Question: Healthy Gills?

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Hey, I've had my golden axolotl, Peaches, for about two years now. When I got him he was already 18 months, and had come from another home, his gills were small and quite bare because of damage at his previous home. They haven't grown very much though, like I thought they would, and I was wondering whether it's normal for some axolotls to have smallish gills, and not huge fluffy ones?
 

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My wild type has small gills when I got him ans he was only young then, now 5 years on he still has and always had small gills whereas my other axolotl has longer, fuller gills. I don't think it anything to worry about as every axolotl is bound to be different.

I think however that oxygen content in the water can effect gill length with smaller gills in highly oxygenated water and bigger gills in oxygen deprived water. However in my tank this is not the case as both axolotls are kept in the same environment.
 
Sounds normal to me. I have 4 adults, one with tiny little gills, 2 with lovely fluffy gills, one with not-very-pretty wonky gills.
 
Thank you! That's put my mind to rest! I was a bit worried.:happy:
 
Lmao auntiejude, me too. I have texas who literally had long gills until she got bigger.. She grew but her gills didnt. Then echo toothless have fluffy gills, nike suffered some damage due to nitrates? I think anyways since that was the only thing i ever found wrong, but the gills have grownback quite a bit over the months, and then I aswell have a not-very-pretty wonky gilled axolotl too :p
 
Both my babies have very small gills owing to damage sustained while at the pet shop. While both now have rather fluffy filaments, they have very small gill stalks and they've never really grown back (I've had them since last March).

I think all axxies are different when it comes to gills. I've also heard about oxygen content, and one member, called Lingkong, has famously beautiful gills on her axolotls. She says her secret is water changes, small and often.
 
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