Axolotls may look a lot like something a 5-year-old could draw. But they are quite scientifically advanced.
Axolotls are amphibians that never grow up. Unlike their fellow amphibians (like frogs and salamanders), these water-born creatures stay in the water for their lifetime.
Axolotls are salamanders. If you’re not currently in fifth-grade science, here’s a refresher.
Salamanders are:
- Amphibians that have tails as adults
- (What is an amphibian? An animal that can live on land and in water.)
- Normally small (around 6 inches long, but some can grow larger)
- Land dwellers as adults (except for the axolotl)
Researchers are fascinated by axolotls because they can regrow many of their body parts. Axolotls have been known to regrow their jaw, limbs, spine, and parts of their brain. Even more, axolotls can – in some cases – accept organs from other axolotls without major issues.
Axolotl pronunciation
Pronounced (ACK-suh-LAH-tuhl) the name axolotl is from Xolotl, the Aztec god of fire and lightning who could embody a salamander. Xolotl was often associated with dogs, and “atl” is the Aztec word for water. Axolotl is sometimes translated to “Mexican water dog.”
What Do Axolotls Look Like?
With their signature baby-like face, axolotls look a bit like a cross between a lizard and a frog. They have a few feathery gills on the sides of their head for breathing that give them their unique look. Adults have lungs but use their gills to breathe underwater. Baby axolotls aren’t born with legs but develop them a few weeks into their lives.
Axolotls can grow up to a foot long but normally grow to about 9 inches. Their large heads and flat bodies have feathery, wavy gills. Axolotls have wide mouths that bend slightly into a grin and small round beady eyes. They weigh about as much as a can of soup. If needed, they can move as fast as 10 miles per hour.
Axolotl colors
Most axolotls are black or dark greenish brown, but some can have white skin with pink or red gills. Sometimes they have silvery highlights on their skin.
Axolotls come in several color varieties, including:
- Leucistic: Pale pink or white with black eyes; code name: “Dirty” or “Speckled Lady” if it has spots on its face or “Bluegill Lucy” if it has darker gills
- Wild: Olive-brown color, dark gills, golden eyes – sometimes called Starburst
- Albino: Known for their clear eyes, white albinos have red gills, and golden albinos have yellow gills.
- Copper: A golden brown with multicolor gills
- Melanoid: Dark gray or black with dark gills
Some special breeding has led to fluorescent-colored axolotls in recent years.
Axolotl Metamorphosis
Most salamanders go through a normal growth spurt and change from juvenile (with gills to breathe on the outside of their bodies) to adults (with gills to breathe on the inside). Not so for the tiny axolotl. They keep their youthful ways throughout their lives with their breathing gills outside their bodies. This Peter Pan-eseque process of “forever youth” is called neoteny in science.
How Long Do Axolotls Live?
They may be small, but axolotls can live up to 15 years.
Axolotl life cycle
At 1 year of age, axolotls are ready to make some babies. Females can lay between 300 and 1,000 eggs. The mating season is between March and June when water temps are stable. Males and females mate in a twirling and circular motion until the male drops a cone-shaped “sperm cap.” Mama collects the cap, lays her eggs on rocks in a place that’s safe from predators, and two weeks later, baby axolotls are hatched. They swim off on their own.
What Do Axolotls Eat?
On their own in the wild, axolotls are carnivores (meat eaters) and night hunters. When most of the world is asleep, they munch on worms, insects, mollusks, and small fish. They have small, tender, undeveloped teeth, so they eat by sucking their food. Axolotls even suck up some gravel, which helps grind their food. Their mouths may stay open for a few moments after eating, making them look like they’re smiling. A young axolotl can eat once a day, while an adult may only eat three or four times a week. Without enough food around, axolotls may bite off each other – an arm here, a leg there.
But that’s what they eat. What eats them? Thankfully, axolotls don’t have as many predators as you might expect despite their tiny size. They must watch out for birds like herons or large fish like tilapia or carp. But their biggest danger is pollution of freshwater.
