Axolotl, The Best Pet Amphibian? 

Did you know these animals make for good students? Because they axolotl questions!

My daughter has two axolotls and absolutely LOVES them. In opposition to most "expert advice" found online, we have them in a fully planted, naturalistic 40 gallon aquarium with sand, mud, and a section of a waterlogged limb from a willow tree. We have the tank externally filtered and oxygenated to keep ahead of the ammonia build up (which is the only challenging part of keeping axolotls) I hate seeing these creatures in glass boxes with plastic plants. In the wild ( when they still lived in the wild ) axolotls lived on muddy/sandy stream beds surrounded by thick plants and organic debris. My daughter's axolotls seem to love moving through the plants looking for guppies and worms.

As somebody who works with history/archeology channels, 9:40: the root problem that led to the current habitat issues is actually the Siege of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. Really! Historically, the Valley of Mexico, what's now the Greater Mexico City metropolitan area was large network of 5 interconnected lakes, and was a major population center for Mesoamerican civilizations: When Mesoamerica was first developing cities and complex societies and writing around 1400-900BC, Tlatilco was a major town in the Valley with influence from the Olmec civilization on the gulf coast. By the turn of the Millenium around 100BC-0AD, the valley had a number of towns and cities, most notably Cuicuilco and Teotihuacan. A volcanic eruption devastated the former, causing the latter to receive displaced people and leading to it growing to be one of the largest cities in the world, with 100,000 denizens, a massive, 20~ square kilometer urban grid, widespread ecnomic and cultural influence (maybe even conquering Maya city-states 1000km away, and having very unusual urban design traits for the region, as well as basically all it's denizens living in fancy palace compounds, ethnic-neighborhoods with people from Maya, Zapotec, Gulf Coast, and West Mexican cultures, and may have been a democracy due to those + us not finding royal tombs or iconography. I helped on an excellent video on the Ancient Americas channel all about the city I highly recommend. Anyways, after Teotihuacan's decline, around the 1200s AD, you had various Nahuatl speaking nomadic people migirating from above Mesoamerica and settling down in Central Mexico, including in and around the Valley, and adopting local city-building, statehood, etc. It was these Nahua city-states and kingdos that gave rise to the Aztec Empire, after a series of conflicts and successon disputes, where the cities of Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan worked together to overthrow their captial of Azcapotzalco in 1428. Tenochtitlan was built on an island in the middle of the largest lake, Lake Texcoco, and over time, grew and expanded via artificial islands called Chinampas, which were basically used around the lake basin as a way to create more usable land around shorelines for agriculture (where they acted as hyper-efficiend hydroponic farms that didn't interfere with the local ecology) or for residential space. Between the Chinampas, there would be canals, so the whole city, and portions of other cities (the valley at this point had around 50 other major cities, and hundreds of towns and villages, with 1 to 2 million people) around the lakes, were basically all on the water with canals cutting through them, like Venice. Causeways connected Tenochtitlan and other towns/cities on other islands to the shorelines, with aquaducts running through them, and there were other levee/dam and water management systems. At it's apex, Tenochtitlan covered 13.5 square kilometers, around the area that Rome's walls encompassed, and by most estimates, it had around 200,000 denizens, in the same ballpark as the population of the largest cities in contemporary Europe like Paris and Constantinople, with hundreds of palaces, temples, gardens, a royal zoo (which even had a Bison brought in from thousands of kilometers aqay, and we've found remains of jaguars found have healed wounds from surgeries preformed on them from Aztec zookeepers!), aquarium, aviary, and gardens (The Aztec also had formal taxonomy for plants and flowers, and some royal gardens had different sections to emulate different climates and biomes) Here's a short description of the city from the Conquistador Bernal Diaz Del Castillo: "Our astonishment was indeed raised to the highest pitch... all these buildings resembled the fairy castles we read of in Amadis de Gaul; so high, majestic, and splendid did the temples, towers, and houses of the town, all built of massive stone and lime, rise up out of the midst of the lake... many of our men asked