# Not a fish... But Axolotl!!



## Gizmothefreaky (Apr 10, 2011)

I got an Axolotl for my brthday, and moved him/her into the thirty gallon after rehoming the goldfish. It is so neat watching this kid!! 










This is the only picture i have of it so far, this was taken in a ten gallon that i was splitting for my bettas (but hadnt put the heater in yet) so he stayed in there over night while i cleaned the thirty gallon tank for him. 

I named him Toothless... X3 It has been done, i know, but i dont care. It is just too cute!!! 

So everyone, meet Toothless, my wee baby axolotl! :3


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah mudkipz. <3<3


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## Gizmothefreaky (Apr 10, 2011)

Lolz! Yuss! :3


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Axolotl!!!! I loves them!!! <3 <3 Just wish I had the room for one!!


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## Pitluvs (Jun 22, 2011)

I wish I had and a tank for one too! I do have a 50g L but my dragon uses it and I can't find her another tank LOL I just love these! Cute, and congrats!


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## Gizmothefreaky (Apr 10, 2011)

They do just fine in a ten gallon tank.  you should totally get one because they don't need a heater or anything. Lol!


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

I thought the adults would need like a 50 gal or something? Anyways, my house is too warm for them. I have to use a fan to keep my goldfish tank under 80F in the summer. When I move to a cooler area I'm going to have a salamander room in the basement. ^-^


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## emeraldsky (Oct 4, 2011)

Axolotls only need 20 gallons as adults, they turn into lumps when theyre older 


Congrats!
I have three axolotls myself, yours is a very pretty wildtype it looks like


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

I thought they had front legs? He just has stumps.. is it cause he's a baby?

I've also heard that on extremely rare occasions it can actually turn into a full on salamander o-o Probably doesn't happen in an aquarium where there is no chance to go on land though.. I could be wrong also


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## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

oh, i adore these things. i want an albino one. :B they're just so cute, always smiling! <3


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## emeraldsky (Oct 4, 2011)

They do have front legs o.o
Hmm where was your guy housed when you got him? It's possible that if he was with other axies they could have nommed his feet. Do you know how old he is? How big is he?

Axolotls will most likely never morph without outside help but I've heard of them morphing before in incredibly bad water conditions


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## Gizmothefreaky (Apr 10, 2011)

thekoimaiden said:


> I thought the adults would need like a 50 gal or something? Anyways, my house is too warm for them. I have to use a fan to keep my goldfish tank under 80F in the summer. When I move to a cooler area I'm going to have a salamander room in the basement. ^-^


Ah, yeah, they like coooold water. Like goldies XD 
I hope you get that room set up, sounds cool!!
And, like another poster said, they only need at most 15-20 gallons as adults. But my kid is only like... four inches long. XD He has a thirty to himself though. 



emeraldsky said:


> Axolotls only need 20 gallons as adults, they turn into lumps when theyre older
> 
> 
> Congrats!
> I have three axolotls myself, yours is a very pretty wildtype it looks like


Toothless gets a thirty gllon to himself. X3 Lucky boy! 
Yup, he is a wild type, and just a baby. i love him to death!



Olympia said:


> I thought they had front legs? He just has stumps.. is it cause he's a baby?
> 
> I've also heard that on extremely rare occasions it can actually turn into a full on salamander o-o Probably doesn't happen in an aquarium where there is no chance to go on land though.. I could be wrong also


He does have front legs, but one of them got eaten by the other axolotl in the tank where he was living... It is almost fully grown back though, he jus needs to form the toes! X3 

They dont morf unless they are chemically induced to do so, and that usually results in a very short lived animal. 



Luimeril said:


> oh, i adore these things. i want an albino one. :B they're just so cute, always smiling! <3


I want to get an albino as well and name it Ruth, like from the Dragon Riders of Pern books.... So that i will have Toothless and Ruth, my two favorite dragons. :3



emeraldsky said:


> They do have front legs o.o
> Hmm where was your guy housed when you got him? It's possible that if he was with other axies they could have nommed his feet. Do you know how old he is? How big is he?
> 
> Axolotls will most likely never morph without outside help but I've heard of them morphing before in incredibly bad water conditions


He has a nubby, it was nommed by the leusistic Axxie in the tank with him at the store unfortunately.  But all he needs now is to reform the toes and he will be complete! XD

I dont know his age, but he is only about four inches long. havent properly measured him though, just eyeballed it. XD I suppose i could call up the pet store and ask if they know how old he is, but i doubt they would.

