lost gills

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Will Glover

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I got 'Dilly' in Aug 2007 looking like an Axolotl. (Left Hand Pic)
Today it looks like the picture on the right.
I thought it had been fighting with it's larger friend, as they were both in the same tank,
and had it's gills bitten off. It seems I was wrong and it has started 'morphing'.
I've put it in it's own tank and lowered the water level and added a log island.
So it can get itself out of the water.
I'm very new to this so I'd welcome any comments
 
If it is in fact morphing it will be a fully terrestrial adult salamander. Scientists will argue about classification I'm sure, but consider it a Mexican tiger salamander. They should be kept in clean moist soil with some cover, a water dish, and prefer worms and soft bodied foods.

Also, check your water parameters. Axolotls do not normally morph unless there is a reason to, i. e. bad conditions, as they are essentially a fully-aquatic species.
 
Axolotls have been known to morph naturally, and it is not always the result of poor water conditions (although this is usually the case).
 
Will-do you have any more pictures of 'Dilly'? I saw the story about him that BBC did.
 
morphed axi

Will Glover said:
_44322881_axolotl_frills203.jpg
_44322884_axolotl_203.jpg

I got 'Dilly' in Aug 2007 looking like an Axolotl. (Left Hand Pic)
Today it looks like the picture on the right.
I thought it had been fighting with it's larger friend, as they were both in the same tank,
and had it's gills bitten off. It seems I was wrong and it has started 'morphing'.
I've put it in it's own tank and lowered the water level and added a log island.
So it can get itself out of the water.
I'm very new to this so I'd welcome any comments
Click to expand...

i have 2 of them and one is fully terrestrial but the other decided to stay aquatic its a lot easier if they stay aquatic so don't try and push it towards land plus you can enjoy it more if its in a tank of water instead of hiding under dirt.
 
heheh yea i hardly see my lil guy who has changed
rick said:
i have 2 of them and one is fully terrestrial but the other decided to stay aquatic its a lot easier if they stay aquatic so don't try and push it towards land plus you can enjoy it more if its in a tank of water instead of hiding under dirt.
Click to expand...
 
Steve Eddy (quoted in the BBC article) contacted me a few days ago and has sent me the photos. Another person emailed me the link to the BBC article today. It's fascinating stuff but I'm proud to say it's nothing new to us here on Caudata.org (though always nice to hear about). Freeky: I'm sorry yours didn't make the news :(.
 
I was worried about the water. I've been changing about 20% once a week.
I've increased this to twice a week. (Waters 'aged' for about 3 days.)
I do have an internal filer which does get quite dirty fairly quickly.
The other axolotl in the same tank seem to be fine.
 
I would like them to stay aquatic. I've read it can be down to me not looking after them properly.
I'm determine that the second one stays an axolotl.
 
axolotl_jake said:
Will-do you have any more pictures of 'Dilly'? I saw the story about him that BBC did.
Click to expand...

I do, but I can't work out how I attached the pictures on the earlier post.
Kids are out (New Year celebrations) at the moment. I'll ask them when the get in.
 
What is your tank set up like, i.e size and items etc. As you know axolotl can be quite messy and left over food and their waste can spread every where, if not found reasonably quickly it can lead to water quality problems. I find that my adults waste always seems to be tucked away in a corner of his cave, and despite me moving it to different spots its always there!! It seems some axolotl may be more likely to morph than others ( Freekies seems to be one..it all happened in just over a week of her having it)
 
Will, I've linked your thread on the Axolotl site. I think it's a pity the BBC didn't probe a bit deeper when they did their research - they make it sound like there are two lakes in Mexico where you can see axolotls :(. If only this were true.
 
Photo

Just experimenting
 

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Dilly Photos

Here are some more photos of Dilly.

How long does metamorphing usually take? It's been several weeks since we first noticed his shrinking gills, maybe 7 weeks. And he has been in his own tank for about 5 weeks. He doesn't seem in any hurry to complete the morph.

He has finally started eating again.
 

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Glad to hear he's doing good Will. It looks like it's nearing the end of metamorphosis now, it will probably be terrestrial within a couple weeks, in order to come up on land though he'll need to grow some eyelids, and his skin/toes will thicken a bit to adjust to it's new lifestyle. Good luck with him and thanks for sharing!
 
one of mine only took 4 weeks to morph, but i still have one that finished morphing 3 months ago and decided to stay in the water
 
after they morph do they go straight for land??? i've heard that some stay fully aquatic for sometime before they actually go fully terrestrial....but i would think that they would terrestrial right away rite???
 
mine didn't seem to be in any hurry, just make sure they have some where to go when they decide to come out. If you keep feeding them in the water they may not feel the need to come out , thats what im doing.
 
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