if what they saw was a mere dream... it is impossible to speak coolly of things which we had never seen nor heard of, nor even could have dreamt of, beforehand... After we had sufficiently gazed upon this magnificent picture, we again turned our eyes toward the great market, and beheld the vast numbers of buyers and sellers who thronged there. The bustle and noise... was so great that it could be heard at a distance of more than four miles. Some of our men, who had been at Constantinople and Rome, and travelled through the whole of Italy, said that they never had seen a market-place of such large dimensions, or which was so well regulated, or so crowded with people" And here is him describing some palace/villa complexes at Iztapalapa, a smaller city nearby "We were indeed quartered in palaces, of large dimensions, surrounded by spacious courts, and built of hewn stone, cedar and other sweet-scented wood. All the apartments were hung round with cotton cloths... After we had seen all this, we paid a visit to the gardens adjoining these palaces, which were really astonishing... walking about in them and contemplating the numbers of trees... the rose bushes, the different flower beds, and the fruit trees which stood along the paths. There was likewise a basin of sweet water, which was connected with the lake by means of a small canal. It was constructed of stone of various colours, and decorated with numerous figures... In this basin various kinds of water-fowls were swimming up and down, and everything was so charming and beautiful that we could find no word... Indeed I do not believe a country was ever discovered which was equal in splendour to this... But, at the present moment, there is not a vestige of all this remaining, and not a stone of this beautiful town is now standing" There's more descriptions of different structures and gardens and the zoos and aquaria and the avariary, but RU-vid doesn't like comments being too long, so I'll move on. As that last sentence implies, when conflict broke out and Spanish Conquistadors (and armies from 7 or so other states in the area which allied with Cortes, who did most of the actual work: in general most of the conquest, from the fall of the Aztec to the decades of fighting against other city-states in Central and Western mexico and Maya states in the Yucatan Penisula, was being done by native armies, often still led by their rulers (now integrated into Spanish nobility/administration): Figures like Ixtlilxochitl II, Xicotencatl, deserve as much credit as Cortes) assaulted Tenochtitlan and other cities in the valley, in many cases there was a lot of infrastructural damage. For Tenochtitlan in particular, the canals were filled in, the aquaducts were destroyed, and the levees were broken to starve and flood the city as it was being sieged. Once the Conquistadors and troops from other local cities breached the city itself, it was systematically leveled as the Spanish/allied troops went through the city as to avoid dense urban warfare and being flanked. When Mexico City was built over it's ruins, much of these water management systems (which, mind you, was something Mesoamericans in general excelled at: Many larger cities had interconnected canal, aquaduct, resvoir and drainage systems ) were either left in disrepair due to combination of inability and apathy by the Spanish, and over the following century or two Mexico City kept being ravaged by floods as a result, made worse by the drop in sanitation standards (the Mesoamericans, the Aztec in particular and Tenochtitlan particularly so, had a huge emphasis on cleanliness and hygiene, as well as pretty complex and vacationed medical practices and bontanical/herbal science ), often became fetid and disease ridden. Bottom line, the ineffective flooding control measures instituted by the Spanish and latter Mexico eventually resulted in plans to drain the lake system, and this was done gradually over the next few centuries, with particular major losses over the past century or so due urban expansion, pollution, and water table loss (In fact, all of Mexico city is now sinking as a result of this,: By the time it's done it will have sunk over 100 feet). Even 50 years ago, some of the remaining lake Xochimilco and it's surviving canals/chinampas farms were still being called one of the prettiest places on the planet. Today, only a small fraction of the original lakes (and chinampas) is left at Xochimilco and Chalco, and that's all that's left of the Axolotl's natural habitat. There are some organizations and local farmers still using Chinampas there that are trying to preserve the chinampas, canals, and Axolotl, but I haven't had the chance to really do research on which ones are reputable, so I can't give any specific recommendations for people interested.

