Wild Coloured Axolotl

Overview

Everything you need to know about Wild Coloured Axolotls, at a glance:

• Common Names: Mexican Salamander, Mexican Walking Fish
• Scientific Name: Ambystoma mexicanum
• Max Size: 25-30cm
• Temperature Range: 14.5°-20.5°C
• pH Range: 6.5-8.0 (7.5 ideal)
• Compatibility: Generally solitary animals, should be kept in a species-only aquarium
• Area Of Origin: Mexico
• Suitable Foods: Live foods, especially earthworms
• Special Requirements: Low lighting, avoid gravel substrates, at least 75 litres per Axolotl

What is a Wild Coloured Axolotl?

Axolotls, or Ambystoma mexicanum, are unique-looking salamanders native to several lakes around Mexico City, Mexico. They’re fully aquatic salamanders that spend their entire lives in a ‘larval’ stage, retaining their distinctive feathery gills through adulthood.

This wild coloured colour morph looks just like a wild Axolotl. This cute axolotl has a mottled brown back, greyish belly, and purple gills. The most commonly kept morph is the pink axolotl, but there are many different colour morphs available, from wild-type forms like these Axolotls, to striking forms like Golden Red Eye Albino Axolotls. At Swell UK, we have many an axolotl for sale.

In the wild, Axolotls are critically endangered, with a population of only 50-1,000 adult individuals left. They’ve thrived in the aquarium trade, however, and are readily available from aquatic retailers across the UK thanks to the fact that they’re quite easy to breed.

Axolotls are known for their ability to regenerate their limbs. But did you know they can also regenerate their gills, eyes, and even parts of their brains?

How do I care for a Wild Coloured Axolotl?

Just like other Axolotls, Wild Coloured Axolotls require a moderate level of care and, as a result, aren’t a great choice for beginner aquarists. They’re quite sensitive to changing water parameters and need to be kept in a large aquarium (at least 75 litres per Axolotl) that’s equipped with a powerful filter capable of maintaining pristine water quality.

Axolotls don’t require a heater in their aquarium and prefer to be kept at cool temperatures between 14.5 and 20.5°C. These kinds of temperatures aren’t too difficult to maintain year-round, but during particularly hot summer days you may need to cool down your aquarium with an electric fan or specialist aquarium chiller.

An important thing to consider when caring for an Axolotl is what type of substrate you keep them on. A bare-bottomed aquarium, or one covered in a layer of fine sand is best, while gravel should be avoided. This is because Axolotls are prone to intestinal impaction and will regularly swallow things that are far too big for their digestive systems to pass, like gravel and small stones.

Lighting is another important thing to consider when caring for Axolotls. These aquatic salamanders don’t have eyelids, so their eyes are highly sensitive to sustained high lighting. For this reason, choose a dimmable aquarium light and/or cover the surface of your aquarium in a layer of floating plants to create a shady canopy.

In the wild, Axolotls will feed on almost anything that can fit in their mouths, from worms and insects to fish and other salamanders. In captivity, they’re fed readily available live foods, like earthworms, bloodworms, and brine shrimp. Other Axolotl food such as specialist pellets can offer them a complete and balanced diet, especially when fed alongside livefood.

How is this Wild Coloured Axolotl delivered?

All of our aquatic animals are dispatched from our livestock distributor and delivered directly to your doorstep. Our distributor dispatches and delivers livestock packages Tuesday through Friday to avoid animals being in transit over the weekend. To further minimise time spent travelling, all livestock deliveries are made before 1pm on the day of delivery.

After placing your livestock order, you’ll receive all the information needed to track your livestock order via email. If you have any problems regarding delivery, or concerns about the health/wellbeing of your animal(s) upon arrival, please contact us, Swell UK Ltd, immediately, or at least within 48 hours of receiving your livestock order.

Any other, non-livestock items that you purchase alongside livestock will be sent via standard or express delivery and arrive at your delivery address in a different package. This means that, depending on when you place your order, you may receive your non-livestock items before or after your livestock package.

For a detailed breakdown of when you can expect to receive your livestock package depending on the day you placed your order, be sure to check the delivery details in the specifications below.

How do you acclimate a Wild Coloured Axolotl to an aquarium?

Acclimation is the process of gradually adjusting an animal to its new environment. This is especially important in an aquatic setting as sudden changes in water temperature, pH, and nitrates can cause an animal stress, illness and, in some cases, even death.

As Axolotls are particularly sensitive to changing water parameters, they need to be acclimated slowly. To do this, float the bag containing your new Axolotl pet in your aquarium for at least 30 minutes. This will get your Axolotl used to the temperature of your aquarium slowly and safely.

While doing this, add a small amount of aquarium water to the bag containing your Axolotl every few minutes. This will get them used to your pH levels and background nitrate levels. After acclimating and adding your Axolotl to your aquarium, keep a close eye on them. They may take a while to settle and may not immediately accept food, but after a day or two you should see them start to confidently explore their new home.

You should always set up your Axolotl tank prior to purchasing your Axolotl. It’s also a good idea to let your aquarium mature for at least a few weeks prior to adding your Axolotl, to make sure that it’s fully cycled. For more information about how to cycle an aquarium, or how to get your axolotl tank setup, check out our help guide here.

Above photos are for illustration purposes only; livestock received may not exactly match those photographed.

Please note: The livestock that is sold on our online site is not held in store at our Swell shop, or available for collection from the shop. Species sold at our Swell store will differ from ones available to order to your door.