Metamorphed Axy...

[gr33neyes]

I'm afraid thats not an axolotl....It looks like a tiger salamander to me or very similar. I'm no expert on these but I'm pretty sure you need to provide something for him to climb onto so he may leave the water if he wishes. He will eventually live on land.
http://www.caudata.org/cc
Take a look at the above link.....I'm sure you will find information on Tiger salamanders there.

[jennrobb47]

Wow, so I actually have a tiger salamander? How can I tell? I wish I had a picture of him in his larva state so that one could have seen him through the changes along with me. I am so very confused now. I will certainly begin to create a more suitable tank for him. One in which he can get out of the water. Thanks.

[Nathan050793]

Jenn, Becky is right. That is definitely a Tiger salamander. When sold "baby dinosaurs" you are getting the late-stage larval form of a Tiger Salamander. It looks like you may have a barred tiger salamander (Ambystoma mavortium), but don't quote me on that one.

First thing you should do is give him a terrestrial tank, Tigers are mole salamanders (Ambystomidae) and live their entire adult lives on land, only returning to water in order to breed. If kept in the water there is a risk of him drowning. Tiger salamanders like to burrow, so a few inches of cocofiber bedding would be a perfect substrate. Cocofiber is often sold as "bed-a-beast" or under other brand names. For food, he may not take pellets once on land, so earthworms/chopped night crawlers are a highly nutritious and recommended diet. Good luck! If you have any more questions, feel free to post!

P.s.- check this link for more info, it will help in many more ways than I can- http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Am...tigrinum.shtml

[jennrobb47]

Nathan, Thank you so much for the information. I am excited to change his living conditions to make it healthy for him. I'm headed to the pet shop to search for some cocofiber right now.

Thanks!

[bjstech]

Hey mate in regards to the question "How can you get your axie to morph like the one in the pick?" Well im in Australia to and what i can tell you is that There are many types of axies (as you already know) but lets divide them into only two catagories, Morphable and non-Morphable. In Australia there is are laws about the type of axie we are allowed, So you understand better , Look at how many toes the Morphed axie has (4) right, Now every axie i have seen (in Austraila) has 5 Toes. And no the fifth toe doesnt drop off whilst mophing hehe that would be great though, ANYWAY there is a certain chemical or gene in them that allows them to morph Thats why there's not many success stories in AUSTRAILA, But between you and me. With the right chemicals and love anything is possible. Good luck if you Venture this area.

[bjstech]

Oh Yeah Great Job on Morphing the Axie. Real attractive color & pattern. I want one hehe.
When it walks does it jiggle & shake like its unsteady, or slow and steady?
And i read somewhere that they only live for about 1 year after they Morph, Is that true to your or every bodies knowledge?

[Nathan050793]

Originally Posted by bjstech

Hey mate in regards to the question "How can you get your axie to morph like the one in the pick?" Well im in Australia to and what i can tell you is that There are many types of axies (as you already know) but lets divide them into only two catagories, Morphable and non-Morphable. In Australia there is are laws about the type of axie we are allowed, So you understand better , Look at how many toes the Morphed axie has (4) right, Now every axie i have seen (in Austraila) has 5 Toes. And no the fifth toe doesnt drop off whilst mophing hehe that would be great though, ANYWAY there is a certain chemical or gene in them that allows them to morph Thats why there's not many success stories in AUSTRAILA, But between you and me. With the right chemicals and love anything is possible. Good luck if you Venture this area.

The information that you've provided is a bit flawed and the correct answer to the question has already been given previously and can be found on the Axolotl site. Firstly, there is no such thing as a morphable axolotl and a non-morphable axolotl. All axolotls are genetically neotenic, and all (when in less than optimal conditions) are capable of spontaneous metamorphosis. Secondly, the number of toes on the axolotl's foot has no effect on whether or not they will morph, some axolotls, due to enthusiastic regeneration have upwards of 6 or 7 toes.

Finally, I have to disagree with the statement "with the right chemicals and love anything is possible." If someone really loves and cares for their axolotl, they will keep it in conditions that never would cause metamorphosis. A morphed axolotl is never really a "success story." The only reason that axolotl highlighted in this post morphed was because the owner had been ill-informed and had previously kept it in poor conditions.

