian tax law. Account and community data are kept while your account is active and deleted or anonymised on request or after a prolonged period of inactivity. Form submissions and quote requests are kept for up to three years so we can follow up. Axel conversations are kept for up to twelve months. Backups are retained for a limited period before being overwritten.
We protect personal information with safeguards appropriate to its sensitivity, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), hashed passwords, access controls, managed hosting with regular backups, and staff access limited to what is needed. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure; if a breach creates a real risk of significant harm, we will notify affected people and the appropriate regulators as the law requires.
You can ask to access the personal information we hold about you, to correct it, to delete it, to receive a copy of it in a portable format, or to withdraw your consent. You can update most account information yourself under My Account, manage child profiles from the kids’ hub, control your community profile from The Lot’l Pond, unsubscribe from marketing emails, and manage advertising cookies through the consent tools and the opt-out links in the Advertising section. To exercise any other right, email our privacy officer. We may need to verify your identity first. We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights.
Canada. If you are not satisfied with our response to a privacy concern, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (priv.gc.ca) or your provincial commissioner.
Quebec. In accordance with the Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector (Law 25), technologies that profile you, such as personalised advertising, are turned off by default for visitors from Quebec until you enable them (and for any visitor in Canada whose province cannot be determined), you can switch analytics off at any time through “Your privacy choices”, our privacy officer is the person in charge of the protection of personal information, and you may request that we stop disseminating your personal information or de-index it in the circumstances the Act provides.
United States. Residents of California and other states with consumer privacy laws have the right to know what personal information we collect, to delete it, to correct it, and to opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of personal information and of targeted advertising. We do not sell personal information. Advertising cookies used for personalised ads may count as “sharing” under California law; you can opt out through the consent banner or the “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” link when it is shown, through the opt-out links in the Advertising section, or by contacting us. Where an ad request is made without consent for personalised ads, Google’s restricted data processing applies. We honour the Global Privacy Control browser signal as an opt-out request where the law requires it. We do not knowingly sell or share the personal information of anyone under 16.
European Economic Area, United Kingdom and Switzerland. You have the rights described above, plus the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests, to restrict processing, and to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. Advertising and analytics cookies are set only after you give consent through the consent banner, which uses the IAB Transparency and Consent Framework, and you can withdraw consent through the same banner at any time.
We may update this policy as the Services and the law change. The date at the top shows when it was last revised, and material changes will be announced on the site or by email to account holders before they take effect. Continued use of the Services after a change means you accept the revised policy.
This page holds the two agreements that govern your relationship with A Lot’l Axolotls and its affiliated companies: Part 1, the Terms of Service, and Part 2, the Privacy Policy. Together they form one agreement; by using our websites, buying from us or joining our community you accept both. Our affiliated company Axolotl City publishes the matching agreement for its own website at axolotlcity.com/terms. Last updated: September 14, 2026.
These Terms of Service (the “Terms”) are a binding agreement between you and A Lot’l Axolotls and its affiliated companies (defined below). They govern your use of alotlaxolotls.ca, the shop, The Lot’l Pond community, the Learn hub, the kids’ learning hub, Axel the AI assistant, our forms, newsletters, social channels and every other product or service we provide (together, the “Services”), and every purchase of goods or live animals from us. Please read them carefully; they contain a limitation of liability, an assumption of risk, an indemnity, a dispute-resolution clause and rules about live animals. Last updated: September 14, 2026.
“A Lot’l Axolotls”, “we”, “us” and “our” mean A Lot’l Axolotls, an online business headquartered in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada, together with its affiliated companies. “Affiliated companies” means Axolotl City (axolotlcity.com) and every parent, subsidiary, sister brand, joint venture or other business that is owned or controlled by, or under common ownership or control with, A Lot’l Axolotls now or in the future, in any jurisdiction (together, the “A Lot’l Group”).
“Covered Parties” means every member of the A Lot’l Group and each of their respective owners, directors, officers, employees, contractors, volunteers, moderators, agents, licensors, suppliers, successors and assigns. Every disclaimer, limitation of liability, assumption of risk, release and indemnity in these Terms is given for the benefit of all Covered Parties, each of whom may enforce it directly as an intended third-party beneficiary.
“You” means the person using the Services or buying from us and, where you act for a business, that business as well. “Services” and “Terms” have the meanings given above. “Content” means text, images, video, audio, code, data, lessons, guides, product listings and everything else made available through the Services.
By accessing, browsing or interacting with the Services in any way, including viewing content, placing an order, requesting a quote, creating an account, joining the community, using the kids’ learning hub, chatting with Axel, submitting a form, subscribing to a newsletter, redeeming points, buying from a partner link or clicking any link on the site, you confirm that you have read, understood and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated by reference. Ticking a box, clicking a button labelled “Register”, “Place order”, “Request a quote”, “Submit” or similar, or continuing to use the Services after an update, has the same legal effect as a handwritten signature. If you do not agree, you must not use the Services.
These Terms apply each time you use the Services and to every order, whether placed online, by email, by quote, at a local pick-up or through a member of the A Lot’l Group. Where a specific product, promotion or program has its own terms, those terms apply in addition to these; if they conflict, the specific terms govern that product only.
You must be at least eighteen (18) years old, or the age of majority where you live, to place an order, request a quote, buy or redeem anything, or enter into any other transaction through the Services, and by doing so you represent that you meet this requirement and have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms. To create an account and use the community you must be at least sixteen (16) years old, or at least thirteen (13) if you live in the United States; we ask for your date of birth and country when you register and refuse accounts below those ages. Younger visitors may use the Services only through, and under the direct supervision of, a parent or legal guardian who accepts these Terms on their behalf and is responsible for their conduct.
You agree to provide true, accurate, current and complete information when you register, order or request a quote, and to keep it up to date. We may ask for proof of identity, age or address before accepting an order for a live animal or releasing a high-value order, and may cancel any order where we cannot verify it. You are responsible for keeping your password confidential and for all activity under your account, whether or not you authorised it, until you tell us in writing that your account has been compromised. One person may hold one account; we may merge or close duplicate accounts, and we may refuse or revoke an account at our discretion.
You agree not to, and not to help anyone else to: (a) use the Services for any unlawful purpose or in breach of any law, including laws on the ownership, sale, import or transport of animals; (b) misrepresent your identity, age, location or the legality of keeping an axolotl where you live; (c) access, tamper with or use non-public areas of the Services, our systems or those of our providers; (d) probe, scan or test the vulnerability of any system or breach any security measure; (e) use any robot, spider, scraper, crawler, headless browser or other automated means to access, copy or index the Services, or to harvest emails, member profiles or content; (f) copy, reproduce, download or use our content, product data, photographs or lesson material to train, fine-tune or evaluate any machine-learning or AI system, or to build a competing dataset, product or service; (g) frame, mirror or deep-link to the Services for commercial purposes; (h) reverse-engineer, decompile or attempt to extract the source of Axel or any part of the Services; (i) interfere with or disrupt the Services, servers or networks, or impose an unreasonable load on them; (j) upload viruses, malware or harmful code; (k) impersonate any person or Covered Party, or misrepresent your affiliation with anyone; (l) send spam, chain messages or unsolicited commercial messages; (m) buy, sell or transfer accounts, points, credits or coupons; (n) abuse a promotion, referral, rewards or review program; or (o) use the Services to harm, harass, stalk or exploit any person, including a child.
