Question: Axolotls not breeding?

[nikkiboo]

Hey there, i've just put my breeding pair of leucistic axolotls in the same tank. The temperature right now is 19 degrees and i understand that is a bit too warm for breeding but i'm waiting for the ice to settle in the fridge to cool the water down.
The female is 7 inches and the male is 8 inches. The male has a small cloaca but i'm 80% sure he's a male. My question is, how long does it normally take until they start mating? They're both sitting around in different corners of the tank and don't seem to have interest in each other yet.

 

[Syllvie]

Females sometimes take longer to mature than males. I think you should wait until they're a little larger before you try to breed them. If the female isn't completely matured, it can put a lot of strain on her to have to lay eggs. Remember that they lay a LOT of eggs. It's not easy for the female at all.

EDIT:
How old are they? It's advised to wait until they're at least 18 months of age to allow them both time to grow and reach maturity.

 

[millerj76]

One easy way to tell if they are ready for breeding is to check their 'toes', leucistic toes will have dark tips if they are ready, darker coloured axolotls toes get light tips

 

[nikkiboo]

Thanks for the replies!
Sadly the shop doesn't know how old they are but i'm taking a good guess on a year old or a bit more. Yeah i realized it's better for the female to mature more but i was just wondering if it takes a while for new axies to mate. They don't have obvious dark toe tips although it's getting there it's light grayish now.
Also, i've been trying to offer them pellets but they don't seem interested :/ i have 3 other juvis and they all go crazy for the pellets but not the adults, is there a reason why?


Here's a picture of the cloacas, left (female) right (male.

 

[Syllvie]

I don't really know how long it takes them to mate, but I know that if they're together, a lot of females lay eggs too young(at least, that's what I've read; I don't have personal experience yet).