THE AMAZING AXOLOTL

E XPECT C ARE FOR A XOLOTLS

By

T IM Z EDI
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents
Chapter 1. Biology
Chapter 2. Regeneration
Chapter 3. Housing
Chapter 4. Feeding
Chapter 5. Breeding
Chapter 6. Where to Get an Axolotl
Chapter 7. Health Problems
Chapter 8. Invasive Species Status
Chapter 9. Morphs
Chapter 10. Similar Species

CHAPTER 1. BIOLOGY
Axolotls are a very interesting aquatic salamander from
Mexico they are a large Salamander species growing up to
30cm long. This amphibian has a very restricted natural
range, living only in an isolated lake in Mexico City. This
lake, named Xochimilco, has been reduced to polluted
canals filled with introduced predatory fish. Axolotls are
listed as endangered, however this species has been bred
since the 1830’s and all Axolotls in captivity today are
captive bred. These salamanders do not go through the
normal amphibian life cycle.They do not undergo
metamorphosis and remain in the aquatic larval stage and
reproduce without becoming adults. This ability is called
neotony. Axolotls can be made to undergo metamorphosis
by putting iodine into the water or adding a hormone called
thyroxine into their diets. Individuals which have been
made to undergo metamorphosis resemble and behave in a
similar way to tiger salamanders to which they are
related.Specimens that undergo artificial metamorphosis
have a shorter lifespan. These Salamanders have been
known to live for up to twenty years in captivity.Their
lifespan is somewhat shorter when kept in a warmer
climate. Axolotls are very strange looking creatures and
that is part of their appeal. They have feathery gills on each
side of their head which take oxygen directly from the
water to the blood stream. Axolotls have primitive lungs
and will supplement their oxygen intake by gulping air
from the surface of the water. Their natural colour is a dull
brown; however they come in a variety of colour morphs
including: albino, leusistic, golden, piebald, harlequin and
melanistic. Scientist recently genetically engineered an
Axolotl that has a small amount of jellyfish DNA; these
animals possess a green fluorescent protein which gives
them an emerald green body and green eyes. The gender of
the animal can be identified by physical features, for
example males have longer and narrower heads than
females, their tails are longer and the swelling around their
cloaca is bigger. There are certain species of salamanders
which people could mistake for Axolotls( these are
discussed in another chapter) In the pet trade Axolotls are
sometimes referred to as Mexican Walking Fish, which is
incorrect and may mislead potential pet owners that are not
familiar with amphibians and this name should be avoided.
CHAPTER 2. REGENERATION
Axolotls can regenerate lost limbs and other body
parts such as bites taken out of their tails. It takes
only 8 weeks for an Axolotl to regrow a damaged
limb, the closet a human being can come to this is an
expensive bionic limb. Axolotls and a few other
salamaders can regenerate parts their brain should
they receive a bad head wound. A severed limb will
start out as a stump and will slowly begin to devope
toes and the limb will eventually look like new and will
be fully functional. If the joint in the limb was severed
at an angle the new leg may be skew. This will not
cause any problems. It is rare that an Axolotl in
captivity will loose a limb so you may not experience
this amazing process very often if at all. What can
happen is that your pet will loose a gill and regenerate
that, this process happens quicker than limb
regeneration This species genome was sequenced in
2018. It has the largest amount of genes of any
animal that has gone through this process. In fact
they have 10 times more genes than we do. Species
specific genes were found that could explain what
causes regeneration in this species. The genes found
that allow Axolotls and salamanders to regenerate
their limbs are not found in any other animal. This
species can receive organ transplants from other
individuals without being the same tissue or blood
type. There is a limit of how many times these
amphibians can regrow a single limb, this amount is
around 5 times. This species ability to regenerate
parts of thier bodies was discovered in the eighteen
hundreds when a French naturalist was puzzled by
the fact that Axolotls did not need to metamorphosize
to breed he began to cut off their gills to see if they
would leave the water to breed by doing this. The
naturalist found that their gills regrowed and thus this
amazing ability was discovered. Tiger Salamander
Larvae can regrow limbs. This salamander is a
closely related species, however they do
metamorphosize unlike Axolotls.
CHAPTER 3. HOUSING

