I'm sorry to say that we lost Spyyk today

I had noticed a few days back that he didn't want his dinner, which is unusual, but then I came down sick.

It seems that so had he - I found him floating on his side in a right mess. I won't go into graphic details, but even his extraordinary powers of healing weren't going to be sufficient - his lower abdomen was intruded by a large mass; I've seen and treated axolotl prolapses and impactions before, and this wasn't either.

 I've done the kindest thing for him and freezered him; axolotls are pretty unusual - they can happily cope down to 2C, then their metabolism slows down enough to send them into a form of suspended animation. He will be totally unaware and not feel a thing below this.

There wasn't much I could have done even if I'd picked up on it earlier. That's the trouble with axolotls - there's not a huge amount you can do when they're really ill, except for cool them down and hope their healing ability outpaces the slowed condition - and I could see immediately that this wouldn't be enough for Spyyk. The vets here wouldn't have been able to deal with him, and he was about nine years old already, not a bad age for an axolotl. (The usual life span is 8-12 years, though the record is 15!)

 He was also more travelled than most axolotl - he went to Bath city and then to Somerset before coming back home to Grimsby. He was a happy 'lotl. Didn't ask for much. Mind you, they don't, normally.

He mooched round a lot, sat staring into space a lot, floated round a bit, slept most of the time, and always charged over to see if I had food when the lid opened. 

 This site will remain up in his honour, and to help other axolotl fans. I am also available on GooglePlus if anyone has any questions.

 In memory of a cool beastie,
 love,
 Am.

Spyyk the Axolotl

This is Spyyk. Welcome to HIS Blogpages - here you can find out all about him, his kind, and what he gets up to! I started this blog back in 2006, but as so much has been going on, I gave it a huge update (thus all the dates have changed) in November 2009.

Look how much he's changed since then - but he's still our same old Spyyk! Oh, but about a foot long now - not as tiny as he used to be! He's a massive monster compared to the cute little baby he WAS.

Axolotl - Where From and Just A Funny Word?

Spyyk is an Axolotl (Ambystoma Mexicanum), native to Lake Xochimilco and Lake Chalco of the Valley of Mexico. Although he comes from Mexico, he isn't a tropical animal - in fact quite the opposite - they don't like it hot!

Lake Xochimilco was actually an ancient, cold basin lake in the mountains. The temperature there rarely rises above 20°C, and falls to 6 or 7°C in the winter. However, today the lake is is only a series of canals, as it was drained to supply the city with its springs.

Amazingly, the Axolotl still just manages to survive here, as a registered endangered species with CITES. (Entered into CITES database, July 1975)

Spyyk lives in a specially designed tank, in a nice cold corner:



He has pretty much everything a young 'Lotl could wish for - and you can find more about that on his Tank page.


Axe - oh - lot - uhl.

Strange, isn't it?

It actually originates from Nahuatl, an Aztec language.

Atl means water, and xolotl means doll - Waterdoll. No single translation is technically "correct"; Axolotl can mean water-slave, water-player, water-monster, and many other meanings.

It's a common misconception that xolotl means Dog - Nahuatl for dog is itzcuintli. This idea came from the Aztec God, Xolotl - shown as dog headed. Mind you, he also had twisted, backward hands and feet - and too many at that:



Chances are it was called so because it was disturbing and strange; a derisive name for the "ugly beast". The Axolotl could well be named for him, as his story goes like this:

Xolotl was the God of Lightning, Fire, Bad Luck and Names - he was a soul guide for the dead to Mictlan, the Aztec afterlife and twin brother of Quetzalocoatl, the Feathered Serpent. As lord of the evening star, he cared for the Sun, guiding her to the ocean, and guarding her during the night on her dangerous journey through the underworld, bringing forth fire.

He is listed in myth to have been the creator of humankind with his brother Quetzolocoatl, entering the underworld to grind the bones of the dead into mash, mixed and given life with the blood of Gods.

Whilst creating the humans, and as the other Gods were sacrificed by Ecatl the wind, he decided he didn't want to die. He escaped to Earth to avoid being made part of the new creation. Here he assumed many shapes: two stalks of maize from one root (named by the field workers thereafter Xolotl); a maguey plant in two parts (again named by the workers, Mexolotl) and then dived into the water... Transforming into a hideous salamander - the Axolotl.

