What To Do If Your Axolotl Morphs

What To Do When Your Axolotl ( Ambystoma Mexicanum ) Morphs​

1) Recognize


The first step in caring for a morphing axolotl is to recognize that they are in fact morphing. There are a few key things that you can look for that will indicate if this is happening to your axolotl or not. Here is a list of traits that can help you identify if your axolotl is going through a metamorphosis. If these traits do not match up for your axolotl it is important to seek medical advice from other axolotl hobbyists or a veterinarian that specializes in exotic animals and has experience with axolotls.

• Receding dorsal fin
• Receding tail fin
• Bulging eyes
• Eyelids
• Loss of gill stocks
• Thicker legs
• Severe change in behavior
• Color changes ( lightening or darkening )
• Difficulties swimming or reaching the surface of the water

2) Remove from tank


It is extremely important to either lower your tank water levels or to remove your morphing axolotl from their main tank and to place them in a shallow bucket or tub of water. Once the tail and crest ( dorsal fin ) of the axolotl has receded it becomes very difficult for them to swim, and consequently, the morphing axolotl may drown as it is unable to reach the surface of the water for air.


3) Area to morph

You will need to place your morphing axolotl into a shallow bucket or tub of water that is no deeper than your axolotl is tall. This will allow for the axolotl to easily reach the surface of the water to breath.

The next thing you will want to do is provide an out of water area for your axolotl, as at some point they are going to need to leave the water. One way you can accomplish this is by elevating one end of the container that your axolotl is in so that water is gradually shallower leading to dry land. You can also place objects within the container such as large stones that your axolotl can climb onto to escape the water.

Please make sure to provide some form of a hide on the dry land section of the container. This will help reduce stress and make your morphed axolotl more comfortable in their temporary environment. You can use a standard store bought hide or even cut a Styrofoam cup in half and place it into the container.


Make sure that the container you keep your morphing axolotl in has some kind of cover. Salamanders are capable of climbing up and out of their containers if they so wish. There also needs to be breather holes on the cover to allow airflow. You can use a plastic lid, a screen cover, or even plastic wrap to cover their container.


4) Monitor


Once your axolotl has left the water you will want to place them into a container with clean damp paper towels, a few hides, and a cover. You will need to replace these paper towels every other day. Since axolotls typically stay aquatic throughout their lifespan, little is known about the metamorphosis effects on an axolotl. By placing them in a simple and clean environment you can monitor them and make sure that they are healthy. Should you notice any health problems contact a veterinarian that has experience with exotic pets such as axolotls and tiger salamanders, the axolotls closest relative. It is recommended to monitor your morphed axolotl in this environment for approximately 2 weeks.


5) Post-Metamorphosis Enclosure


After your axolotl has morphed and you have concluded that they are healthy you may continue to use paper towels to line the bottom of their vivarium, or you can use soil such as Eco Earth. It is important to keep in mind that morphed axolotls are a type of mole salamander, meaning that they like to dig and burrow. You can decorate their enclosure with large stones that exceed the size of their head, sanitized wood, plants, hides, and various other decorations.

Just like other salamanders morphed axolotls will absorb moisture through their skin in a process called osmosis. Since their skin is so permeable you will want to make sure that their enclosure has moist soil or paper towels. You can also provide a shallow water bowl for your salamander to soak in and hydrate. Please keep in mind that if you choose to use a water bowl you will need to fill it with clean and dechlorinated water once a week.

The temperature range of your vivarium should stay between 18.3°C (65°F) to 22.2°C (72°F) at all times. Temperatures that exceed 25.6°C (78°F) for extended periods of time could be life threatening to your salamander.


6) Introduce food

It is important to introduce live food to your newly morphed axolotl. Some axolotls will refuse to eat during their metamorphosis and may have lost some weight. Small bite sized live Earthworms or small live crickets are some of the best food choices to offer to your new salamander. If you decide to use crickets remember to remove any and all of the uneaten ones from your morphed axolotls vivarium within 24 hours to prevent the crickets from stressing, biting, harming, or potentially killing them. You can also feed Waxworms to a very emaciated morphed axolotl to help them gain weight as waxworms are extremely rich in fat. Below is a list of foods that you can feed an axolotl salamander post-metamorphosis.