Axolotls are one of the easiest amphibians to maintain in

captivity. They are fully aquatic so some prior knowledge
of aquariums is beneficial. Axolotls are very inactive and
require less space than fish need. They require an aquarium
measuring 60cm x 30cm x 30cm, for a single adult. You
can house more than one individual in a tank, simply add
30cm in length and width for every extra specimen you put
in the tank. Your pet will spend most of it's time on the
bottom of the tank walking around, sometimes they will
swim by tucking their legs to their sides and using their tail
to propell them. It is sometimes recommended to only fill
the tank 2/3 full to allow your Axolotl to reach the surface
in order to breathe air, this is something that this amphibian
will do to obtain extra oxygen. However I kept my axolotl
in a tank that was completely full for many years without
problems. The water must be kept clean using a box filter
or an internal power filter that has been modified by
attaching a spay bard to the outflow of the filter to reduce
the speed of water circulation in the aquarium as Axolotls
prefer slower moving water. You will have to perform
regular partial water changes to maintain water quality
regardless of whether you have a filter or not. A partial
water change is not too much work, however a full water
change can take hours. An aquarium siphon makes water
changes easier and you can clean the gravel at the same
time.This task cannot be avoided as Axolotls produce a lot
of waste for their size. When changing water always use a
dechlorinator to get rid of chlorine and heavy metals which
are present in tap water, these elements are harmful to
aquatic animals. Use pea size gravel as a substrate, it comes
in a large variety of different colours. Your pet will not be
able to ingest gravel of this size, consuming gravel will
block your pets digestive tract and will result in death .
Adding live plants and snails will create a balanced
environment, plants that can be used include Java Moss and
Oxygen Weed. Golden Apple Snails are widely available
and thrive in Axolotl aquariums; they will help reduce the
amount of algae on the sides of the tank. Lighting will be
needed to maintain the plants; a standard fluorescent light
designed for aquariums is more than adequate as Axolotls
do not require exposure to UVB lighting. Do not keep fish
with your Axolotl as it will eat small species such as
guppies and larger species such as goldfish will end up with
severed fins due to your Axolotl trying to bite them. Fish
will peck at your Axolotls gills causing damage. Axolotls
can be kept together in small groups in larger aquariums,
they can bite off each other's legs but these will grow back.
Leg and fin biting is more prevalent in young animals.
Adults will eat smaller specimens so keep similar sized
animals together. I kept an African Clawed Frog with an
Axolotl and never had problems, they eat the same food,
are aquatic and require the basic environment as an Axolotl
so these amphibians can both be admired in the same
aquarium. Do not attempt to keep Axolotls in a garden
pond; they will not survive due to warm water temperature
and poor water quality. Axolotls do not tolerate warm
temperatures. In fact, the water temperature in your tank
should ideally be less than 24 degrees Celsius. If kept
above this temperature for more than a day or two, your pet
could die. Wounded or sick individuals heal quicker at
lower temperatures. An Axolotl that I owned, developed
gill deformities which I am quite sure was related to high
water temperatures. To keep the tank cool you can purchase
a water chiller however they are expensive to purchase and
use a lot of power. Alternatively during hot summer days
you can place cool drink bottles filled with ice or cooler
blocks in the tank to lower the water temperature. You will
need to increase the amount of aeration in the tank during
summer as there is less oxygen in warmer water. An
Axolotls gills will grow longer in warm weather and shrink
in colder weather, this has to do with the difference in
oxygen levels in the water in relation to its temperature.
Basically a clean cold aquarium is what Axolotls thrive in.
If kept in these conditions your pet will live a long healthy
happy life.