The remaining Gods found him here, captured and killed Xolotl, and gave him as nourishment to the Sun and Moon. Many say Xolotl bred with other salamanders in a fit of madness before he was captured - so you never know, you may well be caring for the son/daughter of a God.

Better be nice to your pet - scary Aztec Daddy is watching from above!

The Tank

Spyyk's tank is a two foot by one by one glass unit, with a specially built lid for lighting and filtration. The lighting is an 8 Watt Arcadia Daylight bulb on an Interpet starter, sent to me from a friend as a gift! In my opinion, these are the best bulbs, as they have the right "bandwidth" of light for your plants to be healthy!

Benny, my other axolotl, has a very similar tank (lighting and condensation lid shown here) - but don't forget, not all axolotl like light, so it's best to give them somewhere to escape from it too. Ben spent a week sulking once...

Ben's tank is aerated and filtered by an Interpet PF2, with Venturi system - very effective as you don't need a bubbler then! Economic see, reduce the carbon footprint, use less energy, and less land is needed to provide energy. Save the axolotl, be efficient!

Anyway, both tanks have standard filtration as well as carbon to remove nasty chemicals, and a bacterial centre to deal with waste breaking down (ammonia and nitrites) as well as a good stack of plants to handle organic breakdown of nitrates.

It's not a good photo, but Spyyk likes to sit behind his filter. Lord only knows why...


It WAS floored with a fine, polymer coated black gravel, 4mm and under, as you can see. But axolotl are prone to swallowing pebbles when they eat and potter around, so since then I replaced it with sand, as you can see. It took a while to wash, but it's easier to clean, and he doesn't swallow it - if he does, it comes out just as fast. I was surprised just how many stones had got in his system - they were reappearing for MONTHS!



PTOOEY! Gravel floors don't taste great as a rule...



He has LOTS of different plants at the moment, these provide a more natural environment and, as mentioned, help keep the nitrates down. As it happens, my tap-water is surprisingly high in nitrate, so at the moment I'm fighting with algae too - but more plants will out-compete it!

They have:
Amazon sword
Elodea
Hygrophyla
Water lettuce
Marimo moss
Java moss
Christmas moss
Vallis
Java Fern
and sometimes Indian fern.

The fern is his favourite when it's growing properly - but it can be a pain to cultivate...



He also has a foodbowl, which helps keeps things cleaner. The first picture below is an old one, but it amuses me! It's now on the other side of his tank, with some nice Vallis growing up around it.

It's actually a glass candle holder - but the shape is ideal - his frozen food goes under the "roof", the shorter front side, and then sinks into the main bowl. He can simply walk in, eat lunch without eating floor, and walk back out again! This method has proved incredibly successful with many axolotl, and much easier to control the mess too!





It's also fun to climb on!


They do have beds, somewhere to sleep, play, hide (from me and the light) and sulk - Ben has Spyyk's old resin "log effect" tunnel from Interpets Aquatic Treasure collection, and Spyyk now has a custom-cut length of multi-entrance drain pipe.

They also have a whole array of different stones to amuse them:
Some rather nice Japanese Greens sent by Kev


Some pretty Fire Agate sent by Rose


Some Glass "Icecubes" sent by a nice lady on eBay


And a clear quartz frog I brought back from holiday!

Axolotl Anatomy 101

MOUTHS:

Axolotl have BIG mouths. Spyyk likes eating soft pellets, and HOOVERS them up, using the buccal pouch just like a pair of bellows - this is covered in the breathing section. Because they use suction to eat, anything close enough will end up in their mouths - so watch your fingers! :D



Spyyk has tried to glomp the hematite on many occasions, but fortunately it's far too heavy for suction to pick off the floor, so he's not in any danger. Be careful with normal pebbles - they need to be bigger than your axies head!

GILLS:

As deceptive as this odd "hair-do" is, they are actually gills! Axolotl are Neotenic salamanders. This means they can't produce hormones to turn into full adults, so they stay in their "baby" form, usually for their entire lives; they won't lose those fab fluffy gills when they get older and their body structure remains the same, even though they can still have their own babies.

