I am currently a high school student with a hobby, animals. I love animals as well as learning about them and their unique personalities. I also love organization so nothing is more satisfying than setting up a new tank. I got interested in fish after watching YouTube videos of people and their tanks. When I get bored I go to fish stores to see the new selections. My fish fascination all started because of one species, Axolotls. These little creatures are amazing! My first Axolotl, Undyne, was named after a character from one of my favorite video games: Undertale. Undyne is one of the main bosses in the game who is impossible to kill in some scenarios, so she is “undying”. This reminds me of Axolotls because they are hardy animals and literally regenerate anything in their bodies. Undyne even looks like an axolotl.
If you didn’t read my last post, it was about my rescue axolotl Trooper and his recovery. This blog will just be more detailed about what his recovery looked like. Within weeks of being on his own, the first thing to grow back was his reproductive organs aka his balls. Funny, how that’s the first thing to grow back, and the fastest at that. It looked kinda awkward though because he was still short and stubby. I guess that’s why the second thing to grow was his length.
August 25th 2019 (top), September 8th 2019 (middle) September 27th 2019 (bottom)
Trooper started to grow longer, then wider (he’s almost at full length now). I think it’s because Trooper knew he didn’t have enough room for everything else inside his little body. After that, his limbs and gills began to grow back. It took almost a whole year for his gills to become pink and fluffy again and even longer for his limbs. His limbs still haven’t fully grown back. I believe this is because his body is putting energy towards more important things (they only use their feet for gripping). Finally, his head got bigger to match his new body size.
How to Grow an Axolotl
Trooper’s head also began to get bigger to match his growing body. He started to become more hungry, and I was so happy when he swam up to collect his food for the first time (usually I bring it to him). I remember the day he was able to swim gracefully for the first time without a struggle, you could see the smile on his face.
He’s come so far. I no longer have to cut worms because they’re too big. Trooper even accidentally attacked a fake plant because he missed the worm I was trying to feed him. I spent the next five minutes trying to pry the plant out of his mouth while he tugged. Before, he would hardly even lunge for food. His last owner said, “he didn’t like to eat” pfft I’ve never had any issues (besides maybe once or twice).
Axolotls are not hard to care for, but for some reason, my friend (at the time) had difficulty with it. Mango, now Trooper is an Axolotl I got from a friend that he borderline abused. Trooper showed major signs of stress. He was starving to death, surviving in a dirty tank, and living out of a bucket with a filter. Trooper’s bones and ribs poked out of his sides, his tail curled at the end, his gills had became shriveled up, and purple (which is caused by extreme stress and lack of oxygen). He couldn’t even reproduce! He had mentioned months prior that he had an axolotl when I brought up wanting one. Other than that, he never mentioned him.
August 24th, 2019, and he randomly asked if I wanted him. I was so excited for my axolotl to have a friend, but I was very wrong. The poor guy, three years old and half the size he should’ve been. I put him in the tank with my other Axolotl. Trooper instantly started to swim around and stare at all the decorations. He even climbed in the fake plants and PVC pipes. I could see the relief in his face to have something to grip onto (especially when he struggled to move).
Relieving Stress
I knew it was a risk putting them together because of the size difference, but they were so happy together at first. The Axolotls would lay together and follow each other around the tank. Trooper even would start eating consistently (he was never used to having a full stomach, so he threw up regularly.). I had to feed him in small proportions for months and slowly introduce more food like I did when Undyne was little. Trooper even got introduced to salad shrimp. I would defrost it in hot water, he was not a fan.
Eventually, Undyne became food aggressive. She later learned if she started biting him, that I would feed her in an attempt to get her to leave Trooper alone. He was too small and weak to fight back. I came home one day, and all his limbs had been ripped off. I felt so upset and angry, especially with myself.
That day I set up a 10-gallon tank, and Trooper was on his own. He loved it! It was sad for a while because he could hardly move. His arms and legs are still growing slowly, but they’re definitely coming back.
All animals deserve to be loved and have the correct care, but not all people deserve to have an animal. People get animals all the time without knowing the proper care. Have you ever been to a pet store? They have labels in front of most of the animals that say the basic care requirements and level of difficulty an animal is. These labels are not fully correct! Most pet store workers don’t know much about the individual animal itself. For example Goldfish.
Most people think a goldfish is one of the easiest fish for beginners to care for. Wrong. Yes, goldfish are super laid back and have a variety of fish that can go with them, but there’s a lot they won’t tell you. Goldfish release a somewhat harmful chemical called ammonia. While it is necessary for the goldfish, high levels of it can affect and or harm other fish in the same water. Too much of it can even harm the goldfish. Goldfish also produce a crap ton of waste and can get really big! A single goldfish needs a minimum of 20 gallons. They also have to have constant water changes to make sure the ammonia levels are never too high. Other fish also tend to nip them since they have long, lushes, bright fins. Still, think they’re beginner fish? Another good example is a Mudpuppy.
Mudpuppies need different care than Axolotls.
Mudpuppies or Water Dogs are much like Axolotls. They are both salamanders that never outgrow the larval state, meaning they are fully aquatic salamanders. Even though they are both aquatic salamanders, they are extremely different from one another. Axolotls are cold water, while mudpuppies are tropical. This means they could never go together. Mudpuppies also grow to be double an axolotls size, which means double the tank size. When trying to get an axolotl, the store employees tried to get me to purchase a water dog instead. They even tried to tell my mom they were the same thing! When they realized I actually somewhat knew what I was talking about, they responded with “Well this one turns into a salamander.” This was also incorrect because that would make it a Tiger Salamander, not a water dog. Which is completely different from a mudpuppy.
This video is a perfect example of what not to do. I made a comment on it in my last post, but I’ll say it again. Axolotls are the same species only. Goldfish release a chemical that could harm your axolotl and they could attack each other. They both also release a bunch of waists so your tank will never be clean.
So before you jump to wanting an Axolotl or any new pet, do your research. Not all pets are suitable for everyone. ABSOLUTELY DO NOT get a pet, especially fish if you don’t have time for it. Every animal needs some love and attention, even fish.
A hero isn’t always a person. In my case, google is my hero (ironic cause a person made it, but still). Whenever I need help, have a question, or just wanna see cute animal pictures, I turn to google. Over the past two years, I’ve looked up hundreds of questions about my axolotls. I turn to google because sometimes pet stores provide false information, or I just want a quick answer to a question.
I’ve had to do so much research on my axolotls. I’ve had to find information on why they weren’t eating, to why they were eating each other. Without a search bar at my fingers, I don’t know what I’d do. What did people use to do? Go to the library? I don’t even know where the closest one is. Once I spent hours on google trying to figure out why my axolotl wouldn’t eat. Turns out, sometimes they’re just picky eaters. I’ve also read dozens of arguments on tank size for all aquatic and terrestrial animals. I’ve decided it comes down to their size, personality, and how much you’re willing to spend.
I’ve also read dozens of blogs, as well as the blog comments about axolotls. Caudata.org is one blogging website I refer to often. When it comes to pets, it’s better to look at information from people that have the same pet, rather than an official article provided by some unknown source. I say this because these people have the first-hand experience since they actually own the animal. They also don’t benefit in any way if your pet becomes sick or dies. Unlike pet store companies who want you to continue to buy from them and spend your money.
A simple, google search can save so much time, effort, and a lot of trips to the pet store. Be smart and use your smartphone. Maybe you can use it to find the library.