CHAPTER 4 FEEDING
You can feed your Axolotl on the following: mealworms,
frozen bloodworms, earthworms, crickets, guppies, cubed
beef, chicken breast and turtle pellets. Out of all these foods
earthworms and bloodworms are the best foods you can
give, these food items are relished and will get the best
feeding response. Axolotls locate their food mainly by
smell. This specie consumes food by sucking it up with
large gulps. Mealworms are readily taken and can make up
a part of a balanced diet, however giant mealworms are not
recommended as a food item. Mealworm exoskeletons can
be difficult for an Axolotl to digest you may find small
mealworm skins in your pets aquarium but this is nothing
to worry about. Crickets and turtle pellets are generally
disliked in my experience. Crickets float on top of the
water and try to climb out of the tank and my axolotl
simply ignored the turtle pellets, which are expensive.
Guppies are relished, but are very expensive to buy and
Axolotls find them difficult to catch. Newly hatched
Axolotls are very small and will need tiny food items. They
will eat daphnia which are tiny aquatic insects. You can
buy these live from an aquarium shop and put them in the
tank, replace them once they have been consumed. Lean
meat, such as chicken breasts and cubed beef are
convenient foods but make the water very dirty. I once fed
my Axolotl a dead newborn mouse it ate it eagerly but what
came out the other end was not pleasant and required
immediate cleaning, I never fed this food again. Feed your
pet three to four prey items three times a week, the prey
should not be larger than the length of your Axolotls head.
Axolotls do not require calcium or vitamin supplements.
Supplements in powder form would wash of food items. Do
not over feed your Axolotl as they are enthusiastic feeders
and will soon become obese. Remove uneaten food to
prevent the water from becoming dirty. I would never feed
chicken livers as some keepers suggest you do. Feeding
these results in terrible dirty water and I had to do a full
water change in order to get the tank clean.

CHAPTER 5. BREEDING
This species is sexually mature at 18 months. Axolotls.
practice external reproduction as do all amphibians. The
males drop a spermatophore onto the bottom of the lake, or
tank. A spermatophore is a cluster of sperm incased in
mucous. The male will then lead the female over the
spermatophore which she will pick up in her cloaca. The
female will lay between 300-600 eggs which will hatch
after two weeks when kept at a temperature of 20 Celsius.
The young are very small versions of the adults they appear
slightly see through. If fed generous amounts of aquatic
insects, these babies will grow extremely quickly. Only a
very small percentage of the young would reach breeding
age in the wild due to predation and environmental factors.
Captive bred specimens have a high survival rate as long as
they are cared for properly. Do not breed your Axolotls if
you are not able to take care of large numbers of fast
growing salamanders that may be in your possession for
longer than you may think. Put the eggs in an aquarium
with no substrate with cool clean water. Use an aquarium
pump and an oxygen stone to gently provide oxygen to the
water while the eggs are incubating. Axolotls are one of the
most inbred animals in captivity. Due to their long history
of captive breeding and the fact that they are nearly extinct
in the wild which means wild specimens cannot be added to
the gene pool have caused this. Axolotls do not seem to
experience problems from inbreeding like other animals
would. Once the eggs have hatched you can keep them in
the same aquarium that you put the eggs in. Feed them
everyday with daphnia or live blood worms. Some of the
babies will grow faster than others and will need to be
separated according to their size. Once the babies are about
a month old they will be ready to be sold to a fellow
amphibian enthusiast. Axolotls come in several selectively
bred colour varieties that do not occur in the wild.
CHAPTER 6. WHERE TO GET AN
AXOLOTL
Axolotls are sometimes available for sale in a pet shops.
Another place to look for one is to find a reputable breeder
on the internet. Search online classifieds, internet forums,
and on social media groups. They can also be listed for sale
in magazines catering for exotic reptiles and amphibians.
Finding one nearby is ideal as Axolotls should not be
transported in hot cars for hundreds of kilometers. An
Axolotl should be transported in a square plastic container
filled with dechlorinated water. Keep your new pet cool
during the journey to its new home. Make sure the tank is
set up before you bring your new pet home. Give your new
arrival a day or two to acclimatize to its new home before
feeding it.
CHAPTER 7. HEALTH PROBLEMS
Axolotls rarely get sick and you should not experience too
many illnesses during your Axolotls life time. However as
with any animal health issues can occur problems are
limited to injuries from fights with other Axolotls, fungal
infections and on rare occasion’s bacterial infections.
Axolotls will regenerate any physical injury. I had an
Axolotl that developed a small abscess on it's head I gently
open it up and used an antiseptic called Mercurochrome
this took only a few days to heal this shows how easy it is
to treat illness in these creatures and how quickly they heal.
Fungal infections can be cured with anti fungal medication
which you can find in the fish section of most pet shops.
Bacterial infections most often occur in high temperatures
and are treated with antibiotics which are added to the
water, you can use the same antibiotic tonics that are
designed to treat infections in ornamental fish. There is a
possibility that you’re pet can get infested with fish
parasites such as ick or fish lice, add an anti-parasitic tonic
to the water to get rid of these unwanted guests; these are
available in the aquarium section of your local pet shop.
Sick animals should be isolated from other Axolotls in a
separate aquarium until their condition improves. Most
illnesses in Axolotls other than bites from tank mates is
caused by incorrect captive conditions such as poor water
quality.
CHAPTER 8. ARE AXOLOTLS AN
INVASION SPECIES?
Due to the fact that Axolotls evolved in an isolated
environment, originating from only two lakes, it is
unlikely they have got the capacity to become a real
threat in a totally different ecosystem. The fact that
they have been bred in captivity for 180 years and
have been kept in huge numbers by hundreds of
scientific institutions and thousands of private keepers
without any problems whatsoever proves that they are
quite safe to keep in captivity. This species has not
been successfully introduced into water systems in
regions with cold water, let alone regions with warm
water. Axolotls are not suited to hot, oxygen starved,
silt filled dams and lakes. As we have seen on the
news there is raw sewerage and other forms of
pollution flowing into our river systems that harms not
only indigenous species but also alien species.
Amphibians are very sensitive to changes in water
quality and there permeable skin allows toxins to
enter the bloodstream easily. Captive bred specimens
are unlikely to carry diseases. Wild Axolotl numbers
have been decimated by introduced predatory fish.
Here is a short list of freshwater predatory fish which
live in can be found in lakes and dams around the
world many are not indigenous to the lakes they are
found in. Cat Fish, Small Mouth Bass, Large Mouthed
Bass and Tilapia just to name a few. Egrets, Storks,
Fish Eagles, Large Kingfishers, Terrapins and other
semi aquatic reptiles such as Nile Monitors would
eagerly prey on Axolotls. Juvenile Axolotls and Axolotl
eggs would satisfy the appetite of small fish and
dragonfly larvae. Taking all of this into account nature
conservative laws regarding the keeping of Axolotls
need to be followed even if they lack scientific
evidence.

