My Other Pets - Axolotls

Whilst suffering from multiple tank syndrome I also got distracted by these little ones.
This tank contains 3 juvenile axolotls (2 copper and 1 wild type).
None have names yet, and probably wont until they are old enough to know the sex.

I also have 3 others who are almost full grown, which I got last week from someone who was getting rid of theirs because they didn't like handling the live earthworms at feeding time and their mum was getting a bit fed up of having to do it.
These are around 20cm (approx. 3 times bigger than the juveniles) and I have 1 wild type and 2 leucistic.

They are in species only tanks, with the juveniles in a different tank to the older ones because larger ones will snap at/bite/try to eat pretty much anything smaller than themselves.

They are really weird, but quite amazing with their external gills as well as internal lungs, and being neotenic - reaching maturity whilst still retaining the juvenile form.
Basically this is what juvenile salamanders loo like before they mature and move on to the land.
There are a few cases of axolotls maturing into land animals, but they don't always survive the transition since they have evolved into permanent amphibians.
They are likely to be in an aquatics centre that also deals with amphibians and reptiles. There is one 20 minutes away from me, and they are great for live earthworms etc. which standard aquatics centres don't stock. Unfortunately they didn't have any copper ones.

The larger axolotls are still quite shy as they are settling in, but I managed to get a pic of the wild type and a leucistic.
Axolotls are not the most gracious of animals. They seem to enjoy sitting in the plants and end most of their swimming adventures by hitting something face first, sometimes with entertaining consequences.

Quote from: Paddyc on March 09, 2016, 10:16:48 PM

They're so unusual looking but in a cool way!!! I really need to find a place where I could see them in the flesh...

A bit of a drive for you, Paddy, but you might find some here http://www.nemoaquatics.co.uk/ or here http://www.edenaquaticsandreptiles.co.uk/ although am quite sure somewhere closer to you might have them.

Not as far from me as it may seem... Under an hour round-trip 

I can see myself doing a wee tour of the Central Scotland fish shops. I work at Glasgow Airport and there are a handful out that way also 

Well, the apparently "almost mature" axolotls that I picked up the first week of March have settled in so well that while I've been waiting for them to show signs of obvious maturity they have gone ahead and decided to breed.
Noticed some blobs in the sand while I was feeding them this morning. Got them out of the tank and headed for appropriate website to find out that they are spermatophores, which the male lays during the mating process. So, not only have I spent some time this morning cleaning up the equivalent of axolotl dirty sheets, I'm also going to have to change one of my tanks that I was cycling for more fish into an axolotl segregation tank because the website says that it's not a good idea for axolotls to breed before they are 18 months old because the energy expenditure is quite large considering they are not fully grown yet.
I have 2 x 70 litre tanks available, just need to get some decor/hides, etc. and might actually separate all 3 until I am 100% sure I know what sex each one is.

If the female has been fertilised she will lay eggs any time within the next day or so. I'd best get a wriggle on with setting up the other tanks.

Frisky little feckers. 

Currently trying not to think about it. 

3 older axolotls still separated, and no sign of eggs in any of the tanks.
Wondered why the male had "done his thing", and thought there must have been a receptive female in the tank, so posted on the axolotl forum to ask if anyone else had seen anything similar.
The reply from someone who currently has 3 tanks containing 14 axolotls in total, was reassuring and entertaining in equal measure.

"Males do not need a reason to try courting and depositing spermatophores. They are optimists, they will deposit whenever they feel conditions are right, and will court any other axie in the vicinity. I have one try and chase his reflection and then nudge a log. They are not smart."

Will keep the three apart until I know which ones can share tanks, then try to free up at least one tank to perhaps get the fish I was planning on. 

It made me chuckle. 

My juvenile copper and wild type axolotls are growing nicely.
They can share the same tank for several months longer, until I have to worry about when they mature.

The older ones, 2 leucistics with freckles and a wild type, all matured into males.
I'm currently working on their new 200L tank and when that is done they can all get back together again.