Photo: What gender is my axolotl?

[bunny27]

Hi, sorry it's one of those gender identification questions, but I really need to ask what you guys think Piccolo is.

I swear I thought she was a girl because she was 7 inches long at that time and people were saying you can determine their gender by then, but now that she has dark finger tips and such, her cloaca's swollen and it's been that way for a consistent time now.

I thought Piccolo's cloaca was just swelling because she was about to go to the bathroom, but even after she goes to the bathroom, she still retains that bulge.

Piccolo's 9 inches long and she's kinda fat and has a big head, so I thought she was a girl ? Well, what do you guys think? Is she just going to go to the bathroom again or is she a boy? I read on caudata.org already on how to identify the gender, but I just need further confirmation from other people since this is the first time I've had axolotls and I've never seen a male from a female in real life.
Help would be awesome!!

Thanks!

Here are some pics of her and please excuse the tubberware, she's in there because she's taking a vacation in the fridge. It's too hot here.













Need More Looks? A Video Here, I tried to catch the bulgy cloaca XD :
Piccolo Likes to Play the Guessing Game | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Thanks guys! Boy or girl, Piccolo is still Piccolo and I'll love Piccolo either way :tongue:.

 

[Jacquie]

Looks male to me.

After viewing the video, I thought I may have made a mistake as from the front Piccolo does look female, but when Piccolo turns around and walks away from the camera, that bulge to the cloaca is quite distinct - definitely male.

He is one lovely axolotl!

 

[sek]

He definitely looks male. Long tale and slim body with a bulgy cloaca

Lovely leusitic.

 

[Morrison]

Totally a male.

 

[bunny27]

@ Jacquie: Aww, thanks! I'll be sure to tell Piccolo that you think he's lovely .

@ sek: Thank you so much! I'll also tell Piccolo you think he's lovely .

@ Morrison: Whooo hooo! Thanks so much! :rofl:.

Thanks for the confirmation guys! Now that I have confirmation that he's a boy, I'll admit that I named him after Piccolo from Dragon Ball Z in hopes that he'd be a boy heh heh heh :wacko: (the character Piccolo regenerates limbs and so do axies). Of course he's also named after the instrument. . Thanks again!

 

[Morrison]

Wow I totally forgot about Piccolo! He was my fave character when I was young

 

[bunny27]

@ Morrison: LMAO! How can you forget him! He was pure awesome! I wish you luck in getting a boy axolotl as well, hahaha, we sound like expecting mothers or something. hahaha!

 

[Morrison]

I really really hope the newest axie is a male. He/she/it has a bulge, more than all the other (big) axies I have. I really hope it's a male. If not I will dye my hair green.

 

[xyz1021]

bunny27
I see that your location is in MInnesota. My daughter got an Axolotl in Maryland and I transported it back to MInnesota. It seemed to be very happy in the 5 gal plastic ice cream container that it was in, eating and moving around. When my daughter got home a few days later and we set up a brand new 10 gal aquarium for it ( following all the directions for set up) and transferred the little guy into the new environment, he/she seemed ok for a day and then the next day died. The auxolotl was about 2 inches long. We would like to try to get another one with hopefully a better outcome. Do you know where in MInnesota (or a near-by location that would be willing to ship) we can find a source for an axolotl? Also, any insights as to why he might have died so quickly when we put him in the new environment would be much appreciated. Thanks

 

[bunny27]

Hi xyz1021. The only place I know that carry axolotls is Twin Cities Reptile (Twin Cities Reptiles / Amphibians [Home]) but they told me they only carry them once a year since not a lot of people know of them or want them. So you can try calling them and see. Other than that place, I don't know where else. Many aquarium places that I called didn't have axolotls or even know of them. If you want another axolotl, you can always try the "For Sale" thread on this forum. I got one of my axolotls from a member of this forum. As for your axie's death, I can't really say. It could be due to water quality or maybe since right now MN is so hot, the axie may have died from heat stress or a combination of both. I have a fan blowing across my tank at the moment and the other one is in the fridge. If you'd like reasons as to why he may have died, I suggest you make a new post and really cool experts and experienced axolotl owners can help you. I'm just a beginner so I can't say much. If you want more info on how to take care of an axie, their tank set-ups, cycling (very important), their food, and their illnesses, please read: http://www.axolotl.org/ . This was the site I read before I got my axies and it's a great site. I'm sorry I'm not much help. I'm also really sorry for your loss, but I do wish you luck on your next axie!

 

[xyz1021]

Thanks, bunny27, for your info. We will take your advice and call Twin Cities reptile. If they don't have any we'll post a new thread. Thanks again.