CHAPTER 9. MORPHS
There are several selectively bred colour and pattern
variations that occur in captive Axolotls. These are
called morphs in the pet trade. Some of these morphs
are more common than the wild type or normal in
captivity. Some morphs are easier to find in pet shops
than a wild type. Below I will discuss some of these
morphs.

Wild Type
This is the natural colouration that Axolotls display in
the wild. A wild Axolotl has a brown background
colouration with some dark green blotches. Their gills
are purple.

Albino

Albinos are white with red eyes and bright red gills.
This is the most common morph, easy to obtain and
cheap. Most of the pictures of Axolotls on the internet
and in books about this species are albinos. It is infact
easier to find an albino Axolotl than a wild type one.
When I began keeping Axolotls the only ones
available in South Africa where I live were albinos.
Zoos in South Africa often only have albinos on
display.

Leucistic
This morph looks virtually the same as an albino. You
can tell them apart by looking at their eyes. Leucistic
specimens have black eyes as opposed to the albino
morphs red eyes. Some individuals may develop dark
speckling on their bodies, however this does not
happen with all leucistic Axolotls. If you want a white
Axolotl and can't find an albino this is your next best
option.

Golden

This morph displays a golden yellow body and

vibration shiny patches. Clear eyes, with peachy
coloured gills. This morph is a type of albinism which
looks different to the white albino. Albinism in
amphibians can be different from other animals as
this trait can have a few different strains of albinos
that look different from each other.

Genetically Engineered Morphs

Scientists have used Axolotls as lab animals for

decades if not longer. At least two types of gene
alteration of Axolotls has been performed. The first is
an Axolotl that was created using flourecent green
proteins found in some species of jelly fish. These
individuals glow green under UV light. Scientists did
this to make cancer treatment and limb regeneration
studies in this species easier to observe. This trait can
be passed on to the next generation, making them
available to keepers who want something really
unusual. An Axolotl was produced by adding genes to
embryos this results in an Axolotl with a normal
colouration with a flourecent green tail. This was done
to study what happens when two different embryos
fuse to create a single individual. Only a dozen of
these have been made and will not be made available
in the pet trade. A natural occuring Axolotl morph
called a Chimera is caused by the fusing of two
embryos this morph takes on the visual
characteristics of both of the embryos. For example if
one of the embryos carries the albino gene and the
other embryo carries the wild type brown colouration
you would get an albino with a brown tail. This
chances of this occuring from natural breeding is so
rare that it hardly ever happens. This is why scientists
had to create this phenomenon using artificial
methods.

