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Photo: Chimera axolotl photo diary

helobed

helobed

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Please correct me I'm wrong but I am 98.89 % sure this lil fella is a chimera :D
I haven't seen many of these around (for good reason, the odds are astronomical) so I thought I would share a developmental photo guide as he grows.

I've given him his own tub and am giving him special attention as he is a bit runty. Although there is a problem. The brine shrimp I have aren't hatching and it would take too long to get some more. Are there any suggestions for available live food that I could get at a pet store???

Anyway enjoy the pics!
 
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Morrison

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Interesting little axie :D I can't tell you if it's a chimera. I don't have any experience with them (I wish I had).

Other live foods... Hm, you can try daphnia.
 
helobed

helobed

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unfortunately daphina isn't readily available in Australia. I don't know of anywhere that has it, I wish I did, it seems so much easier.
 
Neil C

Neil C

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I doubt it's a chimera although it could be a piebald. Chimeras should have the colours split all the way the down the body which it appears not to have. It certainly appears to have one white and one dark eye which in itself is very interesting. Try ringing around your local fish shops and see if any actually sell hatched brine shrimps. I have to buy living brine shrimp if my hatch fails.


Regards Neil
 
helobed

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Possibly piebald, however I am more inclined to think Chimera as the parts without melanin are yellow not white, either way a very special little axie. I have ordered some blackworms as the young blackworms seem to be small enough for them to eat
 
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MereB

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I'm told you can chop blackworms up to feed to youngins

Very Cute axie but as Neil said chimeras have the division down the middle and that one does not. Are it's eyes themselves different colours or just the patterning around them?

Don't be surprised either if the pigment spreads as it gets bigger and you end up with a very normal axie. I've had quite a few that start put looking like something special and then grow to to be normal wilds/melanoids etc.
Only time will tell but I'm looking forward to seeing what it does. Fingers crossed it keeps the cool pattern.
 
helobed

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So far only 1 larvae has died... this one :cry:

Sad thing is the division right down the middle had become really apparent the day before, the dark patches on the light side completely disappeared??

It was really weird when I found him, it was like one side grew faster then the other??? one eye was huge and the gills were too and the other side was still small and yellow

I'm going to go have a little cry, at least I still have 347 more larvae to comfort me
 
yellowpebble

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chymeras have 2 embryos that are fused and each side can be totally different and grow at different times. Often each side has different sised gills. If one side grows too fast it can be fatal. Sorry you lost him :(
 
helobed

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:( poor little guy. It's such a shame
There's some indication that there might be genetic factors that influence it so when my females back up to it I might try the same combination again. Fingers crossed.
 
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