It is incredibly rare for an axie to suddenly metamorphose, unless they're forced to live in terrible conditions or forced to with hormone injections. This is very cruel as not all axolotl can morph, it's extremely painful for them and it halves the length of their lives. Why would you want to???

BREATHING:

Axolotl respiration is very unusual in the Caudata (Salamander/Newt) world - as they use FOUR methods to breathe!

The most obvious is their gills - the structures branching out from the sides of their heads (called Rami), trailing the delicate membranes full of tiny capillaries (called Fimbrea).The rami allow water to move around the fine membranes and oxygen can seep directly into the bloodstream and passes CO2 back into the water. The capillaries branch out from the arteries and veins in the main branches - which you can see clearly in Baby Spyyk here.



Shown to a reasonable degree of clarity is one of his gill branches. Note the big blood vessels through the rami - or branch, and how pink with red bloodcells the fimbriae - gill fibres are. Axolotl are lazy fellows, so instead of moving around to get the water to flow through their gills, they'll just move the gills themselves in a flicking motion. Move the stale water, and bring in fresh - perfect!



They also use "cutaneous respiration" - breathing directly through the skin. As salamander skin is so thin and delicate, the gasses can pass through it with ease. The slime coating their skin also helps, by keeping it moist and active - they should NEVER dry out.



The next method is somewhat more complex - Buccal respiration.

The "Buccopharyngeal Membrane" is located near the back of the throat - a flap of thin skin to help absorb oxygen in the same way as the rest of the skin does. The throat pulsates, causing oxygenated water to flow across this membrane, out through the gill slits along the fimbrea, and across his sides - so in fact they're breathing three ways in one - what clever creature!

The "arrow" structure you can just make out in this image is the buccal pouch - your axolotl also uses it at dinnertime as part of it's feeding mechanism - he pushes water out of the mouth, and then suddenly sucking it in again by flaring the buccal pouch down - the change in pressure draws the water in.



And then here comes the really odd bit - this aquatic axolotl has lungs too!

The axolotl by no means relies on it's very basic lung system, as it has all the other forms of respiration, but if the oxygen levels get too low, or indeed, if he or she simply feels like it, they will go to the top and grab a bubble. BLOIP!



They swallow the bubble, sending it into their lungs. It often means they float around for a little while, but they can burp it up later. I've found that Spyyk enjoys gulping bubbles, as it means he can use perfect buoyancy to bob along in the tank. I've often seen him just drifting in the current, halfway up. I guess it's fun!

Axie Foods... Gourmet!

You only need to feed Axolotl once every two to three days. In fact, if they are fed well at the start of the week, they should cope all the way to next week. *blegged* - See how full his stomach cavity is?



This is useful to know for holidays - but remember, the little fella will NOT be amused, and will be VERY hungry. If you can train someone to throw him in some food whilst you're away, that's a good idea. They can make sure everything is fine in there too.

As you might see in the "Toys" section, glass shrimp are good fun. Make sure you get Amato shrimp, and NOT Paleomontes or other species. Paleos are similar looking, but they have quite large claws, which hurt. Amato are small, fast little shrimp that do a great job of helping clean your tank.



I seriously encourage the use of foodbowls - this stops them eating the substrate (gravel/sand etc) quite so much, and means they will be healthier - no gravel to block up their insides. It also means you can clean any rare leftovers up with complete ease!



Well, except for the bits they chuck everywhere...



And here's why shrimp are so useful - they'll clean it up for you!



Here's a video of Spyyk cleaning up a destroyed dinner, putting that powerful hoovering mechanism we talked about in 101 to good use...



Variety in food can keep your axolotl highly amused! Staple diets are boring.
Would you want the same meal, day in, day out for the rest of your life?

Some people feed theirs live worms - but I've found this potentially risky due to parasites; however I've found a very good supplier. Rickeezee@Supanet.com supplies extraordinarily good Dendrobaena worms, between 50 - 100 (depending on size obv) in a tub for just £3.68 - that's including postage.

I go for these, because they're specially cultured, and so far less likely to have parasites. I keep mine in a small tank full of organic, pesticide/chemical free compost, and feed them anything I have going. They seem to like fishfood, and mash potato, but variety is best. Remember to purge your worms by dropping them in a bowl of water for 20 mins. Bear in mind some axolotl will often refuse to eat frozen food after enjoying the fight of something trying to escape, so try FREEZING the worm. Basically, it will kill the worm, (Sorry worm!) BUT - it will retain the awkward shape and "chase-ability" factor - you can encourage him/her to follow you around by dangling the worm in front of them. Keeping hold of one end when they snap at it also brings on a minor "tug-of-war" game!

