Axie with no eyes and not growing

[hanluem]

Hi guys.

I decided I wanted an axie, and couldn't find any local so I brought eggs instead... out of 72 eggs I now have 8 thriving axies, 2albino, 2 leucistic, 3 wild type and one that I think is albino. They all hatched around 21st Jan with the wilds hatching first and are all around 4-6cm now at3 months old except one.
He is all white, but has no eyes and is still only around a cm long. He has front legs but no back ones yet and still looks very much like a tadpole rather than an axie. I have them in a 220litre aquarium with the water level up at around 8cm high (im not sure If i can raise the level to the top but it suits for feeding anyway) and there are lots and lots of hides and its wider than it is anything else around 3n half foot by 2n half foot. )
Anyway the rest are thriving in there and I individually feed them daily they are used to being fed via a pipette so they all come to me for feeding and I clean them out every 4days as well as them having a low powered filter in there.

Back to the axie in question Ive kept him in a large plastic food box with lots of live plants and hides on his own as he is so small. He doesnt come to me for food like the others I have to go to him but he will gladly take 2 normal sized bloodworms from me daily (not interested in any more and doesnt pick it up himself). Im just concerned with why isnt he growing properly and still so small, why doesn't he have eyes and what tips can you give me otherwise with him. I dint want to kill him he seems healthy. Any input?? (sorry for the essay lol!):angel:



REPEAT POST ACCIDENTLY PUT THIS IN NEWTS AND SALAMANDERS NOW COPIED IT TO RIGHT PLACE I HOPE

 

[hanluem]

Forgot to mention I am not keeping all 8 I am only keeping 3 the other 5 are going to a new home but waiting for her to set up all her tanks for them. But thats nothing to do with my eyeless one lol he is seperate but just before someone picked up having 8 in one tank isnt a good idea lol! (the other 7 are due to go anytime this month just waiting for the phone call)

 

[larn]

Axolotls can grow at different speeds, i have 3 babies when i got them 1 was big and 2 were smaller, now one of the smaller ones has out grown the big one. One of mine is also eyeless, but i think you should wait until your's gets bigger because some of them have lighter coloured eyes, also they might not of fully developed.

The axolotl is just an animal so it's quality of life isn't really affected by being blind, it doesn't stop to feel sad about it's disability because it doesn't know any better and just acts in the moment.

 

[hanluem]

Hi Larnand thanks for your reply. He's just today I noticed got the start of back leg buds eventually. He ate more than usual today too so maybe a late growth spurt is on the cards. he is very deffiately blind though i'm sure as he needs so much help with feeding and doesnt seem to recognise live blood worm only if I put them in via pippette over his nose and he will have a go,, not always succesful but he is persistant. I have a tank to put him into on his own later on when he is a bit bigger but what you say makes sense,, he doesnt know any different and being on his own he has no predators to worry about so he should do just fine .

 

[melfly]

Some are a lot weaker than others.
I raise quite a few axolotls at once and they all have different growth rates. I have to split them over and over according to size.

I doubt your axolotl is eyeless, its probably just a melanoid albino (therefore no shine on his eyes)

Mel

 

[forester]

Eyeless (e)
Homozygous eyeless animals lack eyes (but may not completely lack the optic cup), have enhanced pigmentation, and are sterile. The gene is primarily in white Wistar stock (Humphrey, 1969) The gene has attracted much research interest (Van Deusen, 1973; Epp, 1978; Brun, 1978; 1990; 1993; Gruberg and Harris, 1981; Harris, 1979; 83; 84; Eagleson and Malacinski, 1986; Maccagnan and Muske, 1992).

I found this on the Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center website. From that, I figure that your eyeless could live a fine life, so definitely don't euthanize it. I would be wary of breeding the axies that you just raised (the siblings of your eyeless), because they are more than likely carriers of the recessive eyeless gene. You have a possibility of breeding more eyeless babies. If it were me, I would separate them by sexes once it's clear because I wouldn't want to breed more carriers and more blind lotls.