We may investigate any suspected breach, involve law enforcement, and suspend or terminate access without notice. You are responsible for the losses we and the Covered Parties suffer because of your breach.
All content on the Services, including care guides, articles, lessons, quizzes, certificates, photographs, illustrations, packaging designs, product descriptions, videos, audio, software, page layouts, the Axel character and voice, the “A Lot’l Axolotls”, “The Lot’l Pond”, “Axolotl City” and “Axel” names and logos, and the compilation of all of it, is owned by or licensed to the A Lot’l Group and protected by Canadian and international copyright, trademark and other intellectual-property laws. Copyright © 2026 A Lot’l Axolotls. All rights reserved.
You may view, print and download a single copy of pages for your personal, non-commercial use only, provided you keep all copyright and proprietary notices intact. You may not otherwise reproduce, distribute, publicly display, modify, create derivative works from, sell, license, scrape or commercially exploit any content without our prior written permission. Nothing in these Terms transfers any ownership or grants any licence, by implication, estoppel or otherwise, under any patent, copyright, trademark or other right of the A Lot’l Group or any third party, except as expressly stated.
Other brand, product and service names appearing on the Services belong to their respective owners. Reference to a product, service or process does not imply endorsement, approval, affiliation or sponsorship by the A Lot’l Group.
You keep ownership of the content you post, upload, message or submit to the Services, including community posts, profile information, photos, videos, reviews, testimonials, quote requests and form submissions (“User Content”). You grant the A Lot’l Group a non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, fully paid, sublicensable and transferable licence to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, adapt, translate, publish, publicly display and perform, distribute and create derivative works of your User Content, in any media now known or later developed, for the purposes of operating, promoting and improving the Services and the businesses of the A Lot’l Group, including on social media, in advertising, on Axolotl City and in the Pond feed. To the extent permitted by law, you waive, and agree not to assert, any moral rights in your User Content against the Covered Parties and their licensees.
You represent and warrant that you own or have all rights needed to post your User Content and to grant this licence; that it is accurate; that it does not infringe or misappropriate anyone’s copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity or other rights; and that it does not contain the personal information of any other person without their consent. You are solely responsible for your User Content. We are not obliged to publish, keep or return any User Content, and we may remove, edit, move or refuse any of it at any time for any reason without notice. Public User Content may be indexed by search engines and copied by other people; we cannot control that.
We respect the intellectual property of others and comply with Canada’s notice-and-notice regime under the Copyright Act and, where applicable, comparable laws elsewhere. If you believe content on the Services infringes your copyright, email info@alotlaxolotls.ca with: your name and contact details; a description and the URL of the material; a description of the work you say is infringed and evidence that you own it; and a statement, made in good faith, that the use is not authorised. We may remove or disable access to the material, forward your notice to the person who posted it, and terminate repeat infringers. Knowingly false complaints may make you liable for the resulting costs.
If you send us ideas, suggestions, feature requests, testimonials or other feedback, you agree that we may use them for any purpose, without restriction, attribution or payment, and that they become the property of the A Lot’l Group. Do not send us anything you consider confidential or proprietary.
Our Privacy Policy explains what personal information the A Lot’l Group collects, why, how it is shared (including among affiliated companies and with service providers) and how it is protected. By using the Services you acknowledge that you have read it. We comply with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable provincial, US state and other privacy laws. If these Terms and the Privacy Policy conflict about personal information, the Privacy Policy governs.
Conversations with Axel, messages sent through the community, quote requests and form submissions may be stored and reviewed by our team to provide and improve the Services, enforce these Terms, prevent fraud and keep members safe. You have no expectation of confidentiality in information you post publicly. We do not sell personal information.
You consent to receive communications from the A Lot’l Group electronically, including order confirmations, delivery updates, account notices, community notifications, legal notices and, where you have consented under Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation, marketing emails. You agree that agreements, notices, disclosures and other communications we provide electronically satisfy any legal requirement that they be in writing. You may withdraw marketing consent at any time using the unsubscribe link in any email or under My Account; transactional and legal notices will continue while you hold an account or have an open order.
Notices from us to you are deemed received when sent to the email address on your account, or when posted on the Services if addressed to all users. Notices from you to us must be sent to info@alotlaxolotls.ca or through our contact form and are deemed received on the next business day. Keep your email address current; you are responsible for notices sent to an out-of-date address.
Membership is free. Rewards points are a promotional benefit, not currency or property. Points have no cash value, cannot be sold, transferred, inherited or exchanged for cash, are earned only on eligible purchases on this website (live axolotls, gift cards and purchases made through partner companies are excluded), expire thirty (30) months after they are earned, and are reversed if an order is cancelled, refunded or charged back. Welcome points are awarded once per person on email confirmation. We may change the earning rate, redemption value, expiry, eligibility or any other part of the rewards program, or end it altogether, at any time without compensation. Points, coupons or credits obtained through fraud, abuse, multiple accounts or error may be removed and the account closed.
Subscribe & Save subscriptions renew automatically at the interval you choose, at the price shown when each renewal is created, and are charged to your saved payment method on each renewal until you pause or cancel from My Account, which you may do at any time before a renewal is processed. We will tell you by email before any change to the price, frequency or terms of your subscription and you may cancel before it takes effect. Subscription discounts apply only while the subscription is active. If a renewal payment fails, the renewal order is held as “pending payment” and no product ships until it is paid. Store credits and gift-card balances are not redeemable for cash, are not replaced if lost or stolen, may be used only on this website and remain on your account while it is active; they are forfeited if the account is closed for breach of these Terms.
The Lot’l Pond is a shared community operated by the A Lot’l Group for members of A Lot’l Axolotls and Axolotl City. You are responsible for everything you post, share, upload, message or otherwise contribute, including profiles, photos, topics, replies, activity updates, group content and direct messages. You must not post content that is illegal, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, threatening, harassing, hateful, discriminatory, misleading, infringing, or that invades anyone’s privacy, discloses another person’s personal information, promotes illegal activity (including the sale of animals where prohibited or the cruel treatment of animals), or contains advertising, spam or unsolicited commercial messages outside an area we designate for them.
We may review, edit, move, hide or delete any content, and suspend, restrict or terminate any account, at our sole discretion, without notice, for any reason and at any time. We are not obliged to monitor content but may do so, and we may limit features such as direct messaging for new or unverified members. You can block and report other members; we investigate reports but do not promise any particular outcome. Advice, opinions and care information posted by members are their own, are not reviewed for accuracy and are not endorsed by the A Lot’l Group; acting on them is at your own risk. The Covered Parties are not responsible for any User Content or for the conduct of any member, online or offline.
