true or not

[mertle]

is it true that if you keep a axoltoy out of water it will shrink its gills and become a salamender note: im not trying it tho

[dragons75]

Ask gara he has one

[gillsy]

To a degree, but its very very difficult to do in captivity.

It goes on atmospheric pressure, and stuff.

[ssssnakeman]

not true mertle,check this thread axolotls
baz

[raxor]

I think it would probably die if you just took it out of water.

The "salamanders" in the pet shops are grown from axolotls however they are fed a series of steroids to promote the morph.

Poor axolotls

[gillsy]

Axolotols are supposed to have the ability to undergo metamorphosis (Similar to a tadpole changing into a frog) and change to an air breathing, land dwelling salamander, but this very seldom occurs. It seems that most strains have now lost the ability to metamorphose...

[da_donkey]

I heard somthing ages ago about slowly adding iodine to the water forcing it out of the water gradually.

Donk

[Magpie]

Thyroxine i think

[Adam]

They need injections for this to occur.

[rumfreak]

if you want a axolotls just buy one lol

[JasonL]

you would end up with 100 dead ones for every one it works on.

[aussie_female1981]

I don't know maybe look at google search...

[gaara]

For the love of god, don't do it.

Even if you know what you're doing, don't do it.


Assuming you disregard that or get one anyway, read this: http://www.axolotl.org/tiger_salamander.htm

this: http://www.pnas.org/cgi/reprint/94/25/14185.pdf

this: http://salamander.uky.edu/srvoss/pubs/1.pdf

and revisit the forum on http://www.caudata.org/forum and ask questions about morphing, and their care.

--

Morphing is achieved by thyroxine injections. Most specimens die, either because generally speaking, forced evolution usually doesn't have positive results and/or they cannot cope with losing about 75% of their body mass through the metamorphosis.

If the procedure is done incorrectly, specimens will also need ongoing injections to help maintain the condition of their skin (when an axolotl becomes a morph its skin becomes akin to a frog's).

Unless cared for by an experienced Caudate keeper, specimens usually live a depressed life, barely showing any desire to eat. No recorded morph specimens have ever mated, but even if they did, they would just lay axolotl eggs.

Pulling an axolotl out of the water is cruel - go pull a fish out of the water and see what happens. Forcing an axolotl to use its rudimentary lungs any longer than necessary (they take a gulp of air from the surface of their tank every now and again as you know) is cruel.

gradually lowering the water level generally won't work either. Iodine and Water level lowering are used in conjunction with the thyroxine injections to achieve the desired result - and the success rate is very minimal indeed.