I thought I was going to journal the process of watching Axolotls regrow their limbs. I wasn't expecting it to happen so quickly though. I photographed and journaled about their first weeks of progress, and before I knew it they were all healthy and whole! I quickly found homes for most of them. Look at this guy, he looks amazing!
The experience was remarkable and comforting. It is exciting to discuss with potential axolotl owners how resilient they are. We worry a lot about our axolotls, and for them to have the best life their environment needs to be correctly established. We aren't perfect though, so what a comfort to know that they aren't so terribly fragile. Sometimes life throws us off balance and the axolotls may suffer for it. They can recover though, as we will. Axolotls will quickly regrow their legs. It takes a little longer, but they will regrow the end of their tails. The axolotls gills are more difficult to heal, but even they can improve. Some of the babies were missing gills, that did in fact return.
The axolotl's gills are very important to them. Its how they take in oxygen from the water. The fluffy filaments help swirl the water and can be especially helpful in collecting oxygen when the water is low in oxygen. Poor water conditions can damage the condition of the gills, which is one of the reasons it is important to have a properly maintained aquarium. As axolotls age, their gills tend to shrink and lose some of their fluff. I'm still understanding how much of that is due to genetics versus poor water quality. I have noticed that in a very healthy aquarium, the filaments once damaged, can fluff back up over the course of months.
If you are thinking about getting an axolotl my advice is think about your daily routine. They don't require the time and attention of a cat or dog. But, they do require a consistent presence. Adult axolotls need to be feed daily or every other day. The water needs to be cleaned weekly. They need to be protected from predators such as the family cat. With those things in mind, I consider them to be quite easy pets to care for. Let us know if you have any questions. We love to share what we've learned so far.
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