Frequently asked Questions

(For kids)

Traveling around with axolotls and showing them off to my students have led to a ton of questions! Some I have answers to right away and some I've had to research. I love questions! If you have a question that is not listed here, hit the "Let's chat" button and I will answer as soon as I can.

Why are axolotls so threatened if they are so good at regenerating?

There are three major components to the population growth or decline of an animal. The first is food supply. As in, is the animal able to find enough to eat. The second is predators, can the animal prevent itself from being eaten. The final environment. Can the animal find a safe place to eat, not be eaten, and produce offspring.

Axolotls suffer mostly because of habitation loss. As towns have popped up around the two lakes where the axolotls live, water gets diverted to people, which means less room for axolotls. So while axolotls remain quick and hardy and breed by the hundreds, they struggle as they lose space for living peacefully.

The second problem involves Tilapia, a fish that was introduced to the lakes to combat food loss for the humans of the area. The Tilapia unfortunately became a voracious consumer of axolotls and their eggs.

The Xochimilcas people and scientists are working together now to create a long-term, sustainable plan to expand the axolotl habitat so that they may grow back the population. Axolotls hold religious and cultural value in Mexico, and they hold scientific and fascination value in the world over. Hope is not lost for axolotls returning to their natural habitat.

This video covers more of this question in detail. It also will tell you why we keep our juvenile axolotls separated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uooR4293p_4

Here are some links if you would like to know more about the restoration of axolotl habitat:

https://atmos.earth/mexico-axolotl-lake-xochimilco-endangered-rewilding/

https://www.conservation.org/blog/mexico-looks-to-the-past-to-save-the-axolotl

Why don't you return your axolotls to the wild?

Some day it would be super cool to be a part of a team that can help with that!

However, right now, the axolotls I raise and breed do not come from the wild, they come from strains of axolotls that were raised by humans for scientific experiments. The regenerative quality of axolotls made them paramount in the development of cures for various human diseases. In the process of this, axolotl strains were mixed up with Tiger Salamanders, basically messing up the axolotl genes. So, the reintroduction of a domestic axolotl to the wild would be a lot like trying to invite a labrador into a wolf pack. Responsible breeders are now working hard to diversify the axolotl strains and create healthier axolotls for homes, but the chances of making a wild-sturdy axolotl from the lab strains is pretty low.

Where do these axolotls come from, then?

June 2025 - April 2026

July 2024 - May 2025

January 2023 - June 2024

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