Is it safe to breed axies...

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shantsdude

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I have a question. Since I have baby axies, breeding them right now is not an option. However, I am looking to breed them later on. I am coming into a few more larvae soon, a few months maybe, by the same original mother and father axolotl. I know it's not good to breed brother/sister etc. But would it be safe if they are from completely different batches?
 
Just because they're from different batches doesn't make them any less siblings, that is if the parents are the same. That said, inbreeding has been a subject of debate on this forum, axolotls are generally somewhat inbred. I'm not sure how safe/unsafe it would be.
 
All axolotls under the care of hobbiests are very inbred. Breeding sibblings for one generation is no big deal, doing it over and over down generations of them would eventually lead to possible problems.
 
In most species inbreeding causes problems because it results in animals having two copies of defective genes which cause defects and disease. The two main "problems" in axolotl stocks in captivity is a recessive heart development mutation linked in some lines to leucistic which results in eggs developing to near hatching then dying. If both parents contain this gene then 25% of eggs will die. Most stock does not contain this mutation. The other gene which impairs health is the axanthic mutation which in some combinations with other pigment genes results in individuals which fail to thrive. If your stock does not contain these genes you can probably inbreed without any worries.
 
There are quite a few genes that are lethal in axolotls, I've seen at least two of them present in offspring hatched at my house. Here is a link to a list of mutant genes (not all lethal) http://www.ambystoma.org/AGSC/mutantslist.htm
 
A plus side to axolotls is that they're used for genetic studies. Any organism used as a genetic model is usually maintained in a fairly isogenic (genetically identical) population. Isogenic animals are usually obtained from inbreeding. The opportunity to inbreed these siblings may afford you an opportunity to do some fun science and learn about the genetic history of their predecessors. In addition, you may uncover new random mutations that have occurred in your axies' lineage, but are as of yet unknown. I wouldn't worry about problems from crossing them, and I'd keep a close eye on what develops... and what doesn't.
 
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