Any sale, trade, gift, rehoming, shipping arrangement or other transaction arranged between members, whether on a Buy and sell board, by direct message or otherwise, is solely between those members. The A Lot’l Group is not a party to it, does not verify members, animals, goods or claims, does not hold funds, and provides no guarantee of legality, quality, health, safety, delivery or payment. You are solely responsible for complying with all laws that apply to buying, selling, shipping or transporting animals, and for any dispute with another member. We may remove listings or restrict members at our discretion but have no duty to intervene. If you have a dispute with another member, you release the Covered Parties from all claims, demands and damages of every kind arising out of or connected with that dispute.
The kids’ learning hub is designed for children aged five (5) to twelve (12) and may be used only under a parent’s or legal guardian’s account. Children below the minimum account age (sixteen (16), or thirteen (13) in the United States) are not permitted to create their own accounts, post in the community or contact us directly. A parent or guardian who adds a child profile represents and warrants that they are that child’s parent or legal guardian, consents to the child using the hub under their supervision, accepts these Terms on the child’s behalf and is responsible for the child’s use. We collect only a first name and age for each child profile, store lesson progress against the parent’s account and never contact children directly. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information without a parent’s consent, tell us and we will delete it.
The Axolotl Ready certificate is an educational reward only. It is not a licence, qualification or guarantee that a child, or anyone else, can safely care for a live animal. Adult supervision is required for every “try it with a grown-up” task and for all contact with animals, water, chemicals and aquarium or electrical equipment. Parents and guardians accept full responsibility for their child’s safety and for any injury, illness, loss or damage arising from the child’s use of the hub or from anything the child does with an animal or aquarium.
Nothing on the Services, including care guides, articles, lessons, quizzes, product descriptions, dosage or treatment information, community posts, videos, emails, social posts, and anything said by Axel or by our team, is veterinary, medical, legal, financial or other professional advice, and no veterinarian-client-patient relationship is created. All content is provided for general information and educational purposes only and reflects our experience as breeders, not a professional opinion about your animal or your circumstances. It does not substitute for, and must not be used in place of, examination, diagnosis and treatment by a licensed veterinarian.
If your axolotl or any other animal is sick, injured or behaving abnormally, seek help from a qualified veterinarian promptly, and in an emergency contact an emergency animal hospital. Never delay, disregard or discontinue professional veterinary care because of something you read or heard on the Services. Medications, salt or tea baths, temperature changes, fridging, water treatments and every other intervention described on the Services carry risk, vary with the animal, the product and local regulations, and may be prescription-only or illegal to use on animals where you live; any intervention you carry out is done at your own risk and is your sole responsibility. Where content describes a medication or chemical, you must read and follow the manufacturer’s label and the law where you live.
You acknowledge that keeping live animals and aquariums involves inherent risks that cannot be eliminated, including illness, injury or death of animals; disease transmission between animals; bites or skin irritation; water leaks, flooding and water damage to property; electrical hazards from heaters, lights, pumps, chillers and filters; injuries from glass, chemicals and sharp objects; and the transmission of zoonotic diseases. Amphibians and aquarium water can carry Salmonella and other organisms that can make people ill, particularly young children, older adults, pregnant people and anyone with a weakened immune system. Wash your hands with soap after touching animals, water, tanks or equipment; never wash aquarium equipment in a kitchen sink; and never let children put hands or objects from the tank in their mouths.
You voluntarily assume all of these risks, and all risks of using an online service (including data loss, unauthorised access and inaccurate content), whether or not they are listed here and whether they arise from negligence or otherwise. You are solely responsible for the welfare of any animal in your care from the moment it is delivered or handed to you, for quarantining new animals away from existing ones, for the water quality, temperature and equipment of your aquarium, and for complying with animal-welfare and animal-keeping laws where you live. The Covered Parties are not responsible for the health, behaviour, growth, breeding or lifespan of any animal after delivery, or for any disease, injury or loss suffered by other animals, people or property.
Axel is an AI-powered assistant developed by A Lot’l Axolotls to provide general information about aquatic animal care, our products and your orders. Axel is an artificial intelligence, not a person, and it makes mistakes: it may produce information that is wrong, out of date, incomplete or inapplicable to your animal. Axel is provided “as is” and “as available” without any warranty. Axel is not a veterinarian, its responses are never veterinary advice, and the section “Not veterinary, medical or professional advice” applies to everything Axel says.
You are responsible for fact-checking and verifying anything Axel tells you and for consulting qualified professionals before acting on it. The Covered Parties are not liable for any misinformation, error or omission in Axel’s responses or for any loss, damage or consequence of relying on them. Axel may suggest products we sell or products sold by our partners; such suggestions are marketing, not independent advice. Do not share passwords, payment details, health information or other sensitive personal information with Axel. Conversations are recorded, processed by our AI provider and may be reviewed by our team. You may not use Axel to generate unlawful, harmful or infringing content, to attempt to extract its instructions or underlying models, or at a volume that interferes with the Services; we may rate-limit, suspend, modify or withdraw Axel at any time. Nothing Axel says creates, changes or waives any term of these Terms or of our written policies (including the Live Arrival Guarantee and shipping and refund terms); where Axel’s answer and a written page differ, the written page governs.
Some images, illustrations, video and text on the Services, including the Axel character, some lesson artwork and some drafts of articles, are created or assisted by artificial-intelligence tools and then reviewed by our team. Photographs of animals offered for sale are real photographs of our animals or animals we have raised unless stated otherwise, but AI-assisted images elsewhere on the Services are illustrative and must not be relied on as a depiction of any specific animal, product or result. We make no representation about the accuracy of AI-assisted content beyond the general disclaimers in these Terms.
Some products shown on the Services, in our community, in Axel’s suggestions or in our content are sold by third parties such as Amazon, Walmart and other retailers, marketplaces or manufacturers (“partner companies”). Links to those products may be affiliate links: if you click one and make a purchase, a member of the A Lot’l Group may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, A Lot’l Axolotls earns from qualifying purchases. We also participate in other affiliate, referral and advertising programs from time to time, and our affiliated companies may earn commissions on links from their sites to ours or from ours to theirs.
When you buy from a partner company you are contracting with that company, not with us. The A Lot’l Group does not manufacture, stock, inspect, test, ship or support those products, and the Covered Parties are not responsible for their price, availability, description, quality, safety, suitability for any animal, delivery, warranty, recalls, returns, refunds or customer service, or for the content, security, privacy practices or terms of any partner company’s website. Product information shown for third-party products is supplied by the partner company and may be inaccurate or out of date. Any affiliate link, “Buy on Amazon” button or partner listing is not an endorsement, recommendation or guarantee, and we make no representation that a third-party product is safe or appropriate for your animal. Any claim relating to a third-party product must be made against the partner company or manufacturer. The same applies to any retailer, breeder, wholesaler, courier, veterinarian or other business we mention, link to or work with.
We display advertising supplied by third-party advertising networks, including Google AdSense, on most pages of the Services other than our home page. Advertisements are selected by the network, not by us, and may be personalised as described in our Privacy Policy. The appearance of an advertisement is not an endorsement by the A Lot’l Group of the advertiser, its products or its claims. Your dealings with any advertiser, including payment, delivery and any representations or warranties, are solely between you and that advertiser, and the Covered Parties are not responsible for any loss or damage arising from them. We do not display advertising in the kids’ learning hub or on cart, checkout and account pages.
