Question: Is my axie morphing?

Hi everyone, I was wondering if anyone out there could help me.

I have five axies who are all happy and healthy, although one has started to change over the past months. I 'adopted' Maddison out of a bad situation and she has done really well in her new home with her new axie friends. I have noticed, however, that she has lost all of her gills. When she first came home with me they were only stumps, but they have definitely receeded even further to the point where now they are virtually non existant. Her eyes have also started bulging a bit as well (I think).

I have done quite a bit of research regarding morphing axies, and was just wondering if anyone could confirm that this is what is actually happening? At the moment Maddison is quite happy in the tank, occassionally gulps a bit of air, loves hanging out in the plants and usually eats every two or three days.

My main concern is at what point do I move her to a terrarium? She currently seems quite comfortable under the water and I'm just not sure of what I should do from this point.

Any advice is warmly welcomed, and I am happy to provide more info if needed. Please see attached photos of my little mate Thanks!

I'd definitely say she was morphing. Could you take a full body shot please? x


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Hi emdalliance thanks for your reply

These are the best shots I could get, there are lots of relections from the window and my other tanks - I hope this paints a clearer picture.

Maddison is currently doing her favourite thing which is hanging in the plants. As I said earlier, she seems quite happy and relaxed under the water, just taking on some 'interesting' body modifications

I'd say there's a strong possibility she's morphing as her head is very short and rounded - like her mouth.. hard to explain! But her mouth is looking more like a morphed lotls mouth.. and her "dorsal" fin has appeared to have disappeared quite a lot.

How do her eyes look? Do they look particularly buggy? Have her legs got chunkier? X


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Hi again emdalliance, this is quite an interesting one, hey? Her eyes are looking buggy-ish... more buggy than a 'normal' axie, but absolutely nothing like an actual salamander or the pics I have found on this site of morphing axies. Her legs have always been as chunky as they are now, so there is no significant change there that I can see.

This is definitely confusing for me.. as she seems quite happy to remain under the water - she gulps air maybe a few times a day but then goes straight back to the bottom of the tank or returns to hanging out in her plants.

The home she was in before I got her was definitely not a good one.. her water was absolutely putrid (I tested it with an API test kit and ammonia and nitrites were off the scale!) and she had nothing in terms of environmental stimulation or anything in terms of comfort. Just filthy water, one rock and of course gravel on the bottom. Definitely not an axie friendly environment at all.

I am wondering if the morphing process began in this tank as an effort to get out of the gross environment she was in? And now that she is in a good home, she is unable to stop the process? I'm just guessing here of course.

Should I move her to a terrarium or just leave her be in the tank with her friends? As the morph continues will she be heading to the surface more frequently?

Thanks again

Let her stay until she's done morphing. She still hasn't got any eyelids on the pictures, so she still has a way to go. She still has her tail fin as well.

Thanks everyone for your replies so far - any further opinions/advice are greatly appreciated!

Definitely leave her with her friends for now! As Niels said, she's not really anywhere near ready for removal from her tank yet! I would definitely suggest she's morphing and it may be because of the reasons you said - she may have started in the old tank and the process is irreversible - I don't think axolotls can stop themselves morphing.. she's probably now just doing it very slowly.

You'll notice her eyes become buggy - she'll develop eyelids lol,
She will completely lose the "fin" on her tail it will just go to the chunky part.

Legs will become stockier for navigating hard land!

Just keep us posted over the next few weeks and if you have any questions always ask x


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Thank you!! I was getting a bit worried about her but she does seem really happy for now - will definitely update you if things change

Have you put a way for her to get out of water if she needs too? Like maybe a floating turtle dock? Mine isn't morphing but he likes to rest just under the waters surface on the ramp. If yours in morphing and eventually needs to breathe air, a turtle dock could be helpful.

Hi Holly, yes I have a turtle dock in the tank but she completely ignores it. I'm not sure she understands what it is The entire back wall of the tank is completely planted with vallisnera, a very tall plant that spans the entire height of the water column. Maddison's favourite thing to do is hang out in them, and she definitely has the option of sticking her head out of the water if she needs to while being able to grab the plants. She hasn't changed at all since my last post but rest assured I am keeping a close eye on her. For now she seems quite happy hanging out under water with her friends