• Small-Medium crickets
• EarthWorms
• Slugs
• Freshly Shed Mealworms
• Waxworms

Please keep in mind that this is not a complete or exclusive food list, but simply some of the most popular food choices and my personal preference on an ideal diet.

7) Document


While this step is not required, documenting your personal experiences with an axolotl metamorphosis will help other members in the future who may experience the same thing, and it can help people worldwide better understand what causes an axolotl to morph. This way, we can pool together information about how to better care for our morphed axolotls.
Ways that you can document this include photographing your axolotl every few days, or even every day as they are changing. You can also write down what you see, the axolotls behavior, and the conditions that you have them in such as water parameters, water temperature, air temperature, and diet. It is also important to continue to document their progress post-metamorphosis.


Frequently Asked Questions


1) What is the lifespan of a morphed axolotl?


This depends on the age of your morphed axolotl, what caused them to morph, and the care that they are given post metamorphosis. If the axolotl is still a juvenile then they have better chance at a long life. If your axolotl morphs during adulthood the lifespan may be shortened quite drastically.

If the axolotl was forced to morph due to poor water conditions then there may be some negative health effects on the axolotl. This could lower their lifespan, however it is dependent on how poor their conditions were.

As with any animal the better care that they received throughout their life will lead to a longer and healthier life. If your axolotl has morphed naturally, has low stress levels, is kept in proper tank parameters, and is fed a healthy diet they could live between 10 to 15 years of age.

Of Course this information is limited and merely an estimation due to the lack of knowledge about morphed axolotls. If you have had a morphed axolotl or currently own one, it would be extremely beneficial to all of us if you could please share their age and background story below.


2) What caused my axolotl to morph?


There are many different things that could cause an axolotl to go through metamorphosis, however, it is not something that we know much about. Due to the lack of knowledge on this subject I can only give you a few possibilities as to why this has happened.

• Poor Water Conditions
• Genetics
• Overcrowded Tank

3) How big do morphed axolotls get?

A morphed axolotls size will range between 5 to 9 inches in length, approximately the same size as a normal axolotl or their cousins the tiger salamander. Depending on age and diet your morphed axolotl may be larger or smaller.


4) How often should I feed my morphed axolotl?


The temperature of the enclosure will determine how often they will need to eat. Lower temperatures will cause the metabolism to slow down and the axolotl won't need as much food as often, where in contrast the warmer temperatures speed up the metabolism and your salamander is going to need to eat more frequently.
If the temperatures are 18.3°C (65°F) or lower then your axolotl will need to feed only once a week. In temperatures over 18.3°C (65°F) or above your axolotl will need to feed at least twice a week. Careful not to overfeed your axolotl, as salamanders are prone to obesity in captivity.

5) How large should my vivarium be?

The size of your vivarium should be no smaller than a 20 gallon tank. Depending on the size of your axolotl you may want to get an even larger tank.


6) What is the gender of my morphed axolotl?


Identifying the gender of a morphed axolotl is similar to that of the Tiger salamander. The best time to identify a gender is during mating season. The male's cloaca will become swollen, and a female will become fatter in the abdominal region due to egg production.


7) Can morphed axolotls breed?

This is a question that comes up quite often. Unfortunately there is not a definitive answer.

Please note that I am not in any way advocating for anyone to attempt to force their axolotl into metamorphosis. This information is here solely for the purpose of learning how to properly care for an axolotl that has already begun to morph, or a fully morphed axolotl. Metamorphosis is not typically a natural occurrence in Ambystoma mexicanum and if it is forced upon the animal it can lead to serious injuries and death. If you notice any severe health problems at any point with your morphed axolotl you should consult an experienced vet that deals with exotic animals such as axolotls and tiger salamanders.​

great work Kylee, very informative!

There are also many posts/threads on this subject under axolotls.