Is Darwin the axolotl blind?

Yes, he's been named Darwin. Or Choxolotl. Or Quetzalcoatl, depending on who you ask. I'll stick with Darwin, since it's easier to type.

So, we got Darwin last April -- brought him home as a teeny guy (maybe 4 cm long) from school, where my 13-year-old's science teacher was selling off axolotls he had raised. We've got him (Darwin) in a 10-gallon aquarium, and he seems happy enough, now grown to at least 20 cm. Spotty brown (hence the name Choxolotl). He does not do much, but sort of wanders around in the aquarium, sometimes swimming.

And bumping into the glass, with a startled response.

Which got us to thinking... Can he not see? He takes no notice whatsoever of a finger or hand ouside the glass, and bumps into things. There is no indication that he can see at all. He even finds his food (pellets and bloodworms) by smell, I think.

Could he be blind? How could we tell? Does it matter?

I was wondering the same thing this evening with my golden one. My wild type follows movement around the tank, and I suspect at some distance too out side the tank, but the other never really has responded. I was wondering that it may be due the albinoism that they don't like too strong light, but the male will tolerate it and respond. I feel that sight may not be one of their stronger senses, where as motion and smell are. But this is what I have noticed from watching mt two, so I could well be completely wrong!

Thread bump!

It's pretty quiet around here... Does anyone else have anything to add about blind axolotls?

Axolotls are near sighted, tend to respond to some movement, depending on how hungry/active they are. Most food is found by smell.

Have you read: www.axololt.org