When are they definately old enough?

[amy]

my god i want babies!!! my axies are about 8" and my female i think is mature. her cloaca is slightly enlarged and shes quite round, but the male only has a very slightly enlarged cloaca but nothing like what id expect for a male that is fully mature. my question is, i really want them to breed. are they old enough yet? is there any indication as to when breeding is possible (other than when it happens, obviously!)

 

[cynthia]

Be careful what you wish for! LOL

My first axolotls started laying eggs when they were about a year old. Once they started they didn't stop.

I saved the 1st (about 400 eggs) and even part of the 2nd batch (about 200), then I started "disposing" of the eggs. My house was filled with hundreds of babies all different sizes. There was not one flat spot in the house that didn't have a container of axolotls on it. It was a lot of work. At the peak it took 8 hours a day just to feed them and change their water.

I won't ever keep an entire batch of eggs again. When I saved them I had no idea that most of them would live...I was el gringo.

 

[amy]

lol!! i know how you feel. thats how it was with my fish. one they started, they didnt stop! and there were tubs of babies everywhere! oh, but they were so rewarding. thanks for your reply

 

[jenny]

i really wanted babies to. then i started to think actually maybe its not such a good idea.

then last night i finished watching oceans eleven at about 2am then went to go to bed but had a quick check on my axies and harriet was laying eggs. and then i was up all night watching her laying them it was rather fascinating. she'd lay a few then go for a swim around the tank and a gulp of air then come back and lay some more! today i spent an hour or so taking all of the eggs out and still didnt manage to get them all! but tomorrow i will get a turkey baster and finish it off if they are still in the tank!

 

[amy]

lucky devil. the best i got was spermatophores! no eggs....

 

[jenny]

thats strange - i didnt think the bloke axy made spermaphores until hes got frisky with the female.

i didnt think my male clocoa was very big but then after he had dispensed his spermaphores his clocoa was huuuge!

 

[mik]

lol i have 4 males in a tank with no lasses. I find s'phores quite often..they have these dreams u c

 

[jenny]

lol


how often do you breed your axies mik?

have you got a white albino axy or know of anyone who is breeding them at the mo?

 

[amy]

jenny, my males cloaca went huge BEFORE he left spermaphores and deflated afterwards. interesting!

 

[mike]

mmmmm