Is he an axolotl morph or salamander? (pics)

[wiseferret]

So I made the horrid mistake of purchasing a "baby dinosaur" from the state fair without really knowing anything about it. The lady at the stand told me that he would live in water his whole life and live about 10 years. So I googled information on mudpuppies because that was what another customer had called him. Well he is NOT a mudpuppy. I have had him for about 2 and a half weeks now and his frilly gills are gone and his tail fin just looks like a salamander tail now. Forgive me for being so unknowlegable im sure these appendages have proper names but I do not know them. He keeps trying to climb the side of the little carrier I had him in and poking his head out of water. From what i've read on various sites the axolotyl morphs toes look slender while the baby salamanders toes look fatty, well my little guys (Gilbert's) toes look slender to me. I was wondering if now I should clear out my old leopard gecko setup and make it a half aquatic/half terrain set up for him or if he need a fish tank. (pic bellow of my old gecko set up as well)

Im sorry for the jumble of information, I realize I should not have gotten a pet I knew nothing about. (my expertiese unfortunatly runs more towards dogs and small rodents)

Does it matter to much wether he is an axolotyl morph or tiger salamander? Will they be cared for in the same way? Im taking him up to my local aquatic shop now but any extra information would be greatly appreciated.

Also, as you can see no matter what I do his water is always cloudy. ( I just changed it this morning) I am feeding him these salamander pellets the people at the stand gave me but from what I've read this may be contributing to the cloudy water...

 

[IanF]

Re: Is he an axolotyl morph or salamander? (pics)

I would suggest reading this- Caudata Culture Species Entry - Tiger salamander

It is in all likely-hood a Tiger Salamander, which are unfortunately sold all the time as' Baby Dinosaurs'.
In breif I would suggest giving him access to land immediately, and if he starts spending most of his time on land you can move him to a completely Terrestrial set-up.
Also, if you can, feed him earthworms. Pellets are fine for Axolotls but he is definately morphing so worms would be a much better choice.
But land access is a must right now, especially given the way he is clinging at the sides of the tank.
Good luck and make sure to read up on the care sheet above.

Edit: Although this isn't true for all petshops, most don't know alot about these animals. Take any advice you are given with a pinch of salt.

 

[Jennewt]

Re: Is he an axolotyl morph or salamander? (pics)

I agree with Ian 100%. Be sure to read the link Ian gave, especially the section about care during metamorphosis. After metamorphosis is complete, he will need a terrarium, not an aquarium. Good luck!

 

[Coastal Groovin]

Re: Is he an axolotyl morph or salamander? (pics)

As soon as I saw the smile I knew it was a tiger Salamander. It needs to come out of the water right away. You will drown him if kept in that tank. Keep it on very moist potting soil/coconut fiber mix with a nice bark hide You will then able to let it dry out some over the next week. The soil should be kept moist but never wet. Even if it is axie morph you will keep it exactly like you would a Tiger Salamander. I'm sure if you bought it at a state fair it was a tiger salamander larvae. They are alot cheaper than an axolotyl. The lady there just din't know what she was talking about. All you tiger salamander needs is about 3 inches of soil mix, nice bark hide, and a shallow dish of water. A microwave dinner dish will do fine. He or she will develop his color and pattern in the next three months. Feed it a dozen goatloaded crickets and 3 night crawlers a week and it will be fine. Remember to change the soil every one to two months and keep the water dish clean. And use water that you have left out to age a few days. Any other questions just ask.

 

[wiseferret]

Re: Is he an axolotyl morph or salamander? (pics)

I appreciate all the advice. I finally got a hold of the guy that breeds them in okc and he told me my little guy is a 50/50 mix of tiger salamander and axolotl and shouldn't ever need to come out of the water but I put a rock in his tank anyway cause I think he likes air too. I will have to see in the coming weeks if he prefers land to water or I might just give him both sense I think my old gecko tank might be able to support water too. The lady at the pet shop also had axolotls of her own and said if he's half axolotl he should be able to live completly in the water but sense he likes to try and climb the side of the tank at times (even though he still swims around half the time too) im not so sure.

 

[Coastal Groovin]

Re: Is he an axolotyl morph or salamander? (pics)

While it is true Axolotyls have been crossed with neotenic abino tiger salamanders to get albino axolotyls I doubt he is a 50/50 cross. He has lost his gills and is now at risk for being drowned. Even with a rock for him to climb up on. There is also a risk of other skin problems developing if left in water. Follow the Tiger Salamander caresheet and look at the pictures of our memeber tanks to see how we keep them. You can even look on youtube for videos.

 

[Kaysie]

Re: Is he an axolotyl morph or salamander? (pics)

If this guy lied to you already about what the animal actually is, do you really want to trust him about care advice?

I cannot more strongly back Bill's advice. Tiger salamanders are completely terrestrial. Even morphed axolotls are terrestrial. They do not need to 'swim', or any water area bigger than a soaking dish. By keeping them in an aquatic environment, you risk drowning the animal.

 

[Jennewt]

Re: Is he an axolotyl morph or salamander? (pics)

I highly doubt that he's a tiger/axie hybrid. But lets assume that he is, just for the sake of figuring out appropriate care. The care requirements for a morphed tiger sal and for a morphed axie are the same: soil substrate, not water. So whatever he is, once the gills are gone, he needs a terrarium, not water. The fact that he spends time climbing the sides is telling you that the setup is not appropriate; a happy tiger sal will rarely attempt to climb the sides of the tank.