Thank you for this video, I feel like axolotls suffer the same fate as hedgehogs do: so many people buy them on impulse cause they're cute and trendy but end up neglecting it, giving it improper care, or getting bored of it and selling it. I'm hoping this can educate people before their commitment :D

Just so you know: You should not feed Axolotls fish with bones. You cannot keep axolotls with snails as the snails will suck off the axolotl’s slime coat. You can really only keep them with Shrimp (I suggest Cherry shrimp and Ghost Shrimp), aswell as White Cloud Minnows. You also can NOT have them on gravel or they will die.

My daughter has had an axolotl for years…we keep it is the basement where the temperature stays nice and cool most of the year. It has been a great pet! Great video!!

I've always thought axolotls were stinkin' rad, so this video is especially delightful, Clint. I'm glad to hear this critically endangered species is doing well in captivity!

Dude I swear this is the universe or something. Just watched your video on the ' 5 best reptiles for beginners' randomly and I was wondering if you ever made a video on axolotls as I was wondering what you would say about them. Lo and behold I type it up and I see you posted this 10 minutes ago. What the hell??!! Its like magic lol.

Going hard on those Hook references. That's what I like about Clint, his willingness to fully commit to a bit.

The absolute look of wonder and awe on Clint's face when the train _actually_ came by is just. My day was made. Thanks Clint. x)

There is an axolotl at a local pet store that had a leg injury and regrew the kimb after the joint. But the original limb is still there so it's got two hands on one limb

My daughter is obsessed with them. We are planning to get her one for Christmas and set it up in the basement. I'm so thankful you made this video as I learned a lot from this.

Seeing an axolotl always reminds me of a question I got about the Lizard in spider-man. Why Dr. Connors research lizard's generative ability and not axolotl's? Seeing that lizards can regrow their tail but not their limb, and the regrown tail isn't perfect unlike Axolotl's regenerative ability. Can you imagine the Lizard villain but with Axolotl's look.

i love the way clint says "upfront costs" I wait for it with anticipation each and every video.

To me, axolotls have always looked like salamanders trying to turn into lions.

Probably the most popular pet amphibian in the world. Axolotls are truly amazing.

Mr. Clint PLEEEEASE do a video about Newts! pointing the differences between them and salamanders, for example. I Love your knowledge and your way of teaching us all about biology. Thanks for what you do. Thx so much!!

I love how when Clint said that being out of water for short periods of time would be very stressful for the axolotl, the water spot on the tank made it look like the little guy was crying to show how stressful it would be! 😂

I'm surprised by the 4/5 on hardiness. I've always heard they're much more difficult to keep relative to other aquatic creatures. Like an advanced level pet

As someone who has had an axolotl for Four years now, I can easily say they are a pain in the ass.

6:21 Clint: "...there are a lot of other fish that are more fun to watch than axolotls." Axolotl footage in the background: "Are you so sure about that?"

It’s very unfortunate that they are struggling so much in the wild, but I’m glad that they will probably exist for as long as humans do.

Can’t believe they made axolotls from Minecraft into a real thing.

I hope Clint does eels one day, I think they're a very underrated pet

We have axolotls. Pete, an albino male live to be 20years 2 months. We practiced meticulous love and care. Our remaining axolotls are 8 and 9 years old and doing well. We live in a northern cooler location and keep our home about 66-68 degrees F. They are way more interactive than some people think.

Hi Clint! I loved the video

I kept mine at first with a fine sand substrate. I would feed it bloodworms, but after a while it stopped eating. It had swallowed too much sand to pass and was starving. With some research I found that you can “fridge” them, at about 45 degrees and it will induce a kind of hibernation. After a few days its bowels relaxed and I found all of the sand it had swallowed in the fridge container. He’s been a happy part of my family ever since (4 years), and I now only feed it earthworms.

It would be cool to see a video about a lobster as the best pet. There is a RU-vidr out there that bought a lobster from a grocery store and is raising it as a pet.

I had to immediately go and see what a morphed axolotl looks like. Interesting!!

