Petting Axolotls (2024)

layna said:

Haha ive seen the force they use when they lunge at the turkey baster! i wouldnt want to let them mouths anywhere near me

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its like you read my mind Layna!

layna said:

Haha ive seen the force they use when they lunge at the turkey baster! i wouldnt want to let them mouths anywhere near me

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Haha yeah, I always think it must hurt if they nip at your fingers. But people say it doesn't I'm quite happy using a turkey baster at feeding times

I can scoop my Meelo up in my hand, so that his back legs and tail are in my palm...but he swims away if I touch his belly.

Meelo watches me move around the room and will follow my finger. When I take the top off and look down at the tank, he will also swim up to the top of the tank and stick his nose out and look at me. It's pretty cute!

I've never tried petting him though..since I don't want to hurt him.

racheljritchie said:

its like you read my mind Layna!

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You saw what mine did to my arm right? They have quite a grip!

I had to move Galaxy today using my hands and she freaked out. She ended up on the carpet, and when I put her back in the tank some of her skin was peeling I wouldn't have done it but it was urgent and I had nothing else I could have used. Poor Galaxy! I definetely wouldn't touch her again unless it was another emergency. Toothless freaked out the first time I transported her into a tank using water in a tub too - I think it was because her gills felt the air and she panicked. Ever since she's been cool with it because of daily water changes while her tank was cycling.

Toothless will let me gently touch her tummy but doesn't like her toes being touched. I've touched her tummy once by accident and she didn't react, but her toes she's rather protective of. I know one owner whose axolotl liked to have his head rubbed and would come to the surface to let his owner gently stroke his head. He always made sure to wash his hands thoroughly and remove all traces of soap before and after, but apparently the axolotl loved it.

I try not to touch them unless it's strictly necessary only because their slime coats are delicate, and the stress they feel isn't worth it unless you have no choice; I feel really bad about Galaxy, despite the fact I couldn't have got her in any other way. I've never felt the wrath of an axolotl mouth yet, but I hear it's quite an odd sensation. If one grips you by accident, apparently you keep your finger still and the axolotl will lose interest and let go. They like their food to wiggle!

I used to use an old sandwich tub but Tooth is too long for it now. I have to use a saucepan nowadays, luckily it's lovely and cold in there for her! I usually move Galaxy with Tooth's old sandwich tub so that she can get used to it for water changes, vet trips and such. I would hate to stress my bubby out like that again. It's learned me for sure. She seemed so calm, too, until I got her out of the water. They don't like feeling air on their gills.

Haha, Bertha, classic! It's weird how some touches comfort some axxies and others freak others out. Galaxy HATES being touched and I reckon she was nibbled on my the fish she was in with at the LFS (yeah, I know >.<) and so is terrified of being touched. That said, like your Bertha, Galaxy is a bitey little predator! The first worm she ever ate was down the tunnel of doom without so much as a wriggle!

shazza said:

I hand feed mine but keep the fingers out of the way, i have seen him suck worms longer than himself down in one go... He doesnt like coming into contact with my hand at feed time. But i have nudged him gently with my fingerwhen he has refused to move while cleaning...

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I've also have to give mine a little nudge, as my one axie is so brave and doesn't mind my hand near him. When I switched his tanks I had to carefully lift him into a smaller container and he couldn't care less! Otherwise I typically avoid touching them, as I'm afraid of ruining their slime coat or making them sick.

Sylerwin said:

I once saw a video while researching how to treat goldfish sores, and this guy had latex gloves, and coated them in store-bought slime coat so that he could hold his fish and treat them without harming their coat. Could something similar like this be done with axolotls? Obviously not take them all the way out, but maybe be able to "pet" them at the surface of the water? Of course, I can't find this video now for the life of me.

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I would give that a big ol' no, I'm afraid.

They really aren't a 'petting' kind of critter. As folks have mentioned above, they have delicate skin which is also very porous and they will absorb and be harmed by all manner of chemicals.

Their limbs and muscles are designed to work in the buoyancy of water, and they cannot safely move outside of it, trying to move outside of water could really hurt them.

They are also easily startled and VERY wriggly, and you should avoid holding or handling them at all costs- much as we'd all love to huggle them for being so adorable.

When I clean out my tanks, the braver of them will come and try to eat my elbow, so on tank cleaning days I wash my arms thoroughly, dry them off, don't use any hand creams or body lotions etc, and rinse them in the first bucket of tank water I take out before I start moving decorations etc. I recommend keeping clean tubs to hand to gently scoop them into along with some water if you ever need to transfer them or isolate them. Never, EVER try and carry them even a short distance, they're too precious!