Need help sexing my Axies

Carlz

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Can anyone help me with the sex of my axolotyls please. I have two, one is a little smaller than the other and has almost no "bump" behind the back legs. The bigger of the two has a noticeable "bump" behind the back legs. Trying to get photos but they are playing with me and not on a good angle. ?.
 
Also this is a side photo, is my Axies too skinny? Looks like ribs. He/she eats 2-3 cubes of beef heart a day. Tried blood worms and he/she wasn't interested.
 

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This is the smaller one. Thank you heaps for your help
 

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Unsure exactly what age. I acquired them early February and they were 11cms and 9cms. If that helps.
 
This was a few weeks before I got them. The smaller one has been regularly running under the larger one and pushing "him" around the tank. They seem to be very close the past week or so. Always on top of each other or at the least, touching tails etc. is this a mating thing or prep for mating? Sorry for all of the questions.
 

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Dear Carlz,

I would agree with AxolotlChris. The larger one appears to be male. The smaller one might be female or a late bloomer - it's best to wait until they're a year and a half before trying to guess.

Don't worry, they're not skinny at all :) Tummies should be around as wide as their heads. The little rib markings are also normal - even the plumpest have them.

Axolotls can be very sociable animals and, once used to each other, do like touching or 'stacking' regardless of sex. I think it makes them feel more secure.

Courtship is quite subtle and can go completely unnoticed - the first sign I ever got was eggs in the tank! Axolotls don't mate like some other animals - the female releases a hormone that makes the male drop spermatophores, which look like tiny white hills, inside the tank. The female will pick one of these up and fertilise the eggs inside her body. She will then lay them around 12-24 hours later.

Sometimes the male might nudge the female a little or there may be some 'nosing' around the bottom areas, but they don't generally show any other signs of courtship. Pairs can form between axolotls of either sex and they do form attachments to those tankmates. That's why it's a good idea to separate males and females early if you don't want to deal with spawnings.
 
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