Aggressive + Fast Growing Axolotl?

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mushutheaxie

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This isn't really a problem, I just am curious about my axolotl's behaviors and temperament.
Mushu is about 4 months old and is already HUGE. he has grown from being 3 inches long to being about 10 inches rapidly. When I bought him he was extremely malnourished so I started feeding him earthworms every single day to help with his health.

Now I feel like I've created a little monster. the second I put the feeding tongs in the tank, or my finger, or anything really, he goes right after it and starts biting it and thrashing around trying to devour it.

I'm worried the metal tongs will hurt his mouth because of how aggressive he is when he attacks them for the earthworm or shrimp or whatever it's holding.. So i've backed off of that and started using my hands only to feed and he tries to consume my entire finger every time.

Is this kind of aggression normal? I don't even have to have food in my hand and he tries to eat it up.


Also while I'm at it here's a pic of his mouth. Does it look ok? it's always looked a little lumpy to me and I just wanna make sure the metal tongs havent hurt him:
IMG_8973.jpg



Also look how much he has grown, end of november he was this size: (the day I brought him home)
IMG_7719.jpg


Is rapid growth normal too? He seriously gets bigger every week I swear
 
This behaviour is normal, some Axolotls can be slightly less aggressive. When it comes to feeding they will nearly always be expecting food every time you come near the tank.

I use long plastic forceps instead of metal ones, my Axolotl will latch onto them as he takes food sometimes.

The growth is normal mine grew similarly, but I think it's genetic also as some Axolotls don't reach such large sizes. Your feeding nutritious food daily which will help growth too.
 
I can also confirm that your axolotls feeding behavior is normal. Mine expects food every time I walk in the room. She's also latched on to the tongs a few times and stubbornly wouldn't let go.

It's not technically aggression, just super excited for food! It's not an amphibian's nature to bite to defend itself, but they are known for begging!
 
I would say it is aggression. This sort of aggression, shown by latching on to prey and shaking can be seen in lots of animals such as dogs. It's more than likely a way to stun or disable the prey. Axolotls demonstrate the same behavior.

You can see it in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpTzXAy8ZkM
 
Ah, I see what you mean. Sorry for the confusion, I was trying to word it in a way to basically say "your axolotl is not trying to attack you, he's trying to attack food".
 
image.jpg

Here's a better pic of him to see how big he is! And only four months old haha. I have no clue what size he'll be when he's full grown but he just keeps growing.
 
AxolotlChris said:
This behaviour is normal, some Axolotls can be slightly less aggressive. When it comes to feeding they will nearly always be expecting food every time you come near the tank.

I use long plastic forceps instead of metal ones, my Axolotl will latch onto them as he takes food sometimes.

The growth is normal mine grew similarly, but I think it's genetic also as some Axolotls don't reach such large sizes. Your feeding nutritious food daily which will help growth too.
Click to expand...


I'm glad!! It definitely doesn't bother me, he can nibble on me all he wants. I just wanted to make sure the food aggression wasn't a sign of something bad :) I'm gonna switch to another tool to feed with if I don't feel like using my hands because I'm slightly worried the metal tongs will hurt him one day because of how hard he latches on to them
 
The skin pigment looks strangely similar to Ambystoma Andersoni.. is it also a coincidence your post was about aggression?:dizzy:
 
He's beautiful. For the record everyone, I didn't say anything bad. I'm not sure why the C-R-A-P word needed to be censored, but that's all I said. haha.
 
There are no andersoni currently in the USA - they all died out.
The current ban in the USA only covers movement across state lines and imports, it's still legal to own axies or andersoni in 48 states.
 
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