Question: Axolotl mating habits???

[hacelepues]

Hey everybody! I've been away for a while but I'm back with a little question

How long after sexual maturity will axolotls start mating? What do they do when thy mate? I'm 99.9% positive that I have a boy and a girl. Sagan's cloaca is HUGE. You can see the bulge even when looking at him from above. Bowie, on the other hand, has a little bump of a cloaca. I can take some pictures if needed.

At first I couldn't tell, but there's a pretty clear difference at this point. I'm not really looking into making them mate, but if it happens I want to be able to recognize the signs so i can get ready!

 

[Morrison]

They do the funny dancing thing and the male drops spermatophores (they look like jelly volcanoes) all over in the tank and then he leads the female over it, so that she can pick them up with her cloaca and fertilize them. You can expect eggs the next day.

 

[Jake]

They are able to lay eggs once they have reached maturity. It is best to prevent the females from mating until they are at least a year and a half old or so. Egg production is very hard on their bodies, so while they may be able to reproduce, they are not necessarily ready. The males you can allow to breed as soon as they mature as long as they are healthy.

 

[Morrison]

Lol I read the question like: "how you can see when axies want to mate". I feel stupid. :lol:

 

[hacelepues]

Hmmm yes I've heard of this dance. I've seen them swim around each other a lot and do some "axie cuddling", but no eggs so I guess that's not the dance!