The Services contain links to, and embedded content from, third-party websites and platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Google, Gravatar, couriers and payment providers, and to the websites of our affiliated companies, each of which has its own terms and privacy policy. We do not control third-party services and the Covered Parties are not responsible for their content, availability, accuracy, security, cookies or privacy practices. Reviews and ratings shown on the Services are supplied by the individuals who wrote them or by the platform that hosts them and reflect their opinions, not ours; we do not verify them beyond what the hosting platform does.
Live axolotls are sold by quote, subject to availability, our approval and the shipping conditions below. Before requesting an axolotl you represent and warrant that: (a) it is legal to own, import, transport and keep an axolotl at your delivery address under every applicable federal, provincial, state, territorial and municipal law, and you hold any permit required; (b) you are an adult; (c) you have, or will have before delivery, an appropriately sized, fully cycled aquarium kept at a suitable temperature and the knowledge and means to care for the animal; and (d) the animal is for your own keeping and not for resale, fishing bait, laboratory use or release into the wild. Some jurisdictions restrict or prohibit axolotls; checking and complying with those laws is solely your responsibility, and the Covered Parties will not be liable for any animal that is delayed, seized, refused, quarantined or destroyed because of local law, nor for any fine or penalty imposed on you.
Axolotls are living creatures whose colour, pattern, size, sex, gill development, growth, temperament and behaviour vary and change over time. Photographs, morph names and descriptions are illustrative; we do not guarantee any specific appearance, sex, genetics, fertility, breeding outcome, growth rate or lifespan, and we do not guarantee that any animal is free of every disease or parasite. All descriptions of care, water parameters, tank mates and feeding are general guidance, not a guarantee of results. Newly arrived animals must be quarantined away from existing animals; the Covered Parties are not responsible for any illness transmitted to or from animals you already keep.
Title to and risk in an animal pass to you when it is delivered to the address you gave or handed to you at pick-up, subject only to the DOA and live arrival guarantee below. From that moment its health and welfare are your responsibility. Animals cannot be returned, exchanged or refunded except under the DOA guarantee. After-sale care support we provide is a courtesy, not an obligation or a warranty. We may decline, delay or cancel any animal order for any reason, including weather, courier availability, welfare concerns or doubts about legality, and will refund any amount paid for a cancelled animal order.
A quote is an invitation to purchase, not an offer, and is valid for the period stated in it (seven (7) days if none is stated). An order for an animal is formed only when we have received payment in full, or a deposit if we agree to one, and have confirmed the animal and a shipping or pick-up date in writing. Until then we may sell the animal to someone else or withdraw the quote. Deposits are non-refundable if you cancel or fail to complete payment or to accept delivery on the agreed date, because we reserve and stop offering the animal once a deposit is paid; they are refunded in full if we cancel. If you ask to postpone shipping after a date is confirmed, we may charge for continued care and re-quote if the animal’s size or availability changes. Prices quoted are exclusive of shipping, taxes and any permit or inspection fees unless the quote says otherwise.
Where we offer local pick-up, it is by appointment only, at a location and time we confirm in writing. You (or an adult you name in advance) must show identification, inspect the animal or goods before accepting them and sign or confirm acceptance. Acceptance at pick-up ends any claim about the condition or appearance of the animal or goods; the DOA guarantee does not apply to animals collected in person, and you are responsible for transporting them safely and promptly. If you do not attend a confirmed pick-up and do not give at least twenty-four (24) hours’ notice, we may charge a rebooking fee or cancel the order and keep any deposit. Pick-up locations are not retail premises and are not open to the public.
Our foods, salts, treatments and other supplies are for aquarium and animal use only and are not for human consumption. Store them as directed, keep them away from children, and follow the feeding rates and instructions on the packaging and on the product page. Nutritional information is provided in good faith from our suppliers’ analyses and may vary between batches. Product images, packaging and formulations may change. You are responsible for deciding whether a product is suitable for your animal, for using it as directed and for any consequence of misuse, overdose, incorrect storage or use with a species or in a way we do not describe. Where a product page says a product is for a species other than axolotls, it is not sold as axolotl food. Report any suspected product problem to us promptly with the batch details so we can investigate.
Photographs and renders of products on the Services are illustrative. Many are generated or staged to represent the item and are provided for example purposes only. The live product you receive — including any live animal — will resemble the image but will not be an exact match: colour, pattern, markings, size, packaging and presentation vary naturally, between individual animals and between production batches. Images do not form part of the description of the goods or of any contract, and no claim may be based on a difference between an image and the product delivered, except where the item delivered is a different product from the one named in your order.
Prices are shown and charged in Canadian dollars (CAD) for delivery addresses in Canada and in United States dollars (USD) for delivery addresses in the United States, based on the delivery address you provide at checkout. The currency shown while browsing is an estimate until an address is entered, and where a CAD price is derived from a USD price the conversion rate is set by us and may differ from bank or market rates. Prices, shipping rates, promotions and availability may change without notice and do not include taxes, duties or permit fees unless stated. Despite our best efforts, a product may occasionally be listed at an incorrect price, with incorrect stock or with incorrect information; we may cancel or refuse any order placed on the basis of an error, even after it has been confirmed or charged, and will refund any amount paid for a cancelled order.
Payment is processed by third-party providers under their own terms; we do not see or store full card numbers. By submitting payment you confirm that you are authorised to use the payment method. We may cancel any order that we suspect is fraudulent, that fails verification or that would breach these Terms, and may refuse future orders from the same person, address or payment method. Your order is accepted only when it has shipped or, for animals, when we have confirmed the shipment date; an order confirmation email is an acknowledgement, not acceptance.
If you have a problem with an order, contact us first; most issues are resolved quickly. Starting a chargeback or payment dispute for an order you received, for a DOA claim outside the guarantee conditions, or without first giving us a reasonable chance to resolve the problem is a breach of these Terms. Where a chargeback is reversed or found to be without basis, you agree to reimburse us for the amount disputed and any fees and reasonable costs we incur, and we may suspend your account, void points and credits, and refuse future orders until the amount is paid.
We ship live animals only within Canada and the contiguous United States, by next-day or second-day courier (currently Reptile Express and Reptile Runner; Canada Post is not used for animals), on Mondays to Wednesdays only so no animal sits in a depot over a weekend, and only when weather, courier and welfare conditions allow; we may hold a shipment for those reasons and will tell you the new date. We ship food and supplies to Canada, the United States and its territories (including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam and the US Virgin Islands) and, for most products, worldwide, subject to carrier availability and the laws of the destination. Couriers and delivery services are independent contractors, not our agents.
Title to and risk of loss for goods pass to you when the goods are delivered to the shipping carrier, except as provided under Package coverage and the DOA and live arrival guarantee below and except where consumer-protection law requires otherwise. Delivery dates and transit times are estimates only; carrier delays, weather, customs holds and events beyond our control are not our responsibility and do not entitle you to cancel an order once it has shipped. You must provide a safe, accessible delivery address where an adult can receive live animals on the first delivery attempt.
