Question: Do I have an axolotl or a tiger salamander ?

[Noey Hart]

Hello everyone, I have already posted on a french forum but the only answers I got were "They are weird looking because you need to feed them, they are in poor condition, that my water was super bad bla bla" without asking me any questions, so I hope this time I will have real answers and not being harassed with totall non-sense
So the problem is : I got an axolotl on the 16th of may, which was classified as a wild type axolotl in the petshop. 3 days after, I got another axolotl, an albino this time. Then, a few days ago I started noticing that my wild type was so different than the other one. I am in serious doubt that he is actually a tiger salamander larvae.. So yesterday I went to the shop where I got them, and they were actually tiger salamander in the same tank where my little lotl was so I asked the guy, and he said he is 100% sure that he is an axolotl, but the salamanders in the tank and his funny looking had me doubting a lot... So he is either a funny looking lotl, or a salamander, or a real pokemon haha ! I also got my water tested, they said they were too much nitrites but I am already treating this, and they are eating the same amount of bloodworms each, 3 times a day, they are about 5cm each.
So can see in the pictures that his head, legs, gills, tail and everything is so different compared to the other one.. So what kind of pokemon is he ? haha
Also he have an almost transparent thingy at the end of his tail, can anyone tell me what it is ? It looks like it is part of his tail, it doesn't look like fungus but I may be wrong so I would like some advice please
Ps : The pictures are from last week but they didn't really changed, except the albino one is getting bigger/fluffier gills everyday that passes

 

[HayleyK]

That poor wildtype is severely underfed! I would be offering earthworms, if they are too long you can cut them.

It looks like an axolotl to me, tiger salamander juveniles are quite olive in colour with stubby looking toes. Your wildtype may look different because he is so underfed. The transparent part looks like an injury, not a fungus. It should heal on it's own given the right water parameters. How often and how much of a water chNge are you doing?

 

[Noey Hart]

How on earth could he be underfed ? He eat the same as the other one, I tried artemia too today and they seemed to like it. I will try earthworms but they have super tiny mouths.
He has this thing at the end of his tail since I got him, and I only have them since 2 weeks, I'd say 20-40% change a week, I don't know, I'm actually changing it today.

 

[keiko]

The transparent thing is probably just his tail growing and there isn't pigment yet, mine is like that too.

But he is really skinny, when they're that small you can feed them as much as they want to eat every day.

 

[HayleyK]

Look at the size of its abdomen. It's ridiculously tiny he looks malnutrished. I started feeding my axolotls very early. They can usually eat worms as long as them. Use baby earthworms or cut the length of an earthworm similar to that of the bloodworms length. I'm not saying you are underfeeding it, since you've only had it for two weeks.

With high nitrites it means your tank is uncycled. You need to be doing daily water changes as 20-40% once a week is just won't cut it.

P.s what is Artemia

 

[keiko]

Artemia is a species of brine shrimp.

 

[Noey Hart]

Yes, artemia is brine shrimp, I forgot to translate it sorry.
How can I kill the earthworms before cutting them, can I drown them ? I hate these things urgh.
I just don't understand why he is so tiny. I feed them all the time, he just doesn't seem to enjoy it as much as the other, he is not a good hunter but he eats well anyway, I handfeed them so I can see if they eat well so I just don't get why he is not gaining weight:/

 

[HayleyK]

Earthworms do not drown very easily. Your best vet is blanching them. Run it under hot water for a few seconds and then immediately into cold water so you don't actually cook the worm.

You've only had him 2 weeks don't fret too much just yet. Keep feeding and he will slowly get there. But sometimes, when an axolotl is so severely malnourished it may not absorb much nutrients from the food. Keep trying - earthworms are better nutritionally balanced and you should see some gain on him soon hopefully. Keep in mind that juveniles can fluctuate their weights considerably before/after feeding.

 

[Noey Hart]

Okay I will dig and try to feed him earthworms then, thank you
I hope he will be better at catching his food too, he seems more entertained by brine shrimps than by bloodworms.
So apparently he is really an axolotl ?
And I have nothing to do for the end of his tail ? I was thinking that maybe his tail was growing because it don't seem like it's something attached to him, it seems like a part of his tail. His legs are re-growing too so maybe they chewed up his tail too

 

[HayleyK]

I think it's an axolotl from your photos, if it's a tiger salamander you would treat it the same way an axolotl at this age. It is only when it morphs that you will require a different set up.

 

[rachel1]

It looks like he probably lost up to about half his tail , which is why the shape is so odd. It grows back clear at first, them develops pigment. His head looks too big because he is underweight. Keep feeding him as much as he will take and he should be back up to a nice weight in no time. If you can get them, live blackworms have a high fat content and keep wiggling in the tank, stimulating the prey drive. I leave them in the tank for skinny juvies to snack on.

 

[Noey Hart]

I will try to get him blackworms then, thanks for all your advices
Poor baby, he has probably been munched everywhere, he even have a backward leg
Some pictures from today, he didn't really took any weight since I have got him, I hope I'll see a difference with other kind of worms.

