Question: Is my Aki becoming a morpholotl???

Hi!

I've been reading everything there is about this 'phenomenom' of an axolotl morphing into a land salamander.. I do know that peope can do it on purpose (I don't know WHY though, seems terribly cruel and unnecessary).. I also know that it can happen due to bad water quality.. But none of the above seem to be the case with my beloved Aki. I'm pretty sure he is morphing.. I'll post pictures. But these are some of the reasons : he almost completely lost his gills (the feathery parts are gone, only the 'stabs' , 3 on each side, are left..but are shrinking and pale).. also, his back fin or the pre-tail fin on his back is gone (haha I'm terrible at this, but I'm trying my best to explain and I know that every axolotl owner and lover will understand my not so perfect descriptions). His eyes , I think, are different. I'm pretty sure he's changing.. Tell me what do you guys think?? Is it possible that he is going to morph???

A few more information :
Aki is an albino,
he's almost 2 years old (will be in December).
His water is clean, cool, everything was fine.. all the parameters.. The only unusual thing was that my filter broke.. so he was in his 70l tank and the filter was not working for 13 days.. only 13 days.. during that time, I did 30% water changes every other day. And the water was still clean and crisp - all the parametres fine. He, on the other hand, began swimming up more often and gasping for air.. but he was still very normal - happy, glad to eat, just being his usual self.. Then.... on day 11 he started to change. His gills shrunk. I noticed the gasping.. but still happy, still eating. As soon as the gills vanished (THIS HAPPENED IN ONLY 2 DAYS) I put him in a plastic container.. Clean, cool water.. I do a 100% water change every day since he's only in 10l.. He's still happy, still eating.. but has changed so much.. Pics coming in 3,2,1..

So this is him before..

And this is now..

See?
How is this possible in JUST a few days?
He looks so pale and he's bald tail is different..
But eating as usual.. tail not curled, he's happy I think.
So what can it be??

Yes, this does look like he's morphing. It can happen quickly, about a week or so in some cases, but this is a spontaneous natural metamorphosis.

There is a group on Facebook for morphed axolotls, or there is some info here in one of the sticky posts. With proper care he'll be fine.

Auntiejude, thank you SO much for replying.. I'm really worried because I've read that there's pretty much no happy ending for a morphed axolotl..that they are weak,don't live longer than a year etc etc. But considering the fact that my little guy has decided to do this on his own..there is hope that he will stay happy and healthy. My new tank will be done in a few days.. Well, now it won't be a tank I guess, I'll do a half water half land setup.. But still, I'm determined to do EVERYTHING I can to help Aki and make sure he goes througt this as 'easier' as possible. Thank you once again for saying that everything will be OK, it really means a lot to me at this moment

Natural morphs usually do quite well, I know of a few that morphed 4 or 5 years ago and are still going strong.
Check out this page
Astrid is quite famous as a morpholotl, she still lives in an aquatic setup with her sister.

This is the group for morphed axolotls: https://www.facebook.com/groups/319338288462402/
I have just joined this week out of curiosity, and read some of the posts. They say that the poor water quality theory is a myth, and bad conditions result in a sick or dead axolotl, not a morphed one. They morph due to hormones, and these hormones require iodine. Most axolotls don't have the ability to absorb iodine and therefore cannot produce the hormones to morph. Some individuals maintain this ability, and morph spontaneously. Your Aki is one of these individuals and you should not feel you've done anything wrong. He may or may not decide to spend part of his time on land, and I guess they can remain fully aquatic even after morphing and do well. Good luck and keep posting on his progress!

Poor water conditions is a sometimes a trigger for some axolotl to metamorphose, it's not a myth. I'm also not suggesting that Hanicko's axolotl is possibly going through this because of poor water conditions. My theory is that some of the ancestral tiger genes may have a part in this.

LippyNix said:

This is the group for morphed axolotls: https://www.facebook.com/groups/319338288462402/
I have just joined this week out of curiosity, and read some of the posts. They say that the poor water quality theory is a myth, and bad conditions result in a sick or dead axolotl, not a morphed one. They morph due to hormones, and these hormones require iodine. Most axolotls don't have the ability to absorb iodine and therefore cannot produce the hormones to morph. Some individuals maintain this ability, and morph spontaneously. Your Aki is one of these individuals and you should not feel you've done anything wrong. He may or may not decide to spend part of his time on land, and I guess they can remain fully aquatic even after morphing and do well. Good luck and keep posting on his progress!

Click to expand...

Thank you so much for the info.. Since I am now in no doubt that he is indeed morphing I've been doing a lot of research.. I'm still confused and very scared but lately kind of proud in a way that my Aki is so special He always was special, I love him so much. It would prefer him to stay a happy axolotl and live for many,many years. I really hope that he still will once he morphs.. After reading all the glum prognosis on a morphed axolotl life I'm in a such a panic.. but I hope that everything is going to be just fine. His new tank is here tomorrow (I hope, the guy said it's done) so I'm looking forward to Aki moving to a bigger crib I'll post pics of the setup, I can't wait for him to swim again. He's been in his little tub for a week now. But he still eats and is OK. Gills almost gone.

Keep us updated, and good luck!