Question: What if they breed??

[SariYappa]

Hello fellow Axolotl lovers

As I keep changing my mind on weather or not I want juvies, or eggs, to raise on my own, one thought keeps creeping up, and it's kind of creeping me out :blush:

Here is the question, for myself as well as others...

Do breeders keep lineage on their Axolotls?

If I plan to buy at least two juvies from the same place, there is no guarantee of sex. I will be housing them together in a large tank. So, IF I have a boy and a girl... Well... You know! They will make little eggs Is this acceptable?

Is it safe?

And if not, do I need to get 2 different ones shipped to me separately? This will be much harder since I already am having a heck of a time even getting one resource, and I want them to also be of the same size.

I could very well be over thinking it, but It has been pounded into my head for so many years.. :violent:

In the Sugar Glider world, we try very hard to discourage people from breeding sister and brother. Mostly because there are very few 'original' lines from the wild caught ones long ago, and they are mammals, as well as marsupials. We have a breeders database to fill in parents, offspring, and lineage as far back as possible.

Maybe it doesn't matter since they are not mammals?

 

[xxianxx]

Dont worry about it, amphibians are more resilient to inbreeding than mammals and unless you plan to flood the market with them I wouldn't be too concerned. I prefer to breed unrelated axolotls to each other but I supply lots to the pet trade every year.

 

[SariYappa]

That makes me feel a lot better... Thank you

Were this a mammal board, there would already be 12 pages, and half of them would be berating me for asking

 

[auntiejude]

As far as I know there is only one supplier/breeder in my area, so it's likely that all mine are related in some way. And thier parents were probably related too.
All it means is that if there are any genetic problems you might find a higher incidence in any offspring, in which case you may have to euthanise some.

Otherwise, any respectable breeder should have addressed this and chosen their breeder animals carefully and eliminated any obvious issues. But of course, not all breeders are that responsible.

But as Ian said, amphibians are not so much of a problem with inbreeding as mammals. And I am pretty sure than some of the more unusual colour morphs have been encouraged by selective sibling matings.

 

[Alyce]

Thanks for asking this question. I have been wondering the same thing about my two that I got the same time. Not planning on breeding them but they may have other ideas...lol