Personalities

[innerdialogue]

I'm curious, do you think that personalities go by an individual-by-individual basis or do species usually have certain personalities?

It seems that people with axies and tigers seem to have more charismatic pets than others. My Fire Belly seems more than a little apathetic, almost like he just lives here rather than being a pet.

 

[sde]

Taricha granulosa definitely has personality from individual to individual. Some are slow and gluttons, some are feisty, some are shyer etc..

 

[Autumncrossing]

All of my newts seem to act differently in their own way. My cynops cyanurus however seems to have the most personality out of all my newts, he'll swim over and follow me when I do stuff around my room and he's always begging for food (he even eats off my tweezers!).

 

[evut]

I think people with axolotls and tigers just like to anthropomorphise more and perhaps talk about them more in such a way that suggests personality. I understand that tiger can be very entertaining because they are not shy unlike many other salamanders. But all animals will show different behaviours and if you spend enough time observing them, you will notice differences between individuals. Species definitely differ greatly. I have a group of A. opacum, which are probably the worst pets I've ever known - you might as well just keep moss. They are lovely animals but very secretive. My C. pyrrhogaster group on the other hand are very entertaining. With T. marmoratus, there is a huge difference between seasons. When they're on land, they don't do much, but when they become aquatic, they are much livelier.

 

[Boomsloth]

I think people with axolotls and tigers just like to anthropomorphise more and perhaps talk about them more in such a way that suggests personality. I understand that tiger can be very entertaining because they are not shy unlike many other salamanders. But all animals will show different behaviours and if you spend enough time observing them, you will notice differences between individuals. Species definitely differ greatly. I have a group of A. opacum, which are probably the worst pets I've ever known - you might as well just keep moss. They are lovely animals but very secretive. My C. pyrrhogaster group on the other hand are very entertaining. With T. marmoratus, there is a huge difference between seasons. When they're on land, they don't do much, but when they become aquatic, they are much livelier.

You're absolutely right about the trend of anthropomorphism of axolotls. And it's good to know before I got A opacum that they aren't the most active pets.
I think the biggest influence besides species are boldness and metabolism. The axolotls I'm raising now have shown widely different traits. Some swim away when I drop food in, some snap and one has it's head always tilted up when I'm by the tank.

 

[JReed]

I agree with Seth regarding the multiple Taricha granulosa personalities. I have a very smart and tame "begger" who will gladly follow you around the tank all day hoping for worms (she will eagerly eat from your hand). I have another ( a male) who stands guard on the log all day, head high, like the "king of the mountain". I have another who searches for food under the rocks and gets herself into all sorts of awkward positions trying to reach whatever she can find. They are all the same species but nonetheless, so very different!

 

[auntiejude]

I think it's a combination of species traits an individual personalities. I have 2 tigers with competely different personalities, I have axolotls with distinctive habits and I would say they had 'personality'. Of course I know they are not a person, so I guess 'character' is a better word.

But don't humans generally anthropomorphise their pets? Doesn't matter whether it's a dog or a salamander.

 

[sde]

But don't humans generally anthropomorphise their pets? Doesn't matter whether it's a dog or a salamander.

I do think they probably all have personalities, but I think they are over exaggerated with axolotls, like when people talk like they are humans. I really think it is the same way with most pets. I do give my dog personality, but I don't try and make her my sibling etc.