30/03/2025
So today, I would like to bring some attention to proper breeding practices. As we all know, axolotls are already an animal with a very high inbreeding coefficient, so being extra cautious and taking proper steps is paramount to a successful program. Females should be fully mature, over 18 months, (if they turn 18 months next month, week, or tomorrow wait, no exceptions) It is also perfectly acceptable to wait until they are older, some animals in colder climates, or who have had regenerations may mature slower. It is Never advisable to breed a younger animal as it can inhibit healthy growth and maturing. Males mature at 12 months, however, they can need varying times as well, and waiting is perfectly acceptable.
A female is not to be bred more than 2x in a 12 month span with a 6 month minimum break in between (longer gaps in breeding can only benefit the life span of an animal but is not required.) Bear in mind, a healthy female should lay an average of between 600-800 eggs, with actual ranges being from a couple hundred to well over 1500. If you are constantly breeding only one female, that could be a Lot of One animals genetics in a small gene pool. We as breeders need to be aware of the greater health and well being of the species, not just our bottom lines. In my own program, I rarely release more than a third of any given clutch and more often is is much less.
Now we look at condition; are they healthy? Have they been in a cycled tank for at least 6 months prior to pairing to maintain healthy body condition? Mature axies should have a good solid weight for their s*x and be a good size. Breeding animals need to be at least 8 inches long, but bigger is better. I have noticed a trend towards smaller animals lately, when we should continue to focus on strength and health. Their gills should be full and fluffy and eyes bright, their skin and toes should show no signs of ill health. You should have and know the genetic and geological information on both parents and understand inherent hets and phenotypes of the potential clutch you are breeding for prior to pairing. It is best practices to confirm all the geneological information with the previous breeders listed for any mistakes or concerns to keep from any inbreeding mishaps.
Then about 2 weeks prior to pairing, start prepping them. Feed extra, with an appropriate diet of live nightcrawlers or black worms, with maintained water conditions. This allows them to bolster both egg production without the consumption of body fat and increase energy without added stress on the animals intended to be paired.
Then, you will prepare a clean breeding environment of 15 gallons or more with plenty of things for them to climb on and lay eggs upon. These can be plastic plants, aquarium tubing, siphon hoses, or other like aquarium furniture. Fill with fresh clean, very cold treated (dechlorinated) water, with or without a cycled filter, and add both animals. The sudden temperature plunge will aid in stimulating the natural breeding behavior. You can offer live nightcrawlers in the breeding tank, but do not be surprised if they ignore food in other pursuits.
If you have a successful pairing, the boy will dance, lay cones, and the female will pick them up and after a day she will start laying her eggs. This can take several days of being together, but often it happens quickly. If your tank is not filtered, be sure to do routine water changes, being careful not to disturb moma.
After care is just as important for both parents as the prep was. They need to be tubbed separately as if you were quarantining them for 30 days to allow their systems to recuperate and recover, both from the breeding itself, but also from the change in water chemistry. This will allow them an easy transition environment with low impact on their immune systems after breeding. Don't forget the extra snacks of worms as well, especially for mama! After fully recouping, they can go back to their individual tanks once more.
In the photos below, I am featuring Sterling, a 6 year old Axanthic female, from Logan Kimball lines, who was only ever placed in one breeding situation in November of 2022. Last week, she laid just shy of 1300 eggs. Since there were so many, over half were already disposed of, and more will be properly culled later, as I paired with Revlon, an RFP animal. Due to the nature of the RFP (red florescent protein) gene and light system required to see it (which is hard to get), none of the eggs will be offered outside of our hatchery system. Only a select few RFP animals will come out of this pairing to be outbred later. None will be available publicly. But I do want to show what a healthy, well maintained axolotl breeding can produce. This particular female should be noted to have been hatched and raised until almost 3yrs old by Northern Axolotls in Anchorage Alaska with much colder temps, which does slow growth and maturity. In addition, the long break between breedings and her continued good health and care has allowed her to maintain physical integrity to engage in another breeding. Even after laying 1300 eggs, you can see she still maintains a healthy mature body condition for a female axolotl. She is now in a period of routine observation and extra feedings as is standard in after care. This, for me, includes daily water changes and live food with tub recouperation for 30 days minimum as mentioned previously.
I am addressing this today because a lot of misinformation is circulating around breeding, from there being leniency around breeding underaged animals to the frequency of breeding these animals. None of these things are a soft line. They are absolutely a hard line in intentional pairings. But if you have healthy animals that fall in the criteria and are unrelated, it is completely acceptable to move forward with a healthy pairing. I want to see more stable and healthy animals in our world, full of vibrant color and sparkling personality! Bred with intention, in a healthy manner for the axolotls, and in a way that promotes the population. The world needs these beautiful derpy creatures for generations to come.
This message is from Siserah’s Aquatic Escape with personal experience and my beloved mentor, Northern Axolotls
