Axolotl Gender : Do Axolotls Change Gender? 9 Cool Facts

Having an axolotl is an interesting thing. You can have a long-lived aquatic pet with an adorable face and shape. But do you know which axolotl you have male or female? or do you never care about it? Understanding the axolotl’s gender will help you when you want to practice breeding.

You can’t quickly tell the Axolotl gender just by looking at it at a glance. There are only slight differences between female and male axolotls. If you want to distinguish the two, you need to observe them closely to differentiate their gender.

To know in detail about differentiating the gender of axolotls, how axolotls reproduce, can axolotls change gender, let’s find out in this article.

Do Axolotls Change Gender?

Axolotls cannot change genders. Axolotl has two genders and will not change even if other amphibians can change their gender. If you want to breed an axolotl, you must distinguish their gender and wait until your axolotl is sexually mature.

There will be no axolotl gender change, and you have to be careful in observing their gender to prevent you from making mistakes during the mating process.

One way to see an axolotl gender is from their body. If you are used to distinguishing the gender of axolotls, you can breed and separate males and females in several different tanks.

Can An Axolotl Change Gender?

No, axolotls cannot change genders. If someone claims that their axolotl changed their gender, it is possible that the axolotl owners observed the gender too soon. You can correctly distinguish the axolotl gender if it has entered sexual maturity.

If you ask the pet store, can axolotls change gender? and they said yes, don’t be quick to believe because they mostly sell young axolotls and can guess the gender of axolotls wrong because they are too young.

Although it is quite difficult to see the axolotl’s gender, you need to get used to distinguish between male and female axolotls without having to ask other people. Distinguishing gender will make it easier for you to do breeding.

How To Tell An Axolotl Gender?

The body shape is different. If you have entered sexually mature, the female axolotl body shape is rounder than the male. The female’s body is rounder because it is necessary to carry the eggs on her body.

Male axolotls have a longer and slimmer body and they look more elegant than females. Male tails are also longer than females. The male body becomes an attraction for women because of the long tail. The male axolotl will dance while mating which will attract the females towards them.

You can’t tell from the length or width of the axolotl size alone to distinguish axolotl gender, there must be something more convincing like looking at their vent or axolotl cloaca. Even though it’s a bit difficult only when viewed from the cloaca, it can still be a reference to try.

How Can I Tell If My Axolotl Is Male Or Female?

Pay attention to the axolotl’s cloaca if you want to distinguish between male and female axolotls. Females have small bumps, while males have more swollen bumps than females.

If you want to differentiate by body shape, wait until female axolotls enter sexually mature at 12 months to 18 months because their bodies will be more rounded to adapt to bodies that have to carry the eggs later.

Male axolotls will be slimmer with long tails to attract females to become their mates. Tails, vents, and body shape can already be used as a reference to distinguish an axolotl’s gender. If you still find it difficult to distinguish between male and female, then their age is still not mature.

When Can You Tell The Gender Of An Axolotl?

Wait until the axolotl enters sexual maturity. That means axolotls can only be gendered if they already can produce babies. It’s impossible to guess the axolotl gender if they’re too young. Let’s say your chances of getting it right would be a 50/50 guess.

Even though you already know the science of axolotl male female difference, if they have not yet entered sexual maturity, you will have a hard time finding which one is female because their bodies as juveniles will be almost the same.

Female axolotls that are not sexually mature are not round and are as slim as males. But if they have entered sexually mature, their bodies adapt as containers for eggs and are more round than usual.

Can axolotls change gender? No, axolotls are not a species that can change their gender.

How To Tell Male And Female Axolotls Apart?

Do not distinguish their sex with them if the axolotl is not yet one year old because the chances of you being wrong will also be high. If you see a swollen cloaca, you see a male axolotl. Observe the area below where the axolotl dumps its poop. The bump is visible and not just a small bump opening.

That’s all you can use if you want to see an axolotl gender before the axolotl enters sexual maturity. Females will only do a small opening on their bump, and don’t look as obvious as males.

Although it will be difficult if you have to see it from outside the tank, you have to be patient to distinguish their gender because removing the axolotl from the tank should not be careless.

Wait until the axolotls are of the right age for breeding, and you can start to distinguish their gender. If you can tell the difference between males and females, but the female axolotl is not old enough to breed, the eggs are also more likely to be unfertilized than fertilized.

Are Male Axolotls Smaller?