Where Do Axolotls Live?
If an axolotl is not living in someone’s home or in an aquarium, they are lentic creatures – meaning living in still-water lakes. But not just any lake. Axolotls live in two lakes – Mexico’s Lake Xochimilco and Lake Chalco.
Why Are Axolotls Endangered?
Unfortunately, axolotls are endangered due to pollution, destruction of their habitat, and the growth of human populations around them.
Scientists are working to protect these fragile species by building shelters in Mexico with rocks and plants to help filter and clean the water around them. The goal is to help them breed and survive.
Can I Keep Axolotls as Pets?
You can keep them as pets, but unlike dogs or cats, most amphibians aren’t good for cuddling. Keep this in mind as you consider an axolotl as a pet. You’ll need to spend time (and money) on keeping their tank clean and water quality to a certain level. They also are illegal in some states, so also check before you decide to get one.
Axolotl Diet
Axolotls are meat eaters, but they don’t chew their food like most carnivores. Instead, axolotls grab, suck, and swallow their food. They like soft, squiggly stuff like earthworms, cooked shrimp, blackworms, and salmon pellets. They feed for about five to 10 minutes, three to four times per week. As pets, axolotls seem to do best on a consistent diet, unlike humans, who need variety and balanced diets.
Just remember to clean any food remnants from the tank to maintain the water quality.
Axolotl Habitat
By many accounts, an axolotl tank might look like a traditional fish tank with a few updates. The larger the tank, the better. A 20-gallon tank allows better filtration of nitrogenous waste. The water should be to the top, and the tank should have a lid or aquarium hood at all times.
Axolotls aren’t vampires, but they don’t like bright light. They are night creatures, but some lights may be helpful for growing live plants. They prefer places to hide, so invest in fish-friendly hides for the tank. Also, stay away from aquarium pebbles, since they can be sucked up by axolotls and hurt them. It’s best to stick with fine sand. Axolotls prefer something on the base of the tank over a bare bottom where they can slip and have less to grip.
You can add décor like driftwood, plants, and river rocks that axolotls can swim through and hide behind. Live plants can be great for water quality too.
Cycling an Axolotl Tank
Think of cycling a tank for your axolotl as a healthy cleanse you might do for yourself.
It takes the waste (toxins) released by your axolotl and uses chemicals to turn it into something safe versus something deadly. The chemicals in water can show how safe it is for drinking, bathing, and for axolotls to live happy lives. The pH indicates the water's acid level. (Axolotls like a less acidic water.) The gH or kH are how hard the water is. Axolotls like hard water. Ammonia levels show how much waste is in the water. Nitrite is a toxic chemical in water, not to be confused with nitrate (think A for effort) – the end goal of cycling.
Ask your local exotic pet store or exotic pet vet how to cycle your tank for your axolotl.
Axolotl Tank Maintenance
To keep your axolotl happy and healthy in their tank, there are some key things to keep in mind. Remember, their tank is their world, and you are responsible for making sure it’s clean and well-maintained. Keep the 3 Cs in mind.
- Keep it cool: Tank water should be cool or chilled to 60-65F. Anything higher than 70 F can be risky.
- Keep it calm: Water should have a slow movement, since rapid currents are stressful for your peaceful axolotls.
- Keep it changed: Switch tank water out one to three times per week. How often will depend on your specific water quality levels.
Checking the Water Quality
Always keep a water quality sheet near your tank. This helps you track the date (of water changes), temperature, pH balance, ammonia levels, nitrite and nitrate levels, water hardness levels, and how much water you changed. You should use chlorines and chloramines to remove harmful chemicals from the water. If you’re worried you’ll need to relearn high school chemistry, most exotic pet stores will have kits to help you. Here’s a quick guide:
Ideal values:
- Water temperature: Range of 60-65 F
- pH: 6.5-8 (ideal 7.4-7.6)
- Ammonia: 0 ppm
- Nitrite: 1 ppm
- Nitrate: <10 ppm
- GH: 7-14 F or 124.6-249.2 mg/L
- Oxygen saturation: 70%-100%
- Salinity: 0g/L
Axolotl Tank Mates
More isn’t necessarily merrier in the axolotl tank. Male and female axolotls should be kept separate to avoid breeding, which comes with a host of rules and tasks. Some fish may nip at axolotl gills, damaging them. Or, the axolotls might attack (or eat) the fish while they sleep – axolotls being night creatures after all. Even axolotls in the same tank have been known to fight and bite off each other’s arms and legs. Thankfully, they grow back. But who wants the trouble? In general, axolotls are what we humans call introverts.