Note: You may have to chop the worm up a bit to make it more managable to your pet. They can handle up to about a third to a half of their own bodylength in worm, but you may be surprised!

Another treat is human class meats.



No, no! I didn't mean people should be eaten - I meant meats humans eat...
Now, these should be classed as rare treats, maybe once every two weeks and in small portions alongside normal meals. Make sure there is as little fat as possible on it, as axolotl can't digest some forms of fat very well.

Ham is acceptable if unsmoked and not any fancy cures. I soak mine to remove excess salts and chemicals - and to make it even more fun, I attach it to a vegetable clip - his very own tug-of-war game! Dangling a piece in is also great fun - they can have a good tug on the dinner with you.



Hours of fun...



Some people feed theirs small strips of raw beefheart or liver. Keep it a RARE TREAT as it can be very fatty, but if you have a good butcher, this shouldn't be a problem. Others give axies nibbles of uncooked chicken, fish or lamb. Well, where are axolotl going to find roast chickens in the wild?!

Mealworms are sometimes given as a treat, but I don't encourage this for a couple of reasons: Mealworms have very large, powerful jaws which could potentially do serious damage to an axolotl - so you will need to crush those pincers before they get fed. Also, most amphibians have a problem digesting chitin - that tough shell on certain bugs. You'll be picking bits out of your filter for weeks! Eurgh.

Another point applies to the live food problem - if it wiggles, they'll want it all the time.

Snails and slugs can make a tasty treat - make sure they are very small though - you don't want blockage problems, and remember to make sure they're from a chemical free environment.

Physa snails are absolutely ideal - they can absorb some of the calcium from the shell too. Baby Malaysian Trumpet Snails are sometimes acceptable. Just pick some out of your other tank, drop em in, and he/she will happily hunt them down. Strangely, we don't have a problem with live to frozen foods with snails... *shrugs* Don't worry - he didn't eat Gary here. Adult Malaysian Trumpet Snails are just too big and cone shaped to comfortably eat. Gary's still cleaning algae when he's not being sniffed at.



Some people give theirs feeder fish - there are a lot of reasons why I actively discourage this: Firstly, feeder fish are illegal in the UK. Second, as with most live foods, they can carry parasites and diseases, and the bones can sometimes cause problems. Not all Axies will eat live fish for some reason, which means the fish survives - and then nibbles on the axolotl. Not good.

Commercial fish pellets are actually pretty good as a staple diet, especially those formulated for salmon. Make for very good treats too. Mind out however - they are pretty expensive. *gulps*



I find that soft fishing pellets for trout are a good snack. They don't fall apart too fast, and I can pick up a tub for about £2.99 at fishing stores. These can be good fun, and pretty tasty. He can spend AGES looking for them...
Where's it gone?!



Over here?



Turtle sticks - a good treat, but doesn't work for all axolotl. They don't sink very well and let's face it - these guys are lazy. They just can't be bothered swimming around the top to try and get it. Again, make sure they're well soaked, you don't want it dehydrating their insides :S



Dried tubifex worms are also a so-so treat, some will eat them, some won't - the flavour is somewhat lighter and the smells aren't as strong. Be very sure to squeeze all the air out of the cube, otherwise you'll end up with an annoyed 'Lotl floating around the top until he/she can burp. Don't worry - Spyyk was fine. He's mastered neutral buoyancy.



Freeze-dried crickets can make fun foods too - although they may be a little difficult to obtain. Don't forget to soak them, as they can hold a bit of air - as with tubifex cubes, you don't want a miffed fella drifting around.

If you have an axolotl that is underweight, then waxworms make a good food. One a day alongside normal feeding until they are back to full weight will balance their natural fat reserves. Easily obtained from fishing shops and reptile stores.

And there you have it, one happy 'Lotl. Scratch that - one TUBBY 'Lotl.



NEW!