 

[layna]

Your poorly axie will need to eat more than the other. When an axie has an injury and is healing, they need lots of food as they are using more energy to heal.
A good 'healthy' weight for an axie is that their tummy is as wide as their head, so keep feeding earthworms until his tummy is nice and round and as wide as his head, if he doesnt take one big meal, try feeding two or three littler meals through out the day
The brine shrimp thingies wont be much use nutritionally to your axie as he is too big for them, black worms and wax worms( squish their head before feeding to your axie) are great for fattening an axie up! But eartheworms are best for a staple diet, when you blanch them in hot water, try to cool them before they turn white as this means there cooked and will have lost some nutrients, then use scissors to cut it into bite size pieces, a knife will mush the worm.
Do you have a liquid test kit? If not you should get one, your tank should be showing 0 for ammonia and nitrIte and a nitrAte reading of less than 40ppm, this is when you tank is cycled. Until you have this reading, you will need to be doing daily water changes of 10-30% to keep your axies in good health whilst the tank cycles.
Good luck fattening this little guy up and keep us updated with his progress!

 

[Bellabelloo]

You don't need to blanch your earthworms at all.
It may sound unpleasant, but snipping the worm to the right size with scissors and then dropping into the water will be absolutely fine. They will continue to wriggle for a while and your axolotl will be more likely to eat it. I would offer food twice a day and you should soon see an improvement.
I agree that this is an axolotl. It is unlikely that a captive bred tiger salamander larva would be sold as an axolotl.
With regards to its colour, looking at the photo's I do not see a reflective ring around the eye ( I however do not have my glasses on ) so it may be a melanoid. If it however has a shiny, reflective ring around the eye then you are correct in it being a wild type

 

[ladygodiva35]

I hope your process with your axolotls goes well. Keep us updated on your little ones!

 

[Sweetie]

Your little one is definitely an axie not a tiger salamander. The way to tell is by the five toes on his back feet.

 

[Noey Hart]

Thanks to everyone, I really hope he is a real axolotl !
I feed them three times a day bloodworms, sometimes pieces of brine shrimps to motivate his appetite and I started the earthworms yesterday, he seem more entertained in earthworms than in bloodworms so I hope that's a good sign I will actually make my own worm farm 'cause I don't find many in my garden. I don't think we have blackworms and waxworms, I don't recognize them and I can't find the translation for them but I'll ask my local pet shop anyway.
The blanching thing for the earthworms is more for me than for the axolotls it's because I hate every type of worms so my mom pick them up, blanch them, cut them and then I can finally give them to my lotls
For his color I'm not sure, the petshop said wild type but sometimes he has kind of blue eyes, sometimes they are golden, so I don't really know.
And for my water, I only have too much nitrites, nothing else so I'll keep getting my water tested and doing daily changes until they disappear

 

[sde]

Your little one is definitely an axie not a tiger salamander. The way to tell is by the five toes on his back feet.

Maybe I am misunderstanding you but it seems like your saying that tiger salamanders only have four toes on the back feet? But they don't, they have five.

Or you are saying that the toe length is how to tell, which is one way. Axolotls usually have longer toes than tiger salamanders. I am confused.....:uhoh:

 

[lovesheraxies]

Def an axolotl but as the rest said very malnourished, I'm sure the pet store where you got it wasn't looking after it properly, an axolotls body should be around as thick as it's head. That could be the reason for the poor looking gills as well, hopefully they come in fuller for you. Just offer it food multiple times a day and wait for it to plump up.

Lol I've never heard about killing the worm first, I've always just washed the dirt off the worm, cut the end, squeezed out the dirt then chopped it up into tiny mouth sized bits. Yes they are a pain in the rear end and move about and def try to sneak away if you turn your back for even a second but it's the best food for an axolotl.

Good luck with your lil guy and keep us updated! I'd love to see his progress!

 

[EmbryH]

For his color I'm not sure, the petshop said wild type but sometimes he has kind of blue eyes, sometimes they are golden, so I don't really know.
And for my water, I only have too much nitrites, nothing else so I'll keep getting my water tested and doing daily changes until they disappear

Definitely an axolotl, definitely a wild type, definitely underweight.

Keep doing what you're doing and feed him as often as you can. I would also recommend trying axolotl or newt pellets. They can be really good, nutritionally speaking, and can help fatten up the little ones. Your little dude seems a bit small for earthworms, but if he's actually eating them then more power to you!

Since your tank isn't cycled yet, be sure to keep a close eye on your water quality. It will help him regenerate and help his gills fluff more. You mention that you had your water tested, presumably at the petshop? You should really get your own water testing kit. They're essential for keeping healthy axolotls, especially if your tank is just mid cycle. You'll need to be able to monitor ammonia, ph, nitrates, and the other qualities of your water in order to make sure your tank is healthy.