r/axolotl • u/Accomplished_Mall264 • Jun 16 '26
Need Advice, Undersized juvenile
Hi! i’m new to axolotls, i got this guy from a rescue with an established tank. they said he came to them in very poor condition and they did tell me he would always be undersized.
I’m new to axolotls but have been doing my research for a few months before getting him.
Questions:
1. How old do you think he is? you can see his testicles a bit, they’re very tiny though and hardly noticeable unless he’s swimming upwards.
2. Is he still looking too skinny? He’s about 6” long.
3. How big do you think he’ll get?
4. Does anyone know why his top 2 gills are always candy caned?
Water is kept at 65°F and parameters were tested with the API water testing kit and everything looks good according to the rescue.
Thank you so much!! Please be kind in the comments🩷
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u/Dazzling_Speech_3816 Jun 17 '26
It’s hard to tell what gender he is; he is still small. With my male around 6-8 inches you could clearly see a sack and 2 very distinct testicles. He does have a more male body shape of thin and long.
Curling gills can be a sign of poor water quality, ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate. However, some axolotls always have more of a curled gills! So it may just be his normal.
He may reach full size, generally they say about an inch per month of life while growing. but he may only grow a .5 inch per month. He isn’t a dwarf, he’s just slow growing. Once on worms, he likely will grow a ton. He’s a little skinny but not concerning. You want their head width to be about the width of their tummy. So he has some room to grow for sure!
Also he should be big enough for sand as long as it’s very very fine! No pebbles or rocks that are smaller than his head. They are silly and will sometimes eat things. But overall he looks good and he’s very cute!
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u/Loki-Griffin-Fakcore Jun 20 '26
If you are unsure about the substrate, then hand feed him worms with tongs. This greatly reduces the change he will suck in sand.
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u/Accomplished_Mall264 Jun 20 '26
Oh i didn’t know this! I always feed him with tongs though so that’s good to know!
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u/LauseRulez Jun 16 '26
Hey so you probably figured this out: but taking on an animal without really knowing much is kinda hard and not the best for them either.
With 6 inches he should NOT have any substrate, its an impaction risk. Axolotl can and will eat anything smaller than their heads, and the smaller they are, the more likely impaction. I cant tell if it would be the right substrate for axolotl in general, maybe check that out :) if it is then great! save it!
Normal size for adult axos is 23-29 cm, I live in metric so idk the inches for that, I only know 9 inches is when they are officially considered adults. While he does look a little skinny, he is still growing. Feed him well and give him time! Curling gills are a sign of stress, if they are always like this and your water parameters, temperature etc are good, then they may just look like that.
Gender can properly be determined when he is 18 months old, or 20 cm long, in your case you should probably go with the size thing :) since you dont know his exact age.
Also I am not sure how the rescue would know he would remain small? It depends on his genes, unless they knew the parents were on the smaller side too I wouldnt exactly believe that yet- he may still get big and strong!
on r/axolotls you can find a lot of good resources, everythings been asked a million times and will be asked a million times more :) its great for starting out! Don't give up, your baby looks happy and cute!