dwarfism or something else?

[axolotl nerd]

this is my cousins dirty lucy, about a year and a half now.
i don’t usually handle to avoid damaging the slime coat btw, just wanted to show my hand for size reference
worried about his life expectancy and such, wondering if it’s dwarfism or something more serious and detrimental to his health.

 

[Leedle3dle]

I'm not sure at what point it counts as dwarfism. It may just have poor genes. My axolotls bred on accident one time and I raised up some of the babies and I think they just had really bad genes because most of the babies turned out to be a good bit smaller than they should have been, but there were dwarfs in that batch which were significantly smaller.

 

[axolotl nerd]

he was purchased from a reputable breeder that i’ve talked to extensively in the past, i don’t think it’s anything inbreeding wise, but bad genes is possible. he’s 1 and a half and less than 2 inches, while mine is about 9 months and 9 inches - the stark contrast just scares me

 

[GulfCoastAxolotls]

he was purchased from a reputable breeder that i’ve talked to extensively in the past, i don’t think it’s anything inbreeding wise, but bad genes is possible. he’s 1 and a half and less than 2 inches, while mine is about 9 months and 9 inches - the stark contrast just scares me

Definitely has more of the dwarf body shape. The life expectancy I've seen with them can range. It also depends on if there are any other genetic mutations. The only thing you can do is offer then the best possible nutrition and keep them as healthy as possible.

 

[axolotl nerd]

thank you, i was really worried he might have had short toe syndrome - feels good to confirm with dwarfism. i’ll be sure to have my cousin (the owner) continue monitoring his health