Bubbles at the surface?...

Just have a behavior question: why to my axies swim to the surface & expel bubbles? R they "burping"?

Axies have lungs so they accasionally breathe air and usally float around the top because their is too much air in them but eventully 'burp' it out. Mine do this sometimes and I don't think its a bad thing.
(athough other users might have something else to say about it)

Dr Munroe,

Are you talking about larvae? They do this a lot.

-Eva

eva, at wat age do they stop being larve? mine are about 10wks old - 5cm in length

Good question. When they look like adults but are not yet sexually mature - teenagers (juveniles). All four legs fully developed, I guess.

Either way.

It's when they swim to the surface and gulp in air that is a worry. I believe the lungs begin developing around the same time the back legs do, so that the larvae at this point may be trying out their new organs (just another one of my many theories, none of which are really based on fact).

A couple of days ago I fished out one of my juveniles (hatched 20 April 2008) and put him into a clear glass dish to make some pictures. I noticed he burped up an air bubble three times. I don't know if this is something they do when they are upset, or if he had just gotten air into his lungs while I was sloshing him around.

None of which really answers your question, I suppose. Main thing is, as always - axolotls are just weird animals sometimes and if there are no other symptoms of stress or disease, I wouldn't worry about it.

-Eva

It's completely normal for axolotls to gulp air at the surface, as well as to 'burp' it out.

As others have said, you may occasionally see them go up for air, and then float around at the top, then burp it out and sink. Unless they're continuously floating, this isn't an issue.