For many years I lived in a state where axolotls were illegal to keep as pets. I had to admire them from afar. I was excited when, in 2019, my partner, all of our critters, a whole horde of house plants, and I crowded into our single car and moved states. A state, as you have probably guessed, where axolotls are legal! I got my first axy, Bubbles, in 2020. The rest, as they say, is history!
I currently have three axolotls – Bubbles, Gilly, and Nova! In 2022 I raised a clutch of adorable baby axolotls, and although I very much enjoyed the experience, I don’t have any plans of breeding or raising babies any time soon. After raising my first clutch and becoming somewhat known as the “axolotl lady” where I live, I started getting requests to take in unwanted axolotls. I’ve rescued/rehabbed/rehomed quite a few axolotls now. Photos on this site that are not of my personal axolotls are either of past rescues, or babies from my 2022 clutch who have since gone on to find homes of their own. I very much enjoy caring for my “water puppies” and sharing what I’ve learned about axolotls along the way.
I’m not very good at getting good photos of aquatic critters! I don’t feel like the photos below do my axolotls any justice, but they’re the best I currently have. I’ll try to update this page with better photos when/if I get nicer ones.
Bubbles:
Hatch Date: March 22nd 2020
Bubbles is my OG axolotl! I got him as a baby in 2020. He was so young at the time, that I didn’t know whether he was a he or a she. Bubbles was originally named “Bubblegum” but his name pretty quickly morphed to just Bubbles. I’m not sure whether it comes through in photos, but Bubbles is huuuge for an axolotl! He’s for sure the largest axolotl I’ve seen thus far. He loves food and, when he’s not eating, he spends almost all of his time hiding out in the various caves in his aquarium.
Gilly:
Hatch Date: March 7th, 2020
Gilly is my sweetest axolotl! She’s very interactive with people and loves coming up to the side of her tank to beg for food. Gilly is the same age as Bubbles, but I haven’t had her as long. She hatched in 2020 but I got her in 2021 from a breeder who was trying to reduce her number of animals. Gilly is an S class beggar and, when she’s not trying to convince everyone, including my dogs, to feed her, her favorite type of hides to spend time in are tunnels.
Nova:
Hatch Date: February 28th, 2022
Nova was from my 2022 axolotl clutch. Gilly and Bubbles are her parents. Originally I wasn’t intending on keeping any of the babies, but I had a bit of a hard time finding a good home for Nova because she has an uneven number of gills. She has the typical three gills on one side, but only two on the other. Everyone overlooked her when they were picking out axolotls and I eventually had cared for her for so long that I got attached. When she grew big enough that I could tell she was a female, and gave her a name, I finally had to admit that she had found her forever home – with us! Nova shares a tank with her mother, Gilly. Thankfully they get along really well.