His gills aren't like other's

[Dannii]

I have had Darwin for about two years. for his first year he was in a tank that was too small for him- rookie mistake- but could this stunt his growth?
He and a companion are now in a 120 litre tank so space is no issue now.

His diet has always contains Blood worms, fish and pellets. and the tank generally sits at 19 degrees C.

his gills just don't look properly formed to me.. what do you think? is there any chance of them growing out more?

 

[HayleyK]

Earthworms are the best staple for your axie, do you have access to a petbarn or bunnings? Bunnings and mitre 10 have a worm farm for like 70 bucks and 500 worm starter for I think like 30 bucks. And petbarn/ pets r fun sell little containers of earthworms for like 15 dollars? I'm not sure how many there are. If you have some on your garden you can use them as long as there's no chemicals and pesticides used.

As for the gills, my axie came from a petshops (boooooo ) and her kinda frond things are definitely stunted as they have not grown the slightest (I've had her for two years ish) but her filaments grew nice and healthy and it doesn't seem to affect her. Axolotls also breathe through lungs, as they gulp air from the top.. so if his gills aren't doing enough, he will gulp for oxygen instead. Bubble strips/stones help oxygenate the water too.

 

[Dannii]

That was kinda of a old photo, his gill look fluffier now- I was just hoping they still had a chance to grow out more.. as long as he is still healthy and functional, I won't stress too much. thankyou for that response

 

[HayleyK]

This is a great before and after shot of her filaments. As long as he is happy and healthy. Can you post a picture I like seeing other peoples axolotls

 

[Dannii]

This is how he is now. much prettier and healthier now. Still tiny gills though compared to his new companion I bought today

 

[PatchworkClocks]

His gills look pretty average to me. From all the pictures I've seen of other axolotls, his match up pretty well.

 

[Dannii]

I've only seen other Axolotl gills that look like my new one

 

[HayleyK]

Oh he looks much better now! It's just a shame they won't grow I wish my girl had nice long fluffy ones. My wildtype has longer fronds like your one too. Did you get your first one from somewhere with bad conditions?

 

[Dannii]

Some days the fluffiness disappear and they go pale... but the minute I feed him blood worms they go bright orange again and perk up by the next day. It use to worry me a lot, but I think it's just one of those things Axolotls do.

 

[HayleyK]

When they're vibrant it means there's a lot of circulation going on, and when they're pale it normally indicated they've been inactive, perhaps sleeping.

 

[Jen10s]

From what I can see, his gills look just fine.

Length of gill stalks I think is mostly determined by genetics, fluffiness however is related to water quality and oxygen, so his gills look lovely and fluffy but may never get long :happy:

 

[HayleyK]

P.s those stones look worrying.. They do look quite big but axolotls can still manage to swallow them! Plus they're a pain to clean and trap all sorts down there..

 

[Dannii]

I assure you that those rocks are bigger than their heads.

 

[HayleyK]

You would be suprised, they still manage to swallow them

 

[Dannii]

wow. Well he doesn't seem to like being on the rocks let alone try to eat one. he often hangs out in the plants and log. but when I consider changing the rocks, I'll keep that photo in mind.