Customs, import duties, brokerage fees and taxes may be applied to international orders when the shipment reaches its destination. Such charges are the responsibility of the recipient, vary from country to country and are determined by the customs office at the time of import; contact your local customs office for details. Import laws are different in each country. It is your responsibility to check with your customs office or local authorities whether the destination permits the products you order, and any shipment refused, seized or destroyed for that reason is not refundable. The Covered Parties are not responsible for any direct, indirect, punitive or consequential damages that arise from international shipping, import restrictions or customs delays. We do not ship live animals outside Canada and the contiguous United States.
When placing an order, ensure the address you provide is written correctly and in full; we copy it to the package exactly as received and are not responsible for addresses submitted incorrectly or for parcels delivered to an address you gave. If a shipment is returned because the address was wrong, incomplete or undeliverable, or because nobody was available to receive it, you must pay the courier’s return charge and the shipping cost to resend it before we ship again; if free shipping was originally offered, a shipping fee now applies. Your transaction is incomplete and payment is outstanding until these amounts are paid and cleared. Live animals returned for these reasons are not covered by the DOA guarantee, and we may keep or rehome them.
Standard coverage. Every tracked shipment of goods ordered through the Services includes the carrier’s standard coverage at no charge: up to $100 (one hundred dollars in the currency of your order) for goods lost or damaged while in the carrier’s possession, plus the shipping fees paid. This coverage is standard on every order and needs no action from you.
Additional package coverage (optional). When the goods in your order are worth more than $100, checkout offers additional package coverage for the full value of the order. The fee is the carrier’s own declared-value rate for the amount above $100, calculated from the value of your order and shown before you place it (for example, CA$2.75 for each further CA$100 or part with Canada Post, or US$2.80 for the first band with USPS), up to the carrier’s maximum of $5,000 per package. The fee is charged in the currency of your order, is taxed in the same way as the delivery it extends, and is not refundable once the package has shipped. Additional coverage is a carrier service for that delivery only: it covers loss of the package, or damage to its contents, while in the carrier’s possession, up to the covered amount, and nothing else. It is not insurance underwritten by us; it does not extend the DOA and live arrival guarantee; and it does not cover live animals, delays, packages refused or left unclaimed, damage after delivery, items excluded by the carrier’s conditions of carriage, or an address you gave incorrectly. Where the carrier requires a signature for the covered amount (Canada Post from CA$200), a signature will be required on delivery, and a package that cannot be signed for may be held for pick-up or returned at your cost. Orders worth $100 or less are fully covered by the standard coverage and are not offered additional coverage. Live animals are never sold or shipped through checkout: they are quoted and invoiced separately and travel by a dedicated live-animal courier, so package coverage does not apply to them; their only coverage is the DOA and live arrival guarantee below.
Claims. Damage under either coverage must be reported within forty-eight (48) hours of the delivery time recorded by the carrier, and a missing package within seventy-two (72) hours of the delivery time recorded by the carrier or, if it never shows as delivered, of its last tracking update, in each case by email or contact form, with your order number and photographs of the packaging and contents. We submit the claim to the carrier; you agree to keep the packaging and the damaged goods until the claim is settled and to provide any statement the carrier requires. Coverage is paid as a non-expiring store credit that can be used immediately to replace the items or saved for later, except where the law requires a refund to the original payment method. Coverage does not apply to packages the carrier records as delivered to the address you gave, or to damage caused after delivery.
We charge sales tax on goods ordered through the Services based on the applicable federal, provincial, state or local rate and the location to which the order is shipped. Where we are not required to collect tax in your jurisdiction, you are responsible for any use tax or other tax that applies.
Live animals travel under a separate invoice through a dedicated live-animal courier, arranged with you directly; the package coverage described above applies to parcels of goods only and never to animals. In the unlikely event that an axolotl arrives dead (DOA), we will replace it or credit its purchase price up to $100 CAD (one hundred Canadian dollars) per animal. Shipping charges are not refunded and are not covered. On request only, and for a small fee agreed before shipping, a higher coverage amount can be arranged. The guarantee applies only if all of the following are met: (a) the shipment was sent by next-day or second-day courier on a date we set, without a change of method, date or address requested by you; (b) an adult signed for or received the package on the first delivery attempt, and it was not held at a depot, redirected or left unattended; (c) you contact us within one (1) hour of the delivery time recorded by the courier, by email or contact form, with clear photographs or video showing the animal deceased in its unopened shipping bag; and (d) you keep the animal and packaging until we have reviewed the claim. We may not reply instantly, but a timestamp within that hour is sufficient.
The covered amount is issued as a non-expiring store credit, not to the original payment method, and can be used immediately to replace the animal or saved for later; you pay shipping for the replacement at the invoiced cost. The guarantee does not cover animals that die after arrival for any reason, including water quality, temperature, tank set-up, handling, feeding, stress or illness that develops after delivery; animals collected at pick-up; animals held, delayed, refused or seized by a carrier, customs or an authority; or shipments to an address or in conditions we advised against. Making a false DOA claim is fraud and will result in account closure and recovery of any credit issued.
All sales are final. Refunds and store credits are approved on an individual basis under the DOA guarantee, Package coverage, for items we cancel or that are out of stock, or where the law requires. Except where the law requires a refund to the original payment method, refunds are issued as store credit. Food, water treatments, medications, salt and other consumables cannot be returned once opened, and live animals cannot be returned at all. Any return we agree to must be authorised in writing first, sent back in original condition at your cost within fourteen (14) days of authorisation, and may be subject to a restocking fee. Nothing in this policy limits rights you have under consumer-protection law that cannot be excluded; where such a right applies, it applies to the extent the law requires and no further.
Promotions, coupons, free-product offers, referral rewards and review programs are available while stocks last, may be limited to one per person or household, may exclude live animals, gift cards and third-party products, may be changed or withdrawn at any time, and cannot be combined unless we say so. We may refuse, cancel or claw back a promotional benefit obtained through error, abuse, multiple accounts or a breach of these Terms. Where we offer a free or discounted product in exchange for a review, you must disclose that fact in your review and give your honest opinion; we never require a positive review, and your review must comply with the rules of the platform on which you post it. Gift cards and store credits are not redeemable for cash except where the law requires, are not replaced if lost or stolen, may be used only on this website, and may not be resold.
Wholesale, retailer and other trade pricing is available only to approved business customers, is confidential and must not be published or shared. Trade orders are subject to minimum quantities, separate payment terms and any written agreement we sign with you; if that agreement conflicts with these Terms, the agreement governs the trade relationship. Trade customers are responsible for their own resale, labelling, import and consumer-law compliance and for any claim by their own customers. We may revoke trade status at any time.
We may change, suspend, restrict or discontinue any part of the Services, including features, content, products, the rewards program, the community and Axel, at any time and without liability to you. The Services may be unavailable from time to time for maintenance, upgrades, outages or reasons beyond our control. We do not guarantee that the Services will be uninterrupted, timely, secure or error-free, that defects will be corrected, or that any content, order history, points balance or User Content will be preserved. You are responsible for keeping your own copies of anything you need.
