Transitioning Your Morphing Axolotl

Once you realize that your axolotl is morphing, keep him in a tub of shallow water with something to crawl out on, or at the very least prop his head up on while you prepare a transition area for him. A large stone or a plate turned upside down in the water will do just fine.

Be sure to have a lid on your transition bin, as morphed axolotls have a tendency to climb out and wander unexpectedly.

Handling should be kept to a strict minimum during the transition, and if you must move them, do so with very clean hands (no soap!) and even consider using gloves. Many amphibians, morphed axolotls included, become immune deficient during their transition.

Their immune system is actually torn down to make room for a new one. During this time, they are extremely susceptible to infection and disease and have no way to fight it off. Keep their environment clean and don't handle them unless absolutely necessary!

For his transition onto land, you should place a Tupperware or decently sized container of damp substrate like Eco-Earth in his water area with some form of ramp for him to climb out on. Some salamanders take longer than others to decide when it's time to make the move, but it should be his choice in the end.

Never try to force him out of the water or place him onto land before he is ready. Even when his gills are gone, his skin and bones are making some very drastic changes to prepare for life on land and he might just not be ready yet.One day you might peek in to find that he is no longer in the water, but instead looking like a confused, beached seal on land for the very first time.

Congratulations, you now have a