New Axie owner :)

[Sara&Remy]

Hi all!

I’m so excited to be apart of this community. I have wanted an axolotl for a number of years and just purchased one finally yesterday! Although I think the pet store sold one to me prematurely after reading through forums. My main question is about my axolotls gills. He is only about 3 1/2 inches, mayyyybe 4 tops. But I’ve seen pictures of other babies and they already somewhat have fluffy gills. At first I thought his gills were normal for his age/size, but now I’m not so sure. He is also a pig and constantly wants to be fed...I’m use to animals losing interest in the food when they get full, but I’m afraid I’m going to over feed him since I end up just cutting him off. Any tips for a newbie? I’m hoping his gills aren’t a problem and they will be fluffy and pink as he gets bigger

 

[BasilBear]

Hello
So first of all your axolotl is a beauty! Now regarding your question about your axolotl's gills, If he/she was like this when you first purchased your axolotl I wouldn't worry to much. Some (not all) pets stores may not take the best care of the axolotls thus resulting in the loss of gill filaments (the fluffy part of the gill). Now if you noticed that when you put the axolotl in the tank it started loosing the fluff then you might want to check your water parameters to make sure everything is up to standard. My axolotl is a pig as well ALWAYS hungry . But don't worry about that to much, theres also a lot of stuff on the web about how much you should feed your axolotl if your worried. One last thing that I wanted to mention is from the picture it looks like your axolotl is on gravel. I just wanted you to be aware that the axolotl can eat the gravel and be impacted. I personally have my axolotl in a bare bottom tank with no substrate, this makes easy cleaning and less to worry about haha. Another good option is fine sand but this can make cleaning a little tricky. By all means I am not a expert but I have been caring for my axolotl for over a year now and we have gone through a lot of hurdles, so I have a bit of experience.

Okay well I hope this helped, and good luck to you and your axolotl!

 

[Sara&Remy]

Thank you for your reply!! My family has grown quite fond of him already, I really want to make sure we are doing everything right. He looked like this when we picked him up, actually a bit worse because his gills had no color and no filaments showing at all. Since we’ve had him his gills have gotten some color and I do see some filaments coming in, just not a whole lot yet. He gets more color when he’s eating it seems like. I just tested his water again this morning and everything is still testing perfect. The pet store told me he was big enough to put on sand (you’re actually not the first person who has said the black sand looks like gravel) but I’m learning that he probably shouldn’t be on sand yet. I’m planning on taking the sand out soon. Any other tips or advice is greatly appreciated!!