Clint the thumbnail brought me in! 😂 It looks like it is smiling! What an amazing creature!!! :)

6:19 loooove watching the yellow axolotls So majestic

Also, Axolotls are illegal in certain US states California, Maine, New Jersey, and Virginia, and some Canadian Provinces New Brunswick, British Columbia, and Prince Edward Island. They are illegal to own because some places believe they can become Invasive, but I could not find anywhere that they currently are invasive. I could understand them being illegal because they are an endangered species on the CITES list and classified as critically endangered by IUCN, but their being Invasive seems pretty low to me. Also, there are a rare few Axolotles that will go through spontaneous metamorphosis naturally and they live a lot longer than those who are forced to undergo it artificially. That is the rumor at least.

In Mexico during the 90's you could find axolotls in flea markets being sold as "dog fish", today you can also spot them on some 50 pesos bills, which are hard to find because the bill looks so beautiful everyone wants to keep them.

What an amazing little creature.

I've wanted a pet axolotl for about 10 years. Love the little guys

I'm a 29 year old man, and these videos have really brought me a lot of joy. Thank you for making your videos, Clint. Its something I always genuinely enjoy watching.

I had two for years they are absolute joys

Had a wild caught greater siren for a while, which is the three foot long version of these guys. Before anyone freaks, I live in Florida and both the greater and lesser siren are common as all heck - I caught mine when a pond was being dredged of excess plant matter and there were dozens of them crawling around in each scoop of plants pulled out. They don't need the cold water that the small ones do and since they live in very murky and muddy water, they're extremely tolerant of water conditions and thus quite easy to maintain. Like the little ones, they'll eat anything they can fit in their mouth and have strong enough jaws to pull chunks out of larger food. Mine was about two feet long and made for a really neat and interesting pet as it swam around like an eel. They're smart too as it quickly figured out its feeding routine and would swim to the surface and accept food from me. I'm guessing they're active predators as Sal would swim over and look at anyone who got near his tank. Turns out that they're escape artists though as he managed to push open the screen and slip out of his tank while it was out on the pool deck for the summer, then rather than going into the pool, worked his way under the screen door and out into the yard, heading for parts unknown. Still, was a kewl enough pet that should I have the opportunity to score more, I'll definitely do so.

I always find myself learning a new thing or two from Clint's videos, such a treat!

As much as 'optimistic carnivore' perfectly suits these adorable button-eyed cuties I...I somehow suspect he might have meant 'opportunistic'?...But then again I'm no biologist so it could mean one and the same. What lovely li'l gremlins they are ^_^

I've wanted an Axolotl ever since I saw an article about them in National Geographic, I think it was NG anyway. The leucistic ones are especially adorable looking. The keepers on Reddit and Discord say a 20 gallon is not big enough for an adult. A 40 gallon breeder tank is much better. They need floor space not height in their tank.

I found you're channel through your whipless whip tailed scorpion video, and can't express how much this video was useful to me. Been thinking about Axolotls, and then I stumble accross a buyer's guide with a fun host and a ton of cute footage.

Something not many people realize is the correct pronunciation of "Axolotl" is ah-SHŌ-tl

Love your stuff Clint! You are one of the several content creators who have inspired me to start Paleo Analysis!

Thanks for the information on these guys Clint! I have been curious about them, but not many reptile youtuber's I watch keep or give info about them! Did not know they can grow almost a foot long!

"...and chillers will be around the same price as a heater, but some will be considerably more expensive" That's the understatement of the year guys. Most times a simple fan won't get your tank cool enough, especially if you live in a warm climate, and actual water chillers go for $300+, and the bigger the tank, the more expensive it will be. I had to give up on keeping kaiser newts, another Coldwater species, due to the chiller prices in my area. It's outrageous! My advice is that if you live in a warm/hot climate, don't keep axolotls. It's much more difficult and expensive to cool a tank than it is to warm one.

Guy chained up in the back: the best pet felony charge for you?

I'm good on keeping an aquarium but man, those bioluminescent axolotls are awesome! I'm sure having a blacklight always on the entire tank isn't good but having a small spot they can light up when passing by would be pretty neat lol. Great vid Clint! Also, I hope you will be at Tinley as I plan on being there :)

Man I love hearing all these terms that I just learned in my zoology course!! In the feeder video as well others. This is such a great and educational channel!!!! :)

I love them so much; those faces and lil feets... so cute

My younger brother had an axolotl-like mole salamander juvenile. It ended up going through metamorphosis and became something like spotted salamander except grey with black spots. He lived for several years.

