just like tadpoles are larvae of frogs and toads, axolotls are the larvae form of a salamander, salamander larvae are called efts. what make axolotls different to other salamanders is that they rarely morph into the adult terrestrial form and stay in their eft form all through their lives, this is why they are called a neotic salamander.
they retain their gills and dorsal frill as it is beneficial to living in water, unlike fish they don't have swim bladders and are very erratic at swimming, although they have limbs they are week and frail compared to their adult/morphed counter parts.
although young axolotls spend a great majority of time swimming around and moving about an adult will prefer to move more leisurely in a slow walk/crawl although they do have occasional bursts of movement they are happy to just rest on things.
although axolotls have poor eyesight they have a very good sense of smell and can also detect the electrical discharge from prey.
in their natural habitat before large fish were introduced they were at the top of the food chain and would eat anything small enough to fit in their mouths, their main food source was small fish, snails, worms, shrimp, insects and any invertebrates it came across. because of the amount of axolotls hatched at the same time cannibalism was also common.
they feed in a sucking motion vacuuming their prey into their mouths, this also includes any debris and gravel as well. because not enough is known about axolotls prior to human disturbance (pollution, draught, introduction of invasive species etc..) they can only speculate on the reasons for axolotls swallowing small stones, even now it causes controversy in the pet industry.
axolotls come from a habitat where the water rarely gets to more than 20°c and because the lake they reside in is fed by mountain streams the water is mineral rich and also slightly brackish.
all there water parameters for axolotls can be found at
Water Quality Explained: How It Can Affect Your Axolotl's Health - WSAVA 2015 Congress - VIN
because of the habit of ingesting substrate it is best to have a bare tank bottom when young and sand or items of 1 1/2inches or larger once they are at least 5 inches in size
it is best to have a cave and hides for them to rest in during the day, these need to be big enough to house an axolotl of 12inches or more.
they do not require lighting nether do they like it, if lighting is chosen then having somewhere to hide is a must.
they do not like a lot of water movement, so any filter fitted must be big enough to do the job but must also have a way of reducing water movement, also due to axolotls getting trapped in filter inlet vents, a means to shield the inlet vents is advised.
because axolotls have been known to jump out of water a lid is required
axolotls breathe through their skin and gills taking oxygen straight into their blood vessels and releasing co2 straight into the water, they have rudimentary lungs and are able to take oxygen straight from the atmosphere but they only do this if the water oxygen is low or the water is poor, axolotls can and will reduce the blood flow to the gills and reduce gill size to protect themselves if the water is poor.
most treatment of axolotls include isolating treatment with salt water, almond/catappa leaves and in emergency fridging plus due to there being more exotic vets antibiotics and medications can also be prescribed.
