Locke was a wild-type axolotl that I took in as an adult in 2023. He was already an adult when I got him – a retired breeder, in fact, who had spent time in several different breeding programs, with different people, before he found his way to me. The breeder I got Locke from was getting out of axolotl breeding and wanted to find him a good ‘retirement’ home, since he had already been passed around quite a few times in his life.
I’m not sure exactly how old Locke was because his former keeper never provided me with his full information. I think it just got lost in the hustle of her shutting down her breeding business and having to rehome a large number of axolotls.
I wish Locke could have spent more time with us, enjoying his ‘retirement’, but he never seemed to be the healthiest axolotl. He never ate as well as my others, which I found strange for an axolotl. In the time he was here I helped Locke battle health issues, suck as fungal infections, that none of my other axolotls ever dealt with despite being kept in the same conditions. It made me wonder if Locke, for some reason, had a weaker immune system.
Despite all that I think Locke enjoyed his time here with us. After being kept in bare tubs his entire life, he especially loved his caves and hides, although he never really seemed to figure out how to use them. He liked to sit on top of his hides instead of inside them. And he really loved sitting in the bubbles from his sponge filter.
In early June of 2025 Locke suddenly got very lethargic, almost like his body was just slowing down. We tried to figure out what was going on, or if he had something we could treat him for. None of the tests we had done came back positive for any illness and despite doing what we could, mostly providing supportive care, Locke slipped away in the evening of June 4th.
He is very much missed! I so wish I could have saved him so he could have spent more time being a pampered pet. I am glad we were able to give him a few years as a beloved pet. Despite keeping axolotls for years, Locke was my first wild-type axolotl. I loved his random speckles of color and, because of him, wild-type axolotls are now my favorite morph (shh, don’t tell my other lotls!).
Rest in peace, Locke. Once a Wild Heart, always a Wild Heart! You are missed and will forever be a part of our story.