Today I bought some frozen Lancefish (small baitfish - you can buy these easily in aquatic stores) to try out on Ye Olde GutBucket. Frozen Lancefish are specially bred for this purpose, and are treated against parasites and other nasties that are associated with live foods. Turns out they're a bit boney.

However, dedicated owner that I am, I accepted it back, laid it on Spyyk's plate (Spyyk has a plate especially for these sort of jobs) and filleted the fish. For those that don't know how to fillet - use a sharp knife to nick in slightly behind the head of the fish, on the side, into the meat. Carefully run the blade along the side of the spine towards the tail, and a nice sheet of fish will come off. Flip the fish over and repeat.
Et voila, lob in foodbowl, one happy lottle.

Peitsch made me laugh - he describes axolotl feeding as "a ferocious, violent assault that would knock down a building, if the salamander were the size of a great white shark."

Spyyk Toys...

"Toys?" I hear you cry.

Of course toys - what ELSE would he do? He's too lazy to swim about all day, and intelligent enough to get very bored! As it happens, he has a HUGE array of things to do - and I add more when I can! Something as simple as a shotglass can keep him amused for hours at a time...

Scrabble...



Scramble...



Success...



Start again!



Well, we told you so!



It really is good fun! You ought to try it - makes your eyes go allllll funny!


A collection of pretty stones can keep him occupied for quite some time also. They come with different textures, colours and even smells - these will captivate his attention and ensure he learns about his enviroment.

Especially as bright things bring HIS pets over - he likes to chase shrimp!




Where did it go?



AHA!



He even likes to play with me - I don't handle him out of the water, as he is very delicate, and needs to stay moist at all times - but he loves to jump on me, and bite! (It doesn't hurt, even now that he's huge and can chew on my thumb, axolotl teeth aren't sharp enough to do any damage to people.)





Hide and seek is a favourite - he's much better at it now!



(Shhhh - he's a leaf!)




Weird and new things keep them intrigued for ages - "What's this?"


All new things are examined in great detail...



Clambered up...



And Higher Enlightenment attained. Or just sat on. *Meh*



And slept on where possible!



Pingpong balls are good. Just pop two pin holes in, one either end. Submerge it in tank water, and VERY gently squeeze repeatedly, until full of water. Leaving a small airbubble makes it "moon-walk" - great for biting at.

Hidey...

Boo!



They are also very good if you're a toddler, just learning to walk:

Phew! "Tag - You're it!"



As are Marimo moss balls. How about that - a truly versatile plant!



See - if you're really stressed - they're great to kick!

Or - you could just sleep on it.



Clips with certain foods on make for entertaining tug-toys.

Although it's not so great when you have to fight your reflection for it!

Converted budgie toys are fun - the rings here are played with in many ways. He likes to climb it, sniff it, bite it, cart it around on his head - all kinds of things. They move oddly as the water tugs the light plastic, so it's extra interesting. I also caught him dangling off it the other day - hanging on by the fingernails.

I caught him in the act! He was dangling quite merrily, just twisting slowly in the current, until he caught me taking pictures. I swear he went bright pink with embarrassment (although that could be just because he IS bright pink) and shot back out again.

I also put in a whopping great big "diamond". It's actually cut glass with rounded edges, but he seems to like staring at it, and occasionally running up it, then sliding back down! Or just sleeping on it. Apparantly it gives a good viewpoint of the rest of the room, as I often find Spyyk watching me from this new "sofa".

More updates later - watch this space!

Huge thanks to everyone that helped with the eBay sales! I got some really nice wood, and this new toy for Spyyk: He's really happy with it, been sat on it, sniffing it, and staring in general. The shiny blebs in it reflect the light funny, and make it really interesting - apparantly.

Even the turkey-baster can be a source of much amusement. Sometimes I use the bubbles instead of squishes of water - either way, both go down well.

Spyyk did also have Benny in with him for a couple of years until there was a case of mistaken identity. A hungry Ben mistook poor Spyyk's hand for lunch, and accidently bit it off. Thankfully I have a lot of experience dealing with axolotl injuries and illnesses, so I patched him up, tidied the wound and got him a new tank. His hand has since grown back and both axolotl are happily living in their own individual tanks.

Here's a video of Spyyk and Benny meeting for the first time. They were both SO excited - I think they both thought the other might be female. They soon got the confusion sorted out and settled down - but it makes for wonderful viewing :D