Forcing axies to morph

[Sweetie]

Where are people getting the bright idea to force axolotls to morph? A housemate of mine, aware of my interest in axies, came home last week telling me his daughter's girlfriend knew heaps about axolotls. The first piece of information she sent back to me (as advice!!) was on how to set up a combined aquatic/land environment in which an axie will morph. I don't believe this person is cruel, and she believes herself to be very knowledgeable about axolotls, so telling her she is ignorant would not go down well.

What concerns me is that this is such a prevalent view. It begs the question, of course, if you want something that morphs, why not get a salamander, though this is not an option in Australia I understand. How do we get the message across that morphing is usually genetically impossible for axolotls and that forcing them to do so can be incredibly cruel, shortening their lifespans dramatically. Yes, I know if it's done young enough their lifespans may not be as badly affected, and I hesitate to even mention the word iodine. But seriously, it is so upsetting that this seems to be so common.

Sorry about the rant fellow lotl lovers. It's just hard to know what to say to someone like this. Directing people to this site is an obvious first step, but what about those who don't believe they need further education on anything?

 

[jbherpin]

This animal does not 'morph' in nature. This is a simple philosophy to encourage. No need to feel bad. Encourage the understanding of neoteny.

JBear

 

[Boomsloth]

I've heard over in Australia it seems more common to induce morphing because of the ban on most terrestrial salamanders . if done improperly it is cruel and can many times kill the axolotl. However its not that axolotls are genetically incapable of morphing its just they evolved to remain neotenic but can morph if given the means to produce the hormones that they no longer produce. Is it morally wrong? I say yes and shouldn't be done by amateurs just to get a terrestrial salamander. You probably won't be able to end this practice but you should just remind them that its a very delicate procedure that most can't perform properly

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[auntiejude]

If you set an axolotl up in a terrestrial setup and reduce the water the axie will die.
It can only be done artificially with injections of certain hormones.
The current reckoning is that 1 in a million morph spontaneously.

 

[Petersgirl]

You said that you don't feel this person is cruel, and sees herself as knowledgeable. Those are your strong points. You could tell her, gently, that in the axolotl community it is generally not considered kind to morph your axolotl, and explain the chief reasons behind it. If she is a genuinely kind person, and knowledgeable too, she is likely to understand your point of view. You could say that you understand why the ability to morph is fascinating scientifically and in theory, but that you would not like your own pet to undergo the process because of the reasons stated. That way, you respect her intelligence and appeal to her love of animals.

 

[xxianxx]

A good link about morphing axolotls
Axolotls - Metamorphosed & Tiger Salamanders
To hormonally morph an axolotls the hormones are added to the water rather than injected, I'm hesitant to post a link to the process as somebody may try to do it.