The Covered Parties are not liable for any delay or failure to perform caused by events beyond their reasonable control, including extreme weather or temperatures unsafe for shipping animals, natural disasters, fire, flood, disease outbreaks or quarantine measures, epidemics, courier or postal failures, customs or border actions, government orders, labour disputes, power or internet outages, cyber-attacks, hosting or payment-provider failures, or shortages of animals, food or materials. Where such an event affects an order, we will tell you and, where possible, offer a new date or a refund of amounts paid for goods not shipped.
THE SERVICES, ALL CONTENT, AXEL, THE COMMUNITY, OUR PRODUCTS AND EVERY ANIMAL ARE PROVIDED “AS IS”, “WITH ALL FAULTS” AND “AS AVAILABLE”. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE COVERED PARTIES DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, CONDITIONS AND REPRESENTATIONS OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY, MERCHANTABLE QUALITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, DURABILITY, TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, ACCURACY, QUIET ENJOYMENT AND THOSE ARISING FROM A COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE OF TRADE. We do not warrant that content is accurate, complete or current; that the Services will meet your needs or operate without interruption or error; that any animal, product or piece of advice will produce any result; or that the Services are free of viruses or harmful components. Any warranty for a third-party product is given by its manufacturer or seller, not by us. No advice or information, oral or written, obtained from any Covered Party creates any warranty not expressly stated in these Terms. The only guarantees we give are the DOA and live arrival guarantee and Package coverage, on the conditions stated above.
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT WILL THE COVERED PARTIES BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANYONE ELSE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS OF ANIMALS, LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, BUSINESS, GOODWILL, DATA OR USE, PROPERTY DAMAGE (INCLUDING WATER OR ELECTRICAL DAMAGE), PERSONAL INJURY, ILLNESS, VETERINARY OR MEDICAL COSTS, OR THE COST OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS, THE SERVICES, ANY CONTENT, AXEL, THE COMMUNITY, ANY MEMBER, ANY PARTNER COMPANY OR ADVERTISER, OR ANY PRODUCT OR ANIMAL, WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), STRICT LIABILITY, STATUTE OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, AND WHETHER OR NOT A COVERED PARTY WAS ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF ALL COVERED PARTIES TOGETHER, FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICES, WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US FOR THE SPECIFIC PRODUCT, ANIMAL OR SERVICE GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS BEFORE THE CLAIM AROSE AND (B) ONE HUNDRED CANADIAN DOLLARS ($100 CAD). These limitations are fundamental elements of the bargain between you and us, apply even if a remedy fails of its essential purpose, and apply to every Covered Party. Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain warranties or damages; in those jurisdictions the Covered Parties’ liability is limited to the greatest extent the law permits, and nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot be excluded by law.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, you release and forever discharge the Covered Parties from any and all claims, demands, losses, damages, rights and actions of any kind, known or unknown, suspected or unsuspected, that arise out of or relate to: your keeping of any animal or aquarium; any dispute or interaction with another member, a partner company, an advertiser, a courier or any other third party; any content, advice or information obtained through the Services; and any use of the Services. If you are a California resident, you waive California Civil Code section 1542, which says: “A general release does not extend to claims that the creditor or releasing party does not know or suspect to exist in his or her favor at the time of executing the release and that, if known by him or her, would have materially affected his or her settlement with the debtor or released party.”
You agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless the Covered Parties from and against any and all claims, demands, suits, proceedings, losses, liabilities, damages, judgments, settlements, fines, penalties, costs and expenses, including reasonable legal fees and costs, arising out of or related to: (a) your use of the Services or any product, animal or service obtained through them; (b) any animal you obtain from us, from a member or through the Services, including its escape, illness, death or transmission of disease, and any injury, illness or damage it causes; (c) your User Content, messages or conduct, including any claim that your User Content infringes or violates the rights of any person; (d) your breach of these Terms or of any representation or warranty in them, including any misrepresentation of your age, identity, location or the legality of keeping an animal; (e) your violation of any law, regulation or permit requirement, including laws on owning, selling, importing or transporting animals; (f) any chargeback or payment dispute you bring in breach of these Terms; (g) a child’s use of the Services under your account; and (h) your dealings with any member, partner company or advertiser. We may assume the exclusive defence and control of any matter subject to indemnification, at your expense, and you agree to cooperate with us. You may not settle any claim involving a Covered Party without our written consent.
Talk to us first. If you have a dispute with us, email info@alotlaxolotls.ca with your name, order or account details and a description of the problem and what you want. We will do the same if we have a dispute with you. Both sides agree to try in good faith to resolve the dispute informally for at least thirty (30) days before starting any formal proceeding.
Arbitration. To the extent permitted by the law that applies to you, any dispute, claim or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms, the Services, or any product or animal that is not resolved informally will be finally resolved by binding arbitration before a single neutral arbitrator in Ontario, Canada, administered under the rules of a recognised Canadian arbitration institution agreed by the parties (or, failing agreement, the ADR Institute of Canada), conducted in English, with the arbitrator’s award final and binding and enforceable in any court of competent jurisdiction. Either party may instead bring an individual claim in a small-claims court with jurisdiction. Nothing in this section prevents either party from seeking injunctive or other equitable relief in court for infringement or misuse of intellectual property or unauthorised access to the Services.
No class actions. To the fullest extent permitted by law, you and we agree that disputes are personal to you and us and will be resolved only on an individual basis, and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class, collective, consolidated or representative proceeding.
Consumers. If you are a consumer in a jurisdiction (including Ontario and Quebec) whose law gives you the right to bring a claim in court or to join a class proceeding despite an arbitration agreement, nothing in this section takes that right away. Time limit. To the extent the law allows, any claim must be started within one (1) year after it arises or it is permanently barred.
We may suspend or terminate your access to all or part of the Services, remove content, cancel orders, void rewards points, coupons and store credits, refuse future orders and close your account at any time, with or without notice, if we believe you have breached these Terms, acted abusively toward our team or other members, engaged in fraud or a chargeback in breach of these Terms, posed a risk to any animal or person, or for any other reason at our discretion. You may close your account at any time by contacting us; unused points and credits are forfeited on closure. Termination does not affect orders already paid for and shipped or any amount you owe us. Sections that by their nature should survive termination, including definitions, intellectual property, your content licence, assumption of risk, disclaimers, limitation of liability, release, indemnification, dispute resolution and governing law, continue to apply.
We may modify or replace these Terms at any time. The “last updated” date at the top of this page shows when they last changed, and for material changes we will also post a notice on the Services or email account holders before the change takes effect. It is your responsibility to review these Terms periodically. Your continued use of the Services after a change takes effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms; if you do not agree, stop using the Services and close your account. Orders are governed by the Terms in force when the order was placed.
These Terms, and any dispute arising out of or relating to them or the Services, are governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable in Ontario, without regard to conflict-of-law rules, and excluding the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. Subject to the Dispute resolution section, you and we submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Ontario, Canada, and waive any objection to venue there, and both parties waive trial by jury to the extent permitted by law. If mandatory consumer-protection law in your province, state or country gives you additional rights or a different forum that cannot be waived, those rules apply to that extent only.