If you insist on a roommate, here are a few possible suitable tank mates:
- Adult axolotls of the same size
- Small shrimp (ghost shrimp)
- Guppies
- Mini soft-shelled snails
- White cloud minnows
- Other species of peaceful cool-water fish
How to Find an Axolotl for Sale
You can purchase axolotls at major pet store chains and from small breeders online. As with buying any pet, do your research! Breeding axolotls takes time, patience, and someone who is detailed to avoid harm to the parents and the babies. For example, female axolotls can be bred too much if not separated from males. They should only lay eggs every six months, or they can die.
Axolotls are also at risk of inbreeding without proper care. It is unethical and harmful, as inbreeding can lead to numerous health issues. To be safe, contact your local vet for recommendations for exotic pet resources in your area.
Axolotl Price
A healthy axolotl may cost about $80, while an exotic variety may cost about $140. Don’t forget to count up the cost of a large tank, start-up, and monthly supplies and food for your axolotl.
Takeaways
Axolotls are biological marvels that are attractive as both pets and for research. They are unlike other salamanders because they don’t grow up and move to land from water. Axolotls come in a variety of colors – from white and pale pink to dark brown and deep green. If you want to keep an axolotl as a pet, you’ll have to be diligent in keeping their tanks clean at all times.
Axolotl FAQs
Are axolotls good as pets?
Axolotls do well as pets if they are well taken care of and their tanks are clean, cool, and well-maintained.
Is it OK to touch an axolotl?
Axolotls may look like their salamander cousins, but they are not. Because of that, touching, petting, or handling them can be dangerous for them. Oils or other substances from your hands can easily seep into their systems through their sensitive skin. If you have to handle them, use sterile nitrile gloves.
Is it OK to own an axolotl?
It depends. Axolotls are OK to own as pets in some states, but not all. Currently, states like California, Maine, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. don’t allow axolotls as pets due to the harm they can cause to the local ecosystem if they’re released. Some states, like New Mexico and Hawaii, also have restrictions. Check with your state before purchasing an axolotl to be sure.
How many axolotls are left in the world?
One study in 2019 found there were only about 50 to 1,000 axolotls left in the world. Scientists say this number is dropping due to water pollution and a lack of protected shelters for axolotls.
Are axolotls happy in a tank?
A cool, calm-water, frequently changed water tank is an axolotl happy tank.
Can an axolotl be out of water?
Because axolotls have both lungs (for breathing on land) and gills (for breathing in water), they can be outside of the water for short periods.
Do axolotls like to be petted?
Axolotls have sensitive, somewhat slimy, skin, and they are easily stressed out by many things, including too much light, rough water currents, and too much touching. Axolotls are not aggressive, but that doesn’t mean they like to be the life of the party.
Can axolotls bite?
Axolotls have teeth, but they are small and tender. They’re used for gripping (think fingers more than teeth) more than biting. If you happen to be bitten by an axolotl, it’s not likely to hurt at all because their teeth are not sharp.
Do axolotls recognize their owners?
If axolotls weren’t already biological marvels, some studies suggest they can recognize their owners – especially during feeding times. But that’s not all. They’ve also shown some knowledge of shapes (despite their poor eyesight) of other animals and the ability to count to three!
Does an axolotl need a heater?
On the contrary, in warmer climates, axolotls may need a chiller to keep their tanks below 70 F. Lower temps allow more oxygen – which axolotls love – and keep them from getting stressed out from higher temps.
