Overweight axolotl?

[CarysR]

This is my axolotl Toothless, and I'm starting to wonder whether she's getting a bit too fat for her own good.

Toothless is almost 6 months old, and she's already pushing 8 inches long. I bought her when she was less than 2 months and around 2 inches, and for the first three months I was basically feeding her as much as she could eat because she was growing so fast. She's still growing quickly, but in the last month or so I've cut down to feeding her 4-5 times per week. I've read that a healthy weight is for their bodies to be the same width as their heads, but it's come to my attention that many of the axolotls in the photos on this site aren't quite this rotund.

Thoughts/advice would be greatly appreciated :happy:

Thanks in advance!

 

[Hoagii]

How much (and of what) do you feed her each day? She does seem to be getting some extra love calories, although I'm probably not the best judge. I was feeding my axie once a day until about six months old, and he was getting a bit round, too. If she's only 8in long, she's probably still growing, but it may be a good time to cut her back to feeding only every other day.

 

[MarieKarma1311]

She does look a bit plump for an axolotl, but nothing to be worried about. You would be fine if you switched to feeding her every other day and kept her head and body the same width. All of the extra nutrition is definitely getting used for growth and she is huge for her age. Other than that she looks healthy and happy, and she is a stunning and simply beautiful axolotl, you're taking great care of her.

 

[auntiejude]

Your axolotls is a dwarf! It's not very pronounced, but her body is short and the shape of her head/neck/spine alignments shows it.

Dwarfs tend to be plump, she looks to be in good condition and healthy.

Picture of my little dwarf:

 

[CarysR]

Thanks for the replies guys! I'm a first time axolotl owner, and just want to do everything I can to keep this little monster happy and healthy :happy:

I'm currently feeding her freeze dried tubiflex worms, blood worms, and sinking carnivore pellets. I know the best thing for them is live worms, and I'm currently looking for a reliable distributor.

I had never heard of a dwarf axolotl, thank you for bringing that to my attention auntiejude. I did some research online, and I still can't decide if Toothless is stumpy or just fat, lol. Here's another overhead where her body is straight, maybe someone more knowledgeable than me can weight in on her proportions.

Is dwarf-ism always evident in an axolotl, or is it something that becomes obvious as they get older?

 

[emdalliance]

Auntiejude you beat me to it!!!
The head shape and short body definitely indicates a dwarf! It would explain the chubbiness too as you don't seem to be feeding her LOADS if you know what I mean!


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[Holly12]

Your axolotls is a dwarf! It's not very pronounced, but her body is short and the shape of her head/neck/spine alignments shows it.

Dwarfs tend to be plump, she looks to be in good condition and healthy.

Picture of my little dwarf:

Not to hijack, but I made a thread asking if my guy was fat, and someone mentioned he may be a dwarf. What do you think from he pics? Also, does he look fat? Could you please explain dwarf vs regular? Will they be shorter than a regular axie? What do I look for in a dwarf?
I guess we just grow em big in Canada? Lol. He eats night crawlers and blood worms one day and krill and blood worms the next. Some times I add mysis shrimp. I just got some axolotl pellets I will be adding. And each night he gets a bunch of black soldier fly larva. I got him in august at about 3" long and now he's 5 to 6" so maybe 5-6 months old. (When do I go to every other day feedings, and then every 3rd day feedings?)

Keep in mind, these aren't head on, so maybe he angle hrouh the glass makes him look like a dwarf? Especially the last pic. It was kinda sideways through the front glass.

 

[emdalliance]

Yours is definitely a dwarf. I'm no expert but you can just tell straight away! They have a different shaped head. It's not so rounded, their torso's are way shorter and rounder. Look at the ratio of the tail length to her torso, her torso seems very short! A normal axolotl there's not a huge difference in it. Just have a google of some pictures there's plenty out there.


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[Holly12]

Yours is definitely a dwarf. I'm no expert but you can just tell straight away! They have a different shaped head. It's not so rounded, their torso's are way shorter and rounder. Look at the ratio of the tail length to her torso, her torso seems very short! A normal axolotl there's not a huge difference in it. Just have a google of some pictures there's plenty out there.


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My guy or the OP's girl? Or both? Lol.

 

[auntiejude]

My guy or the OP's girl? Or both? Lol.

Yes, both!

 

[Holly12]

Hahaha, I wonder if we have a lot of them in Canada? I'm trying to figure out when he can go to an every other day feedings schedule and then every 3 days. (One night crawler every other day with blood worms that night as well.)