Axolotl ID

hi all, im new here
i save this axolotl from a local pet shop.
he was in a tank with large agressives cichlids, temp 88F! and without hiding places, very stressful for he/she and for me, when i saw it.
It looks different from the others axolotl ive seen, i think its blind and it just has four fingers in each the legs.
help me ID if is different. Thanks a lot guys

nope thats not an axolotl, i know what it is but i cant think of the name at the moment

I think it might be a Necturus maculosus or another Necturus critter.

You should go to the common name, family, genus, species part of the site. a ways down the list there is a section on large aquatic salamanders. You'll get the most help there.((Hes a mud puppy by the way))

Thanks very much Heather

That's definately a Necturus. They like it colder than 20C. It will eat fish, worms, etc. Keep it in at least a 20 gallon tank, and provide cover objects. Necturus aren't very much like axies aside from their appearance. They prefer it dark, and will usually stay under their cover until all the lights are out. They're not blind, but sight isn't very good.

I'm in the process of writing a caresheet for Necturus on Caudata Culture, please private message me if you'd like a copy of the rough draft.

The animal looks pretty thin, if you could get a picture of the animal from above, as well as size information (length), we might be able to tell you more.

(Message edited by onetwentysix on December 28, 2004)

Here's a really bad picture of how my tank used to look. Notice how the rocks are overlapping to provide a cave type area in a few spots, you might want to try something like that. My animal is the dark spot under the rocks on the left. Two or more hiding spots would be best; it allows the animal to pick a favorite location.

That a mudpuppy. I just had one that died. they live in the northern and southern regions of north america. they were brought here from europe. They have very little or no eye site, and in may states they are endangered. Also, they aren't bred as far as i know in captivity. they are taken from the wild directly either as babies or adults. many fishermen kill them thinking they lower fish populations, but its not true. they are a valuable creature to the ecosystem. Its a little late for me to be responding, but i hope the information i gave you helped.

Eeep! . I think i'm gonna have nightmares! I finally found a animal I really don't like the look of!! Rheann, I'm curious - have you got any photos of your mudpuppy - maybe he or she looks a little different?

Rheann, I think you're a little mistaken. Mudpuppies are not endangered, and are fairly widespread. I'm not sure if there's currently any breeding going on, as many people do not keep this species, and they're very agressive, so they keep them seperately. But I think they're capable of breeding in captivity. And I don't think they came from Europe.

No, they are 100% local to north america. They aren't endangered overall, but in some areas are in danger due to habitat loss.

I had read on a website over the net that they were endangered in some states due to pollution and fishermen. I also read that a few were brought to a lab and had escaped. I might have got it mixed up. it might have said that they were brought to Europe and escaped there, or were brought from Europe and escaped here. it's my fault because I can't remember. As far as i know i don't believe they are bred in captivity for the purpose of selling to pet stores. i think that there bight be some breeding programs to rerelease into the wild, but i'm only guessing. My mudpuppy (RIP) was taken from the wild as an adult and shipped to a pet store. He was very thin when I got him. He did not live very long after that. The light in the tank I had him in bothered him a bit. He didn't seem too aggressive, i tried not to touch him. I didn't get a picture of him sadly, i wish that I had. I buried him in a park hidden away after he died. I think that they aren't ugly. They may look a little strange, but they are they are cute to me. They have four little toes on each foot and very senstive skin. Their eyes are so small, its so cute. according to the searches on yahoo, they are in the northern and southern regions of North America. I live in California, but before last August I lived in Montana. I hope the species is more widespread than I thought. It would be wonderful if it was. I did a yahoo search to find out stuff about them. Google might bring up better searchesThe only name I know them by is Mudpuppy. It's rumored that they bark. mine never did. I think it's just a rumor

Mudpuppies aren't widely bred in captivity, as the can get quite large, and need lots of space. There also isn't a lot of market for them, and in most states you can collect them from the wild with nothing more than a standard fishing permit. They are in danger from habitat loss in some areas. They have a huge range, starting up here in Canada, and stretching down to the southern US, from the east coast to around Texas. I've caught a few locally. They are mean. I've been bitten by one, it hurts. And yes, they do bark. They need really clean, cool water, lots of space, lots of hiding spots. In fact, I wouldn't keep them in anything smaller than a kids wading pool. They are illegal to sell here in Canada, but I'm not sure if they are illegal to keep. I should look into that.

Oh man, that's pretty cool that they bark! mine never did, though didn't have him that long. Thats pretty sad that they're mean. mine was pretty nice though, he never bit me or was cranky towards me, but then again i didn try petting him either! i only moved him when i had to to clean his tank or add things. I went to Walmart, and they suggested a kiddy pool for me when he was alive, but i didn't have room for that. Only reason why i took him home, was cause he looked terrible in the pet store. I thought i could have helped him, but i wasn't able toI feel bad. I wish that i would have found this site earlier, its so helpful!