Void where prohibited. Not all products, animals or services are available to all persons or in all locations. We may limit the provision of any product or service to any person, geographic area or jurisdiction and limit quantities, and any offer is void where prohibited. Entire agreement. These Terms, the Privacy Policy and any product-specific terms we publish are the entire agreement between you and us about the Services and supersede all prior or contemporaneous communications and proposals. Severability. If any provision is found unenforceable, it will be enforced to the maximum extent permitted and the remaining provisions remain in full force. No waiver. Our failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of it or of any other provision. Assignment. You may not assign or transfer these Terms or your account; we may assign them to any member of the A Lot’l Group or to a successor of our business without notice. No agency. Nothing in these Terms creates a partnership, joint venture, employment, franchise or agency relationship between you and any Covered Party. Third-party beneficiaries. Except for the Covered Parties, who may enforce these Terms, no third party has any rights under them. Language. These Terms are drafted in English; if they are translated, the English version governs to the extent the law allows, and you confirm that you have asked that this agreement and related documents be drafted in English. Headings and interpretation. Headings are for convenience only; “including” means “including without limitation”.
Questions about these Terms can be sent to info@alotlaxolotls.ca or through our contact page. A Lot’l Axolotls is an online business headquartered in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada.
This Privacy Policy explains what personal information A Lot’l Axolotls and its affiliated companies (together, the “A Lot’l Group”, “we”, “us”) collect when you use alotlaxolotls.ca, including the shop, The Lot’l Pond community, the Learn hub, the kids’ learning hub, Axel the AI assistant, our forms and our newsletters (together, the “Services”), how we use and share it, how advertising and cookies work on the site, and the choices and rights you have. Last updated: September 14, 2026.
A Lot’l Axolotls is a registered axolotl breeder and aquarium supplier headquartered in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. We are the organisation responsible for the personal information collected through the Services. We have designated a privacy officer who is accountable for our compliance with this policy and with privacy law.
Questions, access requests, corrections, complaints or withdrawal of consent can be sent to our privacy officer at info@alotlaxolotls.ca or through our contact form. We aim to respond within 30 days.
“Affiliated companies” means Axolotl City (axolotlcity.com) and every parent, subsidiary, sister brand, joint venture or other business owned or controlled by, or under common ownership or control with, A Lot’l Axolotls, now or in the future. Together with A Lot’l Axolotls they form the A Lot’l Group. Some Services are shared across the group: The Lot’l Pond community serves members of both A Lot’l Axolotls and Axolotl City, our mailing list may carry news from any member of the group, and customer support, order fulfilment, technology and administration may be provided by any member of the group on behalf of the others.
Personal information collected by one member of the A Lot’l Group may be shared with and used by the other members for the purposes described in this policy, under the same protections, and each member of the group is bound by this policy. Where an affiliated company publishes its own privacy policy for its own website, that policy applies to information collected there; this policy applies to information collected through the Services described above and to information shared within the group. Our privacy officer is the single point of contact for privacy requests about any member of the group. Axolotl City’s own Terms of Service and Privacy Policy are at axolotlcity.com/terms.
Information you give us. When you create an account, place an order, request a quote, submit a form, join the newsletter, claim a promotion, post in the community or chat with Axel, we collect what you provide: your name, email address, delivery and billing address, order details, the content of your messages, quote requests and form submissions, uploaded files (such as review screenshots), and your community profile (username, display name, profile picture, and any optional profile fields you fill in, such as location, the morphs you keep or your tank size).
Signing in with Google. If you choose “Continue with Google”, Google sends us your name, email address and profile picture and confirms that the address is yours; we never receive or store your Google password. Your use of Google sign-in is also governed by Google’s privacy policy.
Payment information. Payments are processed by PayPal. We never see or store your full card number. We receive confirmation of payment, the amount, and the name and address associated with the payment.
Child profiles. If you use the kids’ learning hub, we collect only the first name and age of each child profile you create as the parent or guardian, together with lesson and quiz progress. See “Children and the kids’ learning hub” below.
Information collected automatically. When you visit the site we and our service providers log your IP address, approximate location derived from it (country or region, used to show prices in the right currency and to shape what is shipped where), browser and device type, the pages you view, referring links, and the date and time of your visit. Cookies and similar technologies are described below.
Rewards and activity records. Points earned and redeemed, orders placed, subscriptions, form submissions, community posts, reactions, friend connections and private messages are stored so the Services work and so we can help you when something goes wrong.
We use personal information to: process and deliver orders and quotes; create and manage your account, membership, rewards points and subscriptions; run The Lot’l Pond community and the kids’ learning hub; answer questions, including through Axel; send order confirmations, delivery updates, account notices and other service messages; send marketing emails and care tips when you have consented; show prices and shipping options for your region; keep the Services safe (fraud prevention, spam filtering, moderation, enforcing our Terms of Service); understand how the site is used so we can improve it; display advertising on Learn articles as described below; and meet our legal and tax obligations.
We do not sell personal information, we do not use the personal information of children for advertising or profiling, and we do not make decisions about you using automated processing alone that would have legal or similarly significant effects on you.
Under Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and provincial privacy laws, we collect, use and disclose personal information with your knowledge and consent, except where the law permits or requires otherwise. Your consent may be express (for example ticking the mailing-list box or creating a child profile) or implied by your actions (for example providing your address so we can ship an order). You can withdraw consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice, by contacting us; withdrawing consent may mean we can no longer provide some Services.
Where the EU or UK General Data Protection Regulation applies, our legal bases are: performance of a contract (orders, accounts, community, kids’ hub); your consent (marketing emails, advertising and analytics cookies, child profiles); our legitimate interests in running, securing and improving the Services; and compliance with legal obligations.
Cookies are small text files stored on your device. We use them for three purposes.
Strictly necessary cookies make the site work and cannot be switched off in our tools: your login session, your shopping cart and checkout session, the currency and shipping region you have chosen (alotl_region), the community “app view” preference (alotl_view), the active child profile in the kids’ hub (alotl_kid, which holds only a profile number), security tokens and your cookie-consent choices.
Analytics cookies (Google Analytics 4) help us understand which pages are useful. In the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland they are set only after you agree; elsewhere they are on by default and you can switch them off at any time through “Your privacy choices” in the footer.
Advertising cookies are set by Google and its partners when ads are shown, as described in the next section. For every visitor they are used to cap how often an ad appears, to report on ads in aggregate and to prevent fraud; they are used to personalise ads only where the next section says so.
Visitors in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland see a consent banner before any analytics cookie is set, and Google’s own message for advertising. Everyone can change their choices at any time through “Your privacy choices” in the footer. You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings; the site will still work, but you may need to sign in again or re-select your region.
We use Google AdSense to display advertising on most pages of our site, other than the home page. Advertising helps keep our care guides free. Ads are never shown in the kids’ learning hub, in the cart, checkout or account pages, or in private areas of the community. Outside Europe, ads are shown to every visitor; what changes is whether they are personalised. In the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, Google asks for your consent first through its own message and, depending on your answer, may show limited ads or none. In Quebec, ads are not personalised unless you turn personalisation on (Quebec’s Law 25 requires this), and the same applies to any visitor in Canada whose province cannot be determined. Elsewhere, including the rest of Canada and the United States, ads may be personalised unless you turn personalisation off through “Your privacy choices” in the footer or your browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal. To tell provinces apart, when a visitor in Canada first interacts with a page that has ads (unless they have already made a choice or their browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal), their browser asks a location service run by Axolotl City, our affiliated company, on Cloudflare’s network; it receives the visitor’s IP address and returns only the country and province.
Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user’s prior visits to this website or other websites. Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to our site and/or other sites on the Internet. Where you have not consented to personalised advertising, or where the law does not permit it, Google serves non-personalised ads, which rely on contextual information and may still use cookies for frequency capping, aggregated reporting and fraud prevention.
You may opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings. You can opt out of some third-party vendors’ use of cookies for personalised advertising at aboutads.info/choices (Digital Advertising Alliance), youradchoices.ca (Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada) and, in Europe, youronlinechoices.eu. Information on how Google uses data when you use our site is available at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites. Third-party ad networks and vendors that may serve ads on the site are listed by Google at support.google.com/adsense/answer/9012903.
Our publisher relationship with Google is declared in our ads.txt file. We do not pass Google your name, email address or other information that identifies you.
Some links on this site are affiliate links. A Lot’l Axolotls is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and the Amazon.ca Associates Program, affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. When you click an affiliate link, the partner (for example Amazon) may set its own cookies to attribute the referral; those cookies are governed by the partner’s privacy policy, and the partner does not share your personal information or purchase details with us.
We share personal information within the A Lot’l Group as described under “Affiliated companies”, and otherwise only with service providers that help us run the Services, and only what they need. They are contractually required to protect it and to use it only for the services they provide to us. They currently include: our web host (GoDaddy Managed WordPress); PayPal for payments; delivery carriers, who receive your name, address and contact details to deliver orders; our email delivery provider, which sends order, account and newsletter emails; Google, for advertising (see above) and for YouTube videos embedded on our media page (loaded in privacy-enhanced mode only after you press play); Gravatar, if you have linked a Gravatar image to your email address and have not uploaded a community profile picture; and the artificial-intelligence provider that powers Axel (see “Axel, The AI”).
The Lot’l Pond is a shared community for A Lot’l Axolotls and our sister site, Axolotl City. Public community content (topic titles, excerpts, board names, your display name and public profile picture, and reply counts) is published through a feed that appears on axolotlcity.com. Private messages, email addresses and account details are never included.
We may also disclose information when the law requires it, to protect our rights, customers or the public, to investigate fraud or abuse, or as part of a business transfer, in which case this policy would continue to apply.
Anything you post in the community (topics, replies, activity updates, photos, documents and profile fields marked public) is visible to other visitors and may be indexed by search engines. Your display name and profile picture appear alongside your posts. You control the visibility of optional profile fields in your profile settings. Private messages are visible only to the participants, but may be reviewed by our moderators when a message is reported or when we investigate abuse. To limit spam, new accounts must wait 48 hours before sending private messages. You can block or report other members from their profile. Content you delete is removed from public view, but copies may remain in backups for a limited time and quotes by other members may persist.
Accounts may only be created by people who are at least sixteen (16) years old, or at least thirteen (13) in the United States. We ask for a date of birth and country at registration and keep them only to enforce this rule. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children below those ages, and we will delete such information if we learn of it.
The kids’ learning hub (ages 5–12) is designed so that children never need their own account or give us any information. A verified parent or guardian creates up to six child profiles under their own account, providing only the child’s first name and age, and can edit or delete a profile at any time from their account. Lesson and quiz progress is saved against that profile so a child can pick up where they left off and earn a printable certificate. We do not show advertising, use advertising or analytics cookies, or collect any behavioural data on kids’ hub pages, and we never contact children directly. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information without a parent’s consent, contact us and we will remove it.
Axel is an AI assistant. Your messages, Axel’s replies and, if you are signed in, the order and rewards information Axel looks up on your behalf are processed by a third-party AI provider (currently Anthropic) to generate replies, and are stored by us so we can review the quality of Axel’s answers, improve the Services and follow up on requests you ask us to handle. Please do not share passwords, payment details or other sensitive information with Axel. Conversations may be reviewed by our staff.
We send updates, promotions and care tips only to people who have joined our mailing list, created an account or made a purchase, in accordance with Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) and other applicable law. Every marketing email includes an unsubscribe link, and you can also change your email preferences under My Account → Account details or by contacting us. Unsubscribing does not stop transactional emails such as order confirmations or password resets.
Our website is hosted in the United States and our business operates from Canada, so your information may be stored and processed in both countries and, through our service providers, in other countries where they operate. While it is outside Canada, information may be accessible to the authorities of that country under its laws. We use contractual and technical safeguards to protect information wherever it is processed.
We keep personal information only as long as needed for the purposes described here and to meet legal obligations. Order, payment and tax records are kept for seven years as required by Canadian tax law. Account and community data are kept while your account is active and deleted or anonymised on request or after a prolonged period of inactivity. Form submissions and quote requests are kept for up to three years so we can follow up. Axel conversations are kept for up to twelve months. Backups are retained for a limited period before being overwritten.
We protect personal information with safeguards appropriate to its sensitivity, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), hashed passwords, access controls, managed hosting with regular backups, and staff access limited to what is needed. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure; if a breach creates a real risk of significant harm, we will notify affected people and the appropriate regulators as the law requires.
You can ask to access the personal information we hold about you, to correct it, to delete it, to receive a copy of it in a portable format, or to withdraw your consent. You can update most account information yourself under My Account, manage child profiles from the kids’ hub, control your community profile from The Lot’l Pond, unsubscribe from marketing emails, and manage advertising cookies through the consent tools and the opt-out links in the Advertising section. To exercise any other right, email our privacy officer. We may need to verify your identity first. We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights.
Canada. If you are not satisfied with our response to a privacy concern, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (priv.gc.ca) or your provincial commissioner.
Quebec. In accordance with the Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector (Law 25), technologies that profile you, such as personalised advertising, are turned off by default for visitors from Quebec until you enable them (and for any visitor in Canada whose province cannot be determined), you can switch analytics off at any time through “Your privacy choices”, our privacy officer is the person in charge of the protection of personal information, and you may request that we stop disseminating your personal information or de-index it in the circumstances the Act provides.
United States. Residents of California and other states with consumer privacy laws have the right to know what personal information we collect, to delete it, to correct it, and to opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of personal information and of targeted advertising. We do not sell personal information. Advertising cookies used for personalised ads may count as “sharing” under California law; you can opt out through the consent banner or the “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” link when it is shown, through the opt-out links in the Advertising section, or by contacting us. Where an ad request is made without consent for personalised ads, Google’s restricted data processing applies. We honour the Global Privacy Control browser signal as an opt-out request where the law requires it. We do not knowingly sell or share the personal information of anyone under 16.
European Economic Area, United Kingdom and Switzerland. You have the rights described above, plus the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests, to restrict processing, and to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. Advertising and analytics cookies are set only after you give consent through the consent banner, which uses the IAB Transparency and Consent Framework, and you can withdraw consent through the same banner at any time.
We may update this policy as the Services and the law change. The date at the top shows when it was last revised, and material changes will be announced on the site or by email to account holders before they take effect. Continued use of the Services after a change means you accept the revised policy.