The easiest way is to look for an enlarged cloaca. Both males and female axolotls have a cloaca (genital area), but the cloacae of male axolotls are larger than those of females. Look just behind your axolotl's back legs, under its tale. If there is a definite, rounded bulge, your axolotl is a male!
Axolotls have genetic sex-determination - a locus on an axolotl chromosome determines whether an axolotl is male or female. In salamanders, the sex determining mechanism is referred to as ZZ/ZW and the heterogametic sex is female.
Axolotls are not a social species, so they don't need a friend to be entertained. That being said, it is perfectly ok to house axolotls together, as long as they are roughly the same size. If one axolotl easily fits into the other's mouth, chances are it will end up as a snack.
Usually the female will begin to lay her eggs 12 to 20 hours after mating. Rarely, she will wait several days to begin. She sheds her eggs over a period of one to two days. If the female spawns in a container that has rocks or plants, you will find the eggs spread about on them.
Eggs hatch sooner and larvae grow at a higher rate when kept at the upper end of the safe temperature range. At 72 degrees Fahrenheit, the eggs will hatch in about 15 days. Photo Credit: John Clare. Good water quality is essential for axolotl growth and survival.
Sexual maturity in the Axolotls usually takes place between 6 months to a year. The females often take longer time to sexually mature than the males. The natural breeding season of the axolotls is in the spring, due to the increase of water temperature and lengthening of days.
To minimize the risk of axolotls trying to cannibalize each other, they have to be very well fed, have plenty of decorations in their tank to allow them to break line of sight of one another, and they need to be the same size because a larger axolotl will be likely to try and eat the smaller.
Axolotls and goldfish cannot be kept together as tank mates or in a fish tank. The creatures require different basic living conditions and water parameters, and goldfish could stress and injure the Axolotls by nipping at their tails and gills.
The axolotl is a freshwater salamander that spends its entire life underwater. This highly intelligent amphibian's behavior can range among individuals from social to solitary and active to dormant.
Axolotls Look Like They Are Smiling
It is common after they swallow their food for their mouth to be open in what looks like a smile for a few seconds. Also, some axolotls have slightly upturned mouths, which make it look like they are smiling all the time. This is normal, too!
Baby axolotls are members of the salamander family. They come from slime-covered eggs and take about two weeks to hatch. Unlike other salamanders, though, axolotls never undergo metamorphosis. This means they never progress past a larva.
Axolotls can change the colour of their skin and gills. They will naturally change colour depending on a variety of environmental and developmental factors such as their genetics, the food they eat, the status of their health, and even their level of activity, Tank Origin reported.
Wild type axolotls are dark grayish green with black and olive mottling. They also have speckles of gold from the iridophores, and a pale belly. They have the same colors and patterns as species found in the wild. This is the default color and is the oldest in the pet trade.
Can you keep axolotls with fish? The answer, surprisingly, is yes — you just need to choose your fish carefully. One thing to keep in mind when keeping fish with axolotls is that those long flowy gills can start to look like food to just about any fish who's hungry enough.
The axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) is one of the most fascinating animals you can ever put in your aquarium. It is a neotenic salamander, meaning that it is sexually mature while still in the larval life stage and, therefore, never converts into the terrestrial form.
The Mexican axolotl is an extant amphibian with teeth assembled into dental arcades located in oral and palatal regions.
Adult axolotls poop about once a week. Usually, an adult axolotl poops about once a week. Anything above this is a sign that you're probably overfeeding your axolotl. However, if you suspect that your axolotl isn't pooping at all, it is also cause for worry.
Housing Your Axolotls
A 10-gallon tank could work fine for an adult axolotl, but they do produce a significant amount of waste, so you may want to go with a 20-gallon tank that will stay cleaner for a longer time.
Each Axolotl requires a certain amount of space to survive and live. Buy at least a 20-gallon tank for a single axolotl. If you want to keep two axolotls, you must double the size and get a 40-gallon one. That's all you need to extend it by 20 gallons for every additional Axolotl.
Although no data exists pertaining to the mortality rate of these organisms, the maximum life expectancy of an axolotl is estimated to be up to 25 years in captivity. Despite the lack of age-related research in this species, there are observable changes in the body structure of the animal with time.
There are five different colors of Axolotl: pink, brown, gold, cyan, and blue. The baby Axolotl will usually take after one of its parents in colour, but there is a 1 in 1,200 (0.083%) chance that it will instead become a rare Blue Axolotl. The colour has no effect on the creature itself.
Axolotls can survive out of water for around one hour, provided that the area is moist and damp. Axolotls are pretty demanding creatures when it comes to their right environment.