[blueberlin]

Hi Benji,

I like your profile and your axolotl looks happy on the big rocks in your picture album but I am sorry to say that I find this post offensive in several places. Even ignoring the poor grammar, the basic message seems to me to be a jumble of misinformation peppered with a few frighening phrases (what would be great about toes dropping off? how does one combine "right chemicals" with love?) and ended with an invitation to people to perform cruel and life-threatening experiments on a small animal.

Please note: I don't mean to insult you, personally, but to take issue with the above post. People who come to this site are often confused enough without such nonsense - I would cast my vote just to delete the post entirely, but that's of course up to you.

Originally Posted by bjstech

And i read somewhere that they only live for about 1 year after they Morph, Is that true to your or every bodies knowledge?

Attempting to force metamorphosis on an axolotl almost always kills it. Some rare animals do try to morph and die during that process. Occasionally an animal will successfully morph - and then usually dies very quickly afterwards.

If you like "moprhed axies", you might look into a tiger salamander. They are so closely related to axolotls that they are often confused with them - and they morph naturally. More info here:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Ambystoma/A_tigrinum.shtml

Cordially,

-Eva

[John]

I agree with most of what you've said Nathan, but this part isn't true:

Originally Posted by Nathan050793

all (when in less than optimal conditions) are capable of spontaneous metamorphosis

Most axolotls cannot metamorphose no matter the conditions. Only hormones can induce metamorphosis in those individuals.

[Nathan050793]

Thanks for clearing that up for me John, I appreciate it; I don't like giving out misinformation, even if it's by accident.

[parloman]

hi there. i was wondering if you noticed a behaviour change once your axy morphed? is there downsides to having a morphed axy as opposed to a neo axy?
and generally, just what is his behaviour like?
thanks!

[freekygeeky]

Originally Posted by parloman

hi there. i was wondering if you noticed a behaviour change once your axy morphed? is there downsides to having a morphed axy as opposed to a neo axy?
and generally, just what is his behaviour like?
thanks!

he is great, every night he will put his head in his food bowl... asking for food! lol
then as soon as i give it to him he will eat it all up.. he will then look up at me, asking for more lol...
once i have fed him he willl wonder off and fall asleep!! so cute!!

[oregon newt]

Hey guys just a quick question. I read that these guys will morph in the wild if like the lake where they are living dries up. Is this true?

[Tim S]

Back in the early 1970s R. R. Humphreys cross an albino Eastern Tiger Salamander with an Axolotl and all albino axolotls are decended from that cross. It is possible that some of the reported metamorphosis in the domestic Ambystoma mexicanum may relate to their A. tigrinum ancestory. I don't know.

[John]

Originally Posted by Tim S

Back in the early 1970s R. R. Humphreys cross an albino Eastern Tiger Salamander with an Axolotl and all albino axolotls are decended from that cross. It is possible that some of the reported metamorphosis in the domestic Ambystoma mexicanum may relate to their A. tigrinum ancestory. I don't know.

Please only quote things like this if you have the real information. Otherwise you're spreading disinformation - you got the year very wrong and the man's name wrong.

The reference is R. R. Humphrey, Albino Axolotls from an Albino Tiger Salamander through Hybridization, J. Hered., 1967, 58, 95-101.

http://jhered.oxfordjournals.org/cgi...urcetype=HWCIT

[Tim S]

Thanks for pointing out my error. John, you are absolutely right. I should have double checked the reference. It had been nearly fifteen years since I read the paper; but, that is no excuse. What is worse, I have a copy of the paper; but, I was too lazy to dig it out of my old salamander files. Again sorry. I will try harder to live up to the high expectation of this forum.

[John]

Hi Tim,

Sorry if I came off as overreacting. I just want to make sure that we minimise inaccuracies when possible.

Best wishes,

-John

[Moomin]

*Applaudes*

[NewDreamz]

I know this post is old, but maybe someone is willing to answer the uneducated questions of a newbie.

I just recently became the proud owner of some axies, Which those questions belong in another post.

My question is, where do the gills go when they morph, do they shrink up or fall off? I have never seen the stages before. Just curious?

I really love the tiger salamanders, where could i get one???? By no means would i even think to attempt to try to change one of my little babies, i love them the way they are!


Thanks for the wonderful pics!

[madeve]

Hi NewDreamz,

when any salamander morph they absorb their gills. As far as getting tiger sals you can always post an ad in the wanted section or have a look around the for-sale section.
Eve