This was lovely. But just as much as the video, I loved the outtakes. Stuck between your town's main street, and the train tracks to the other side, it's amazing you guys get anything shot! That takes skill and patience!

Thank you for the video! The information seems like you really did your research! I love these guys I own one myself and can’t leave without saying these guys have amazing personalities! I call them water puppies they love their food and will recognize your face! They are truly a unique and amazing pet and if you are considering an axolotl as long as you provide what they need they are amazing!!

I want a pink one so I can call it Axl Rose. 😂

The bloopers 😭 I'm screeaaaming

Thank you for this video! I LOVE reptiles and amphibians, but my partner is afraid of almost all of them. Axolotls are one of the only exceptions so it was great to get a bit of a breakdown on the kind of care they need. I might want to get one eventually, but I need and want to make sure I can maintain an aquarium on its own first!

Loved all the Hook references that movie was one of my favorites as a kid. I personally would love an axolotl, but water chillers are super expensive and I don't have the tank maintaining abilities to give one the care the need.

I had an axolotl, the pet store had it listed as a mud puppy. I have a long style aquarium and 25% was above water with moss and such. The animals was about 6 inches long when I got it. After about 3 months, it disappeared. Tank had a top so I know it did not crawl out. I found it under the moss, it had made a burrow of sorts. Next thing I knew, in about another month, it had lost gills and became a black and yellow BIG salamander. Imagine a BIG tiger salamander. It grew to 14 inches long and actually did not mind being handled. It lived for 8 years this way. I have had a lot of 'experts' tell me that it was not an axolotl because they do NOT have a terrestrial form. Well, I have never seen anything other than mud puppies with visible gills as big as it was when I bought it.

I've been looking into getting an axolotl for myself, this video came at the perfect time!

I've been waiting for this for YEARS super excited!

It’s well known that Kari records conversations and her staff tells everyone that she wears a wireless mic at all times

The dorkie Hook references were great. Loved it.

As the human skull is similar to that of baby chimps, I'm amazed that this video isn't titled "We are the axolotls of primates!"

Yes! Thank you!

Wow Clint, your channel has grew so much, I was here when you were at around 50k subs, congrats!

If you don’t want to pay for a chiller, i highly recommend hooking up some cooling fans to a temperature controller. This is what i’ve done and it works perfectly. The fans are only on for probably 4 hours per day.

"How do you breath?" Axolotl: *y e s*

I love your videos thank you for sharing your knowledge. I was a bit surprised you didn't mention chimera and all of it's awesomeness.

The hook references made me happy

I don't know why it hit me so hard but hearing Clint say 'optimistic carnivore' twice got me to scrub back through the video and I have a serious case of the giggles.

I love amphibians, especially salamanders! More amphibian videos, please. I'd love to hear what you might have to say about newts. They used to be really common in pet stores, until their populations began to decline. You can still find them in the hands of breeders and at reptile conventions, though.

Appreciation comment: your hairs always on point and your fits always creased up👌🏽

Love the Hook references!! Best channel

There appear to be many that live near me in Oregon. Such fascinating creatures

Axolotols are wonderful. I used to volunteer in the paleontology lab which also kept Axolotols for evolutionary development studies. I got to help moving the eggs.

I swear Clint is reading my mind. I was just talking about getting an axolotl as I have always wanted one. Then boom Clint post a video.

Axalotls are REALLY cool. Probably one of the coolest salamanders Ive ever seen.

Thanks for having the scientific terms pop up on the top left, it’s somehow easier to remember the spelling and isn’t as distracting

WHOA!!! 6:27 The way the axolotl orients itself to the surface with it's sail!! Could that me one of the reasons for spinosaurus's sail??!?! I don't know why that little movement blew my mind but it did.

