Axolotl Gills

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leandrah

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Hi Guys,
I am pretty new to this,

I want to get another Axolotl, but I just have one or two concerns,:confused:
I have found a pet shop selling them, but they have no gills (They are around 8 - 10 cm's),

And they have some white stuff on the side,

Does anyone know what this is and if I should buy one and risk putting it with my perfectly healthy one?

Thank you
 

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They don't quite look like axolotls..... They may be another kind of salamander.
I would not get an animal that looks sick, in poor condition or injured. And I would not buy from a shop that is either selling animals that they can't identify or care for.
 
I would usually never buy from a pet shop who doesn't look after their animals,
the problem is - here in South Africa they are incredibly rare (you literally can't get them anywhere)

Do you by any chance know what the white stuff is?
 
It looks like another one has bitten it's leg off and the white stuff is just flesh. However if it looks fluffy or cottony it's most likely a fungus.
 
Ah thanks Hayley, that makes a ton of sense
I haven't seen it in life yet - Just by the picture

Thank you again
 
It looks like that one in the pic might be slightly infected. I wouldn't put money on them being axolotls either, the shape of the head suggests maybe some other type of ambystoma. If they really are that rare in your area it might be hard to find a reliable source.
 
They are so rare here its ridiculous,
I was lucky to get this little one
 

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leandrah said:
They are so rare here its ridiculous,
I was lucky to get this little one
Click to expand...

I wouldn't buy those "axolotls". You have a very cute one with you and wouldn't risk losing this one, for some beat up, infected ones, if they're rare over there. Sure id love to save all the poor axies but buying from this pet shop = profit = more poorly treated axolotls. They don't care about the well being of the animal.

If you really do want it, I would keep it in a separate tank/tub for quarantine until it was 100% better.

Also please remove the gravel it causes impaction and can lead to stress and death. Go bare bottom or use sand :)
 
Hahahaha I knew someone would nail me for the gravel - I took it out a couple of weeks ago. Got silica sand on the bottom now and she seems quite stoked with it :)

Thank you Hayley, I was also worried about risking her
 
leandrah said:
Hahahaha I knew someone would nail me for the gravel - I took it out a couple of weeks ago. Got silica sand on the bottom now and she seems quite stoked with it :)

Thank you Hayley, I was also worried about risking her
Click to expand...

Yeah my little dude(tte) likes to dig in his sand it's quite funny to watch.

You're welcome :)
 
I disagree. They look like axolotls to me. The coloring is a little different, but I wouldn't bet they're any other type of ambystomatid, as they just don't breed in captivity, especially for export as far as South Africa. I can't see them being anything but axolotls.

If you do buy them, keep them quarantined for some time. I would probably do 3 months, just because they're in rough shape.
 
plenty of other ambystoma species breed in captivity. They look like they might be tiger salamander larva, but without a better picture of their feet its hard to tell.
 
Boomsloth said:
plenty of other ambystoma species breed in captivity.
Click to expand...

Which ones? I know of 4 people off the top of my head in the entire world that've bred tiger salamanders, one person who has bred A. gracile, one person who has bred A.maculatum and a small handful of A.andersoni. I don't know of any other species of Ambystomatid I've heard bred in captivity.

They don't have the head shape or gill angle to be tigers.
 
Hi Kaysie,

Thank you,
I got one of them last night - And he is 100%. (The one in the back of the picture with all of his legs). The reason they don't have gills is because the silly lady who kept them had them with baby cichlids (who obviously nipped him).

He is eating and stoked with his new environment,
He is definitely an Axolotl, and is a little cutie

Thank you for all of the help, its very much appreciated:happy:
 
Hope he's in a separate tank for now :)
 
This is what he/she is looking like now :)
with a fat little tummy from all the food hahaha

I am sure his gills will grow back soon because he is now in a very healthy and loving environment :)
 

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:happy:Just to give you an update,
He is doing great, he has picked up quite a bit of weight, and his gills are growing back beautifully, sorry for the bad quality picture - But thats what he looks like now
 

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