If you differentiate the gender of axolotls by their size, the axolotls are not smaller than the females, but slimmer and longer in the tail. The size of the axolotl can be the same size, only the difference in shape between the female is round, and the axolotl male is slim.

Although you will also find longer and fatter female axolotls, there are also male axolotls with large bodies, although not as round as female axolotls. Distinguish axolotl gender from their cloaca shape. If you see a swollen cloaca, you see a male axolotl.

Although male axolotls are slimmer, they have long tails that attract females for the mating process. If you put two gender axolotls in the same tank of the same age, you can see that the male axolotl has a longer tail than the female.

Are Male Or Female Axolotls Better?

Having male and female axolotls is equally attractive. If you want to do breeding, you must have both. There is no different way of caring for an axolotl from an axolotl gender because they are all the same. Axolotls require attention to water parameters and age-appropriate feeding times.

There is no difference in caring for axolotl female or males because they have the same needs with cool temperature, ammonia, and nitrite levels at 0 ppm, and live in suitable tanks. You should consider if you want to put more than one axolotl in the same tank.

Axolotls have aggressive behavior when they are hungry or stressed. If axolotls have tank mates, they can make their tank mates prey. Try to put fellow adult axolotls, because the aggressive nature of the axolotl as an adult decreases.

Only enter in the same tank if you want to breed male and female axolotls who are sexually active. After the fertilization process is complete, separate the male axolotl from the female again. After the female axolotl lays their eggs, move them to another tank and leave the eggs alone in the tank.

Axolotl Gender Differences

If it’s your first time caring for an axolotl, don’t be surprised if you’re confused about the axolotl gender. To make it easier to recognize the difference between male and female axolotl, see the table below.

If you want to distinguish their gender, do so when they are sexually mature. Wait for a safe time of up to 18 months to determine a male or female axolotl, because body changes for fertilization adjustment only appear when the female axolotl is 12-18 months old.

Can Axolotls Be Kept Together?

You can put more than one axolotl in the same tank if they are the same size and age. There should be no size comparison because the axolotl can be aggressive with the smaller tank mates.

Keep the environment clean and try not to stress the axolotl so that their aggressive behavior does not appear. Axolotls can live quietly even without tank mates for a long time, but there’s nothing wrong if you want to have more than one axolotl in the same tank.

Adult axolotls are safer when they are adults because they spend more time at the bottom of the tank. Do not give tank mates like small fish, because if overcrowded, the axolotl will be stressed.

If you are placing more than one axolotl, ensure the tank is always clean with a water filter and remove the axolotl stool as soon as possible before the ammonia level rises. Axolotl produces heavy waste, so you need to change the water every 4 days even though you have used a filter.

How Does Axolotl Reproduce?

Axolotls reproduce asexually. The male axolotl will dance to attract the female axolotl’s attention while releasing spermatophores. Female axolotls will pick up the spermatophores for placement in their cloaca.

It takes 12-72 hours before female axolotls lay their eggs. After the egg-laying process is complete, the female axolotl can be transferred to another tank, because the adult axolotl can eat its eggs.

If you already know the axolotl gender, you need to make sure the female axolotl is 18 months old so that the fertilization process is complete. If it is less than 18 months, there is a possibility that the female axolotl will release unfertilized eggs.

Why Are My Axolotls Not Breeding?

Pay attention to the age at which axolotls start sexually mature, and don’t be in a hurry if you want to breed male or female axolotls. Male axolotls can be sexually mature from 6 months or more, and female axolotls from 12 months or more.

You can equal the age of male and female axolotls at 18 months for a smooth breed. If the axolotl is not a breed, check the temperature of the tank, the health condition of the axolotl, and the age of the axolotl.

If a male or female axolotl is forced to breed before they are sexually mature, the chances of producing fertilized eggs will be small. Although many factors determine the survivability of axolotl eggs, ensuring the axolotl’s age is the main thing that must be met.

Final Verdict – Axolotl Gender – Do Axolotls Change Gender

Do Axoltols change gender? Axolotls cannot change gender like other amphibians. If you want to distinguish male or female axolotls, you need to wait until they are sexually mature. Axolotl gender becomes clear as they grow.

Determining their gender will be difficult if they are less than one year old because they can only be distinguished from the shape of their cloaca.

When sexually mature, female axolotls will have a round body for adaptation carrying the eggs inside their body. The male axolotl has a slimmer body with a long tail.

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️