Axolotls reproduce by laying between 200 and 500 eggs after mating. When mating, the axolotl pair performs a type of dance in which the male passes the spermatophore, which contains the sperm, to the female. The baby axolotls hatch after about 10 days.
Females that are ready to mate emit a specific scent that males use to find them. The latter then initiates the mating dance by nudging the female. The male then deposits one or more spermatophores.
Spermatophores are seed packets filled with sperm, in axolotls they look like small, gelatinous white cones. These are picked up by the female through her cloaca and the eggs are fertilized inside the female’s body.
Then the female axolotl lays the fertilized eggs, usually on a plant in the form of long egg chains. The egg-laying process can take up to 72 hours.
The developing embryos can be seen in their eggs within about 12 hours. These will hatch within 15 days depending on the water temperature. The newly hatched baby axolotls are often around 0,5 inch (1 cm) in size and by the end of 18 months most axolotls are fully grown.
Here you can find out which factors influence the time until hatching.
When are axolotls sexually mature?
Axolotls that develop quickly and get enough food can become sexually mature as early as 6 months. However, most axolotls don’t become sexually mature until 8 to 15 months of age.
Axolotls that are ready to mate are usually more active than usual, and males are noticeable due to their more heavily circulated gills and swollen cloaca.
How do you tell the sex of an axolotl?
The sex of female and male axolotls can only be clearly identified by the different shape of their cloaca.
The cloaca is a combined body exit of the ureter, colon and reproductive organs and is located behind the legs on the lower part of the tail in axolotls.
Sexually mature males can be identified by a swollen cloaca. In females, the cloaca is not swollen except before they lay eggs and is pea sized.
Where do Axolotls lay their eggs?
The female Axolotl prefers to lay her eggs on plants, if these aren’t available they will look for another place to attach the eggs, such as aquarium decorations.
What should I do with axolotl eggs?
If you want the eggs to hatch, then you should definitely remove them from the tank and put them in an extra container. Otherwise, there is a pretty good chance that the adult axolotls will eat the eggs when they get hungry.
If you don’t want the eggs to hatch, you should also remove them from the aquarium and freeze them before disposing of them. This will prevent the eggs from accidentally hatching in the wild and disrupting the native ecosystem.
How to recognize healthy axolotl eggs?
Directly after spawning it is difficult to recognize which axolotl eggs will develop and which won’t.
But after one day they can usually be easily distinguished. Healthy axolotl eggs have a transparent shell with a black to brown or white ball in the center. This ball will form a cylinder after about one day. One end of the cylinder is a little rounder and thicker than the other, which later develops into the head of the axolotl and the other end becomes the tail.
In case of an unhealthy egg, the cylinder will not develop, the sphere in the transparent shell will become cloudy after some time and the egg will start to decay or mold. These eggs should be quickly separated from the others and discarded.
Do axolotls also lay unfertilized eggs?
No, female axolotls usually only lay eggs if the eggs have been fertilized with the spermatophore of the male. However, laid eggs may still fail to develop.
How big are axolotl eggs, and what do they look like?
Fertilized axolotl eggs are about half an inch (1-1.5 cm) in size and have a dark brown ball in the center of a transparent shell. Albino axolotl eggs are white.
How many eggs does an axolotl lay?
Axolotls can lay up to 1100 eggs at a time. Females that lay their first clutch usually lay only 40 to 150 eggs.
Do axolotls eat their eggs?
Yes, since axolotls are carnivorous animals and cannibalistic, they will also eat their own eggs and babies if they have the opportunity and are hungry.
This is why you should remove the eggs from the tank as soon as possible if you want them to hatch.
Conclusion
Axolotls reproduce by laying eggs, after mating. In doing so, female axolotls can lay up to 1000 eggs in a clutch. And the axolotl babies usually hatch 15 days after spawning.