CHAPTER 10. SIMILAR SPECIES

Tiger Salamander Larvae
Tiger Salamander larvae go by the pet trade name of
Mudpuppies. They are very closely related to Axolotls.
They do not stay in their juvenile state forever like
Axolotls. Instead they eventually metomorphosis into
terrestrial salamanders. Juveniles get very large and
look almost exactly the same as an Axolotl. Tiger
Salamanders stay aquatic for a very long time
especially when kept at cold temperature, lower than
20 degrees Celsius. Tiger Salamander Larvae gills
will start to shrink and they will leave the water after
this process. Tiger Salamander Larvae require the
exact same care and feeding as an Axolotl and get
the same size as an Axolotl. There are no morphs of
Tiger Salamander Larvae, however the adults are
very colourful

Mudpuppies/Water Dogs

There are seven different species of aquatic salamanders

native to North American known as Mudpuppies ( these are
not related to Tiger Salamander Larvae even though they
share the same name). These Salamanders stay in their
juvenile state and breed without metamorphosis into an
adult just like an Axolotl. However Mudpuppies are not
closely related to Axolotls even though they have some
similarities. These salamanders get their name from the
myth that they can bark underwater. Many species in the
list below are endangered for similar reasons that have
caused Axolotls to become scarce in the wild. Some of the
more common species of Mudpuppies can be kept as pets.
They rarely breed successfully in captivity and most of
them are wild caught. Mudpuppies grow much bigger than
Axolotls and can reach 45cm long. Mudpuppies live longer
than Axolotls. Mudpuppies can live over 30 years old,
while most Axolotls live 10 years younger than this.
Mudpuppies are fully aquatic and need to be kept in an
aquarium. Their care is similar to that of an Axolotl with a
few differences. Very clean cold water is needed in a
Mudpuppy aquarium. Keep the water temperature at 10
degrees Celsius. A very good filtration system is needed.
No lighting must be used as this species is nocturnal and
shuns bright lights. Feed small aquatic insects and small
fish.

Sirens

These are another aquatic salamander from North

American that breed in their juvenile stage and do not go
through metamorphosis. They have a long eel like
appearance. Sirens only have front limbs and do not have
back legs. Sirens are a primitive species which is not
closely related to other salamanders. They are the only
species of salamander that eats plants. However, most of
their diet consists of worms and other aquatic invertebrates.
Sirens can move across land to find more favorite habitats
if they need to. Sirens get quite long and can reach over a
metre in length. Like most aquatic salamanders they breath
through external gills. Sirens can be kept in captivity in the
same way as a Mudpuppy with the exception of a strong lid
on the aquarium to prevent the Siren from escaping.
Aquatic insects and small fish should make up the bulk of
your pet Sirens diet.

Amphiumas

Although this aquatic salamander resembles a Siren they

are not related to each other at all. They have poorly
developed limbs which they rarely use preferring to move
like a elongated fish such as an eel or cat fish. Amphiumas
are a very primitive species and their ancestors date back to
the Cretaceous period. Amphiumas do not have external
gills and really on primitive lungs and for their oxygen
requirements. They can absorb oxygen through their skin.
Amphiumas are a large species sometimes exceeding
nearly 1.2m in length. This species eats relatively large
prey, including small vertebrates using their have very
strong jaws to subdue them. Amphiumas can be kept as
pets however they grow big require large secure aquariums
and can inflict a painful bite. Other than this they can be
kept in the same way as Sirens. Feed Amphiumas a diet
consisting of fish and large aquatic insects.

Cave Salamander

The Cave Salamander lives in underground water sources

in Caves located in Europe. They resemble a long thin
Albino Axolotl. Cave Salamanders are not albinos they lost
pigment due to the complete darkness in the caves where
they live. This species is completely blind and relies on
scent to find it's prey. Cave Salamanders take 14 years to
reach breeding size and can live for over 100 years. Like
most of the salamanders mentioned in this book they breed
in their juvenile state and do not metomorphosise. This
species is highly endangered and is impossible to keep in
captivity due to its extremely complex natural
environmental conditions.