Is Mighty Morphin really Morphing

[Silverbearslady]

This is Mighty Morphin...he was hatched in one of two clutches, one in Dec. 2014 and another in Feb. 2015. He used to have lush beautiful gills, which have almost disappeared, his eyes look different (possible eyelids growing), and his tail is totally changing shape. I am attaching pictures, but can anyone tell me 1) is he really morphing, and 2) if so, what do I do next???? Treat him/her as a Tiger Salamander??? Change habitat now or wait to see what happens?????

 

[Sith the turtle]

First off, yes it is morphing. Second, wait until the gill nubs are completely gone and it is surfacing for air to change the tank set-up. The tiger salamander care-sheet will be applied for a "Morpholotl"

 

[Sith the turtle]

Here it is: Caudata Culture Species Entry - Tiger salamander

 

[Silverbearslady]

Wow, I thought so, but, THANKS, confirmation rocks! Also, another Wow, salamanders are a new learnng experience...Are there any "tips or tricks" that are good to know for a new "Morphalotl" Mom

 

[Sith the turtle]

I own a tiger salamander (Related, and require similar terrestrial care) and he is ridiculously easy to care for. The only thing I would watch out for, Axolotls are not designed to morph, and they do die off faster when terrestrial. Other than that, I don't think anything else would be a problem. I will wait until other more skilled keepers reply though, as I am still a noob at this (Mostly reptiles)

 

[xxianxx]

Axolotls who morph naturally may not be as prone to early death as those who morph to escape poor conditions, there's not actually info on this, just opinion . Be careful of temp spikes, terrestrial axolotls, can't handle them as well as aquatic ones, I lost 6/6 of my morphed axolotls in a week when the temp hit 24c and 0/1000 aquatic ones.

 

[Silverbearslady]

Thank You for the tip...Mighty Morphin did this for no apparent reason, so I think he/she will live a long happy life. I am a bit nervous though, just like I was when the little eggs hatched. Apparently love and caring help when you are not really sure what you are doing. This forum, however, helped me the most.

 

[xxianxx]

Just treat it like a terrestrial tiger sal, when it morphs it may have problems feeding, their eye sight appears to take time adjusting to terrestrial feeding, it may constantly snap at food trying to use the vortex feeding method they use aquatically, consistantly fail and give up. Use tweezers and drag the worm down the side of its mouth, it will grab it rather than trying to suck it in. It will learn to feed effectively in time but a bit of help for the first month will keep its body mass up.

 

[xxianxx]

A thread you may find helpful, its about one of my A.andersoni (a similar species to axolotls) who morphed. It doesn't end happily ? , think I kept her too dry, she was my first terrestrial sal.
http://www.caudata.org/forum/f1173-...s-ambystomatids/82420-morphing-andersoni.html

 

[Silverbearslady]

i thought the egg to axie process was amazing, but to think of all the changes the little guy is going through.....JUST WOW

 

[Silverbearslady]

This is Mighty Morphin now. I have tried to provide water or land choice in his tank, but is there anything else I should do? He/she is eating, but not nearly as well as he used to. I think he is just adjusting to all the changes??? Does anyone know if he/she will show sex in the same way? Also, do Morphalotls deal with human handling better than axolotls??? Sorry to be such a noob, but I really want Mighty to live a happy life. He is just so amazing to me....PS...The Axie in the tank behind Mighty is Mama...
I wonder what she thinks of her "baby" turning into something totally different

 

[xxianxx]

They can go of their food during morphing, it appears to be a natural thing so don't worry about it, offer food, if its eaten that's great. Yes you can sex morphed axolotls. Handling should be minimal, it doesn't benefit the animal. I only handle adult axolotls to move them from their tank as its less stressful than a net, other than that they are hands free

 

[Silverbearslady]

So, another "WOW"...Mighty Morphin shed for the first time...totally cool to find the perfect little "skin" in the tank this morning!!!!

 

[ThatNewGuy]

That is really cool, I'm so happy that he's doing good and shows signs of adaptation. Congrats

 

[Silverbearslady]

This is his latest pic, after his 2nd shed, and boy was he hungry!! Does anyone know how often he is supposed to shed. I am assuming it is directly proportional to his growth, but I am still a bit unsure with him. Totally ok with Axolotls, not so much with 1 Morphalotl. Also, I feed my axies 1 worm every day, which I have done since they were big enough to eat the worms and they would eat more if given. But Morphy has slowed way down. Should I feed him less often, or keep offering every day like usual and let him decide. I still have to hold the worm "just right" for him to grab and eat it.

 

[Asevernnnn]

Is there any particular reason you're keeping it on wet sand or


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Silverbearslady]

Not really, just trying o use what I had on hand...why, am I doing something wrong?
I really don't mind constructive criticism, especially if it benefits my little ones:blush:

 

[sde]

Not really, just trying o use what I had on hand...why, am I doing something wrong?
I really don't mind constructive criticism, especially if it benefits my little ones:blush:

When terrestrial they should be kept the same way as tiger salamanders :happy:

Here are two care sheets on how to keep tiger sals, just follow these and you will be well off.

Caudata Culture Species Entry - Tiger salamander
Caudata Culture Articles - Tiger Salamander 101