For the cost I would probably give it 1/5, since the chiller itself already cost $200+ then aquarium, filters, and decors is probably $30-$70, then the axolotl itself is around $15-$100 depends on the morph and size

Hook was my favorite childhood movie. That took me back :')

I love all the Hook references! It’s one of my most favorite movies of all time. My youngest son is absolutely *obsessed* with axolotls and has been since before they came out in Minecraft. I’m sure if I asked him if he’d like to have one he would freak out but since my central air went out back in Spring and my apartment is staying in the high 70s-low 80s it’s not an ideal pet to add to our collection atm. Besides that, I like to do thorough research before getting an animal so there’s few-to-no unwelcome surprises. I’m constantly spouting off tidbits of information about different animal species that I own or have researched out of curiosity and spreading that knowledge around to anyone who will listen, which I’m sure can get annoying but I just can’t help myself sometimes. 🤷‍♀️😅 Maybe one day I’ll add one of these cute little guys to my collection, but for now I just don’t have the proper environment for them or the necessary money to create it so I’ll enjoy them through videos like this one. P.S: I love the banter in your outtakes. He seriously called that train coming and the look on your face was epic. Tell your captive he needs to keep it down while you’re filming. 🤣

Axolotls are indeed like 'Fish' in just about every respect. They do get fairly big though, so keep that in mind.

I helped open a reptile store in my home town and chillers are so stinking expensive, we literally just cool the entire (small) room.

I LOOOVE AXOLOTLSSSSS IM GETTING ONE THIS YEAR AND I CANT WAITTT

I loved this video, could you make an episode on the Burton’s Legless Lizard? I have wanted one ever since your mentioned them in you gecko phylogeny video!

Oh my freakin gosh this is one of my favorite animals of all time I’ve always wanted one.

I took care of 28 axolotls in college who were aquired through a breeding program with another university and my professor just had them in his lab and they were very rarely used for research. I did a thesis project on them regarding food and whether certain natural pigments in their food from crustaceans and/or algae could cause their body pigment to become brighter. The result was negligible. Two of them metamorphosed at the same time in the summer of 2022 though we didn't do anything to induce it. It just happened. The tech who took care of them noted they both got very sick suddenly and had fungal infections from their poop and after treatment, their gills, tail fin and the webbing between their toes receded. One was placed in a terrarium after metamorphosis but the other, unfortunately, did not get a terrarium in time and passed away likely from stress from being stuck in an aquarium like the other normal axolotls.

Love the link of an archetype back to biology

I have one of these. I just change out half the water once a week, keep my house at 65 fahrenheit year round (18 celsius,) make sure she has two hides at opposite ends of the tank, keep plants in the tank and a charcoal bag attached to the filter and feed her one to two large nightcrawlers per week. She seems to be doing well so far and there haven't been any issues.

I've been waiting for this! 😆

I would never own one because I don't have the resources but this is one of the most interesting videos you've posted. That's saying a lot.

So glad you did axolotls!!! ❤️

I love axolotls so much! Than you for sharing infor on their wondrous selves with the world. I can't have any myself (curse you state legality 😑) so I get my fill of their cuteness through videos like this.

Sweet video guys. I have an axolotl salamander that I took in as a rescue three and a half years ago. It's becoming more common in the pet trade for the occasional axolotl to morph without being induced or forced but the survival rate after morphing is still very low. Ones that do survive should be treated is if they have a medical condition and will need extra requirements like a paludarium, a humidifier and mineral supplements. Also some of the care information out there for morphed axolotls is pretty dodgy so take your time and do your research if you ever find yourself caring for one.

I have a freckled GFP Leucistic axolotl named Dilly! though he isn’t the world’s most interesting creature-he sits around most of the day-I enjoy watching him eat. they’re like little vacuums!

I have an axolotl hes a very happy guy. hes in a 40 breeder super fun to watch

And the neotinic characteristics make them super cute for their entire life

Axolotls are so precious... I love them HAHAHAHA he called the train coming! Nooo lmao

I am a biologist; we put GFP in EVERYTHING! 😂