Of course i am calling it 'he' and it could very well be a 'she', we wont know for a while yet. XD


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## Karebear13 (Jan 23, 2012)

omg so cute I totally want one now I have been on youtube all day looking at them


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

They ate his leg? o.o is it safe for him to have a buddy? Or was that just like pet store overcrowding conditions?


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

Ive wanted one of these for so long! I dont know where I can get one of these!

It's so adorable! Make sure you take a ton more pictures! I love the face. They always look like they're smiling.

Anyone know a good place to get one or two of these guys?


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## Karebear13 (Jan 23, 2012)

Dang I heard they were in illegal in California  ruin my morning Does anyone know if I can get one with some type of permit?

Yes please post more pics!


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## Gizmothefreaky (Apr 10, 2011)

Karebear13 said:


> omg so cute I totally want one now I have been on youtube all day looking at them


Lol they are just as addictive as bettas, but tons more expensive! This is the cheapest one i found in town at $32.00!



Olympia said:


> They ate his leg? o.o is it safe for him to have a buddy? Or was that just like pet store overcrowding conditions?


Axolotls are actually cannibalistic until they are about six inches long, so it wasn't crowded, the other guy just got hungry. Lol! Once he is an adult, i can introduce another adult and they should be fine, but these guys can fully regenerate lost limbs.



bettalover2033 said:


> Ive wanted one of these for so long! I dont know where I can get one of these!
> 
> It's so adorable! Make sure you take a ton more pictures! I love the face. They always look like they're smiling.
> 
> Anyone know a good place to get one or two of these guys?


Lol, i got mine at an lps, you can try ordering one online. Don't know any sites though, sorry. ^^; 

I plan on taking loads of pictures though, so no worries!!


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## emeraldsky (Oct 4, 2011)

Karebear13 said:


> Dang I heard they were in illegal in California  ruin my morning Does anyone know if I can get one with some type of permit?
> 
> Yes please post more pics!



Axolotls are kind of weird in California (I live there), they go between illegal and legal all the time, it just depends on the tiger salamander population since the reason they are illegal is if they are released into the wild, they breed together and raise hybrids which are sterile and slowly wipes out the tiger salamander.

I have 3 axolotls which I got from a LFS/craigslist. You just have to be lucky in finding them c:

and no permit, its either illegal or legal depending on how the government feels~


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## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

emeraldsky said:


> Axolotls are kind of weird in California (I live there), they go between illegal and legal all the time, it just depends on the tiger salamander population since the reason they are illegal is if they are released into the wild, they breed together and raise hybrids which are sterile and slowly wipes out the tiger salamander.
> 
> I have 3 axolotls which I got from a LFS/craigslist. You just have to be lucky in finding them c:
> 
> and no permit, its either illegal or legal depending on how the government feels~


that's just crazy. o-o i mean... i get why, but it's still crazy. why don't they just..... breed tiger sals to reintroduce into the wild? :I


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

So it changes? If it becomes illegal and you already own one, do you get to keep it? o.o


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Luimeril said:


> that's just crazy. o-o i mean... i get why, but it's still crazy. why don't they just..... breed tiger sals to reintroduce into the wild? :I


I've actually done research on this exact thing: conservation aquaculture/captive breeding programs. It's not that simple that you just breed more and release them. The tiger salamanders are declining because of environmental factors, not lack of breeding (but breeding with axolotls isn't helping). So until the problems with their habitat are fixed, releasing captive-bred individuals is just wasting government money.


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## Karebear13 (Jan 23, 2012)

emeraldsky said:


> Axolotls are kind of weird in California (I live there), they go between illegal and legal all the time, it just depends on the tiger salamander population since the reason they are illegal is if they are released into the wild, they breed together and raise hybrids which are sterile and slowly wipes out the tiger salamander.
> 
> I have 3 axolotls which I got from a LFS/craigslist. You just have to be lucky in finding them c:
> 
> and no permit, its either illegal or legal depending on how the government feels~


so there is still hope? what part of California are you from? Do you happen to know if they are currently illegal?


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## Gizmothefreaky (Apr 10, 2011)

All i know about that is that they are legal here. XD sorry that im no help. ^^;


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## emeraldsky (Oct 4, 2011)

@Olympia
Yep

But its smart not to go flashing them around since I cant really prove that I got them when they were legal.


@Karebear13
Im in central california and so far as I know, they are illegal right now. Theres a place i know of that has them seasonally, but I dont know when they get them in.

Your best bet would be to call fish and game and ask if they are right now.

