# Mexican Salamanders



## Rep-Style (Sep 3, 2006)

Gday just wanted to see if anyone here other than myself keep these odd lil guys


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## hornet (Sep 3, 2006)

as in axolotyls?(spelling)


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## Xenogenesis (Sep 3, 2006)

Pics?


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## Rep-Style (Sep 3, 2006)

like axolotyls but that have morphed into their land dwelling counterparts


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## Rep-Style (Sep 3, 2006)

This is my female, my male is black with yellow spots


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## dirtysanchez (Sep 3, 2006)

Did you morph them or did they do it themselves?
I heard that adding iodine to their water will make them morph or if you empty water out of their tank little by little they will morph aswell


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## Rep-Style (Sep 3, 2006)

its dangerous 2 doit urself because you can retard or kill them, i paid $150 for themmorphed, they cant eat on their ownmust be hand fed


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## cris (Sep 3, 2006)

Squishette, nice name :lol: 
how did you get her to morph?


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## Rep-Style (Sep 3, 2006)

bought her n the male already morphed


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## dirtysanchez (Sep 3, 2006)

Jesus you paid a hell of a lot for a morph.

There is an aquarium in strathfield sydney that sells morphs for $30


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## JandC_Reptiles (Sep 3, 2006)

Axolotyls are not meant to morph.
They are the only salamander that remains in its larval stage throughout its life.

Reducing the water levels, adding iodine or injecting the animals is cruel &amp; commonly leads to death. With so many dying &amp; only a handfull surviving its no wonder they charge an arm &amp; a leg for them. But IMO they are not worth diddly.


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## Rep-Style (Sep 3, 2006)

$150 is cheap from wat ive seen down here


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## JandC_Reptiles (Sep 3, 2006)

Just to add to my post if you look up neoteny in axolotyl's it will explain all.


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## Rep-Style (Sep 3, 2006)

i know they are not ment tomorph but if it is done at the right time they are fine, but the right procedure must be done


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## dirtysanchez (Sep 3, 2006)

JandC_Reptiles said:


> Axolotyls are not meant to morph.
> They are the only salamander that remains in its larval stage throughout its life.
> 
> Reducing the water levels, adding iodine or injecting the animals is cruel &amp; commonly leads to death. With so many dying &amp; only a handfull surviving its no wonder they charge an arm &amp; a leg for them. But IMO they are not worth diddly.



It's called "Peter pan syndrome" in other words they never grow up BUT in saying that ax's are still salamanders and wild ones are meant to morph but because of breeding/inbreeding captive animals from a relativly small wild population they have become harder to morph as generation after generation are being bred at the ax stage which have no need to morph so the trait is dying.

P.S adding iodised salt to their water in small doses will not harm them


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## Ramsayi (Sep 3, 2006)

They can be morphed rather easily by using a drug called thyroxine in small doses, however some lines won't morph and trying to do so will kill them.


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## Rep-Style (Sep 3, 2006)

im guessing imthe only one here with them?


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## Ramsayi (Sep 3, 2006)

I kept axylotls years ago and used to morph them all the time.


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## dirtysanchez (Sep 3, 2006)

Hey Rep-Style do you have any more pics of your pair?


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## Xenogenesis (Sep 3, 2006)

What the ****?
that **** is nasty.
can anyone explain exactly what they are to me and what this whole morph and unmorph business is about?
Cheers


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## Rep-Style (Sep 3, 2006)

not any more pics atm, in the middle ov building their new enclosure il post some more pics next week wen its finished.....yeh they are ugly as hell but i love them


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## JandC_Reptiles (Sep 3, 2006)

Inbreeding or evolution the jury is still undecided.
Many scientific studies produced indicates they evolved to better adapt in their local surroundings. Others suggest it may be different birth defects that are responsible. Who knows for sure?

JMO but If they were meant to morph they would do so on their own. Supply them with a wet &amp; dry area &amp; see how you go without forcing them to morph :lol:


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## lizardboy_ryan (Sep 3, 2006)

can u send me some pics of your axalotles
thanks

RYAN


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## freddy (Sep 3, 2006)

i used to have three morphed fellas but i kinda accidently smashed their tank  and i figured they wouldnt get along with my catfish so i gave em away


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## cris (Sep 3, 2006)

> JMO but If they were meant to morph they would do so on their own. Supply them with a wet &amp; dry area &amp; see how you go without forcing them to morph


In the thread i had about this not long ago someone said it works sometimes just by reducung water levels.



> im guessing imthe only one here with them?


Olivehydra has one and a few other members have had some experience with them.

I was going to get some but they seem a bit doey and incompetant from what i have heard and read. I would rather keep a naturally able species.



> can anyone explain exactly what they are to me and what this whole morph and unmorph business is about?


Its just like a moth or better yet a frog it goes from egg to tadpole to frog to egg to tadpole to frog.... axolotls can go egg to tadpole to egg to tadpole to salamander to egg to tadpole......


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## Rep-Style (Sep 3, 2006)

yeh they are a bit of work, rely entirlyonme hand feeding them and they are complete pigs with food


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## JandC_Reptiles (Sep 3, 2006)

As already explained some can &amp; some can't morph.
Big risk to take 50/50 chance between survival &amp; death.
They won't morph on their own even if provided a wet &amp; dry area. There must be a reason why they do not morph voluntarily and there must be a reason they can not feed themselves once morphed. Reducing their water leaves them with no choice but to use their lungs when water levels get too low. Is it any wonder they either morph or die?

Why play mother nature &amp; stuff around with an animals biology? 
Elapids survive without venom why don't we all take up venomoiding lol


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## salebrosus (Sep 3, 2006)

dirtysanchez which aquarium?????????

Simone.


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## triptych_angel (Sep 3, 2006)

I used to keep axolotyls, they were fairly easy to keep apart from having to hand feed them. Although they bred like rabbits. We could never get the eggs to survive. They all ended up getting some disease and died  I havent had any since.


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## dirtysanchez (Sep 3, 2006)

Aquariums Strathfield


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## W.T.BUY (Sep 5, 2006)

do they have any at the moment


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## W.T.BUY (Sep 5, 2006)

and can u give me there number


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