Are these eggs?

[inkozana]

I have a female and male axolotl sharing a tank.
Last night they produced less than five of these weird looking things that resemble eggs.
This is what they look like (attatched) I have removed them from the tank and but them in a seperate one.

Are they deformed eggs? It is Samantha's first time breeding. She is about 11 months old.
Thanks for your help.

Edit - I think it's a spermaphore...? But there are some in the tank that have multiple white parts attached to one support jelly *listed as embryo in the picture.

 

[blueberlin]

HI Stef,

Yep, that's a spermatophore. You can expect eggs within 24 hours.

-Eva

 

[inkozana]

But I took those things out of the tank? Is she still pregnant..? She looks a little pokey around her bum

 

[blueberlin]

She looks a little pokey around her bum

Not really sure what that means, but after 6 matings I have never been able to catch all of the spermatophores in time. As it says here http://www.axolotl.org/breeding.htm the male deposits between 5 and 25 spermatophores around the tank. Maybe you were lucky but I'd put my money on your having Christmas trees in your tank by tomorrow morning.


-Eva

 

[Kaysie]

You'll never be able to remove all the spermatophores. Chances are, there were some overnight, while you were out grocery shopping, when you went to the toilet. And just to be technical, axolotls don't get 'pregnant', but are instead gravid.

 

[inkozana]

Okay, um.. thanks Eva

 

[inkozana]

Hey, it's been two days since there were spermaphores in the tank.. nothing much else has happened. Should I really have expected eggs in the next 24 hours? :/

 

[Jacquie]

Hi Stef,

It can take from 3 hours to 2 days from the time the female picks up the spermaphores for her to lay the eggs.

Another possibility is although the male has laid the sperm, the female just may not be ready or interested as explained in this thread:

http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=49171&highlight=blanks

Cheers Jacq.

 

[inkozana]

Update- Sam has layed some eggs but I think she's only half-way done.
Here is a photo.

 

[blueberlin]

Hi Stef,

Congratulations to you and Sam!

-Eva

 

[John]

It can take from 3 hours to 2 days from the time the female picks up the spermaphores for her to lay the eggs.

I believe it can be as long as 5 days but it's usually in the first 3.

 

[inkozana]

She has layed some more eggs this morning, she is very hungry as well so I've been giving her a bit more to eat.

She is still very fat so I expect a few more.
In the Axolotl.org website the pictures of eggs are white- mine are black.. does this mean anything unusual?
Also some eggs are bigger and more cloudy than others (you can see there are about two or three in the picture) are they okay?

 

[John]

Albino axolotl mothers lay white eggs. Non albino axolotl mothers lay dark eggs.

 

[blueberlin]

Hi Stef,

I can't see the individual eggs very well in the picture, but sometimes you will get one that has white hairs inside of it. This egg is a dud. I usually have four or five of these in every clutch.

-Eva

 

[inkozana]

That sounds right.
Thanks for the info guys Really helpful.