And theres hope, I got 2 of mine when they were illegal off craigslist, you just have to keep an eye open.


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## Gizmothefreaky (Apr 10, 2011)

Got a couple more pictures!! I feed him bloodworms and newt pellets, but was trying some beef heart.... He didnt know what to do wit it. XD The snails ended up eating it over night. 


















EDIT: Yes there are a lot of pellets... I accidentally dumped too many in. But he didnt eat them all anyway, so i let the snails eat them... ^^; he usually only gets between ten and fifteen pellets at a feeding, and one whole cube of blood worms a day. I am pretty sure this is a good amount, as he eats all of it by night time. But if its too much i need to know. There really isnt anything on feeding amounts, just foods.


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## Karebear13 (Jan 23, 2012)

You are making me so jealous!!! So cute love the coloring  You should post a video when you get a chance


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## emeraldsky (Oct 4, 2011)

Hey do you have pebbles in your tank? 

I can't really see the pictures on my phone ^^;

If they are, you should take them out, axolotls have a nasty habit of eating stones then dying from the pebble blocking them up


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## Gizmothefreaky (Apr 10, 2011)

Karebear13 said:


> You are making me so jealous!!! So cute love the coloring  You should post a video when you get a chance


Lol!! I can try. XD 



emeraldsky said:


> Hey do you have pebbles in your tank?
> 
> I can't really see the pictures on my phone ^^;
> 
> If they are, you should take them out, axolotls have a nasty habit of eating stones then dying from the pebble blocking them up


No pebbles, what i think you are seeing are actually the infestation off snails i have. XD
All my tanks are sand bottoms.


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## Sheldon31 (Mar 21, 2012)

Ooooh lush! I love axolotls wish I had the room and time for one. If I ever get hold of a large tank I will convince other half to get me one


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## Jessicatm137 (Mar 22, 2012)

(S)he's so cute! Perfect name!


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## LionCalie (Sep 24, 2011)

Regarding them being illegal in California: I live in Northern Cali, about 30 mins from Sacramento, and they sell them in Pet stores here. One store has them in tiny (1 gallon) kritter keepers. :-(

Your boy is super cute! I love his coloring. :-D


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## Karebear13 (Jan 23, 2012)

It makes me happy that they can be found in California  Hopefully I can rescue two that are in those petstores in one gallon...


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## Gizmothefreaky (Apr 10, 2011)

Sheldon31 said:


> Ooooh lush! I love axolotls wish I had the room and time for one. If I ever get hold of a large tank I will convince other half to get me one


You really should!! It is like having an aquatic puppy. X3 I even hand feed him bloodworms. 



Jessicatm137 said:


> (S)he's so cute! Perfect name!


Thanks so much! :3



LionCalie said:


> Regarding them being illegal in California: I live in Northern Cali, about 30 mins from Sacramento, and they sell them in Pet stores here. One store has them in tiny (1 gallon) kritter keepers. :-(
> 
> Your boy is super cute! I love his coloring. :-D


Oh my god!! Those poor things!  
Thank you though, i really love him too! X3 



Karebear13 said:


> It makes me happy that they can be found in California  Hopefully I can rescue two that are in those petstores in one gallon...


I love that you want to rescue two babies, but just remember they are canibalistic until they reach about six inches long, so keep them in a divided tank until they reach that size.


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## Karebear13 (Jan 23, 2012)

Oh yeah fo sho I have been doing my research  Still really want to see a video of your little guy his color is fantastic


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## Gizmothefreaky (Apr 10, 2011)

Finally got a good video of Toothless! :3 Hope you all enjoy it! 

http://youtu.be/y62lsuJQXZg


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Awww. So is he pretty sedentary?


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

He's adorable!! Axolotls definitely just made my list of animals to keep someday!!


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## Gizmothefreaky (Apr 10, 2011)

Olympia said:


> Awww. So is he pretty sedentary?


Yeah, pretty much. He has his moments, but mostly is very lazy. XD 



thekoimaiden said:


> He's adorable!! Axolotls definitely just made my list of animals to keep someday!!


hee hee!! You totally should!! They are amazing, and so cute!


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## LionCalie (Sep 24, 2011)

I spoke too soon about them being for sale here in California. The one store where I have seen them for sale didn't know they were illegal! So they have stopped selling them. The supplier they originally got them from has stopped breeding them as well. 

I was thinking about getting one too... oh well. :-(


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## Gizmothefreaky (Apr 10, 2011)

Aww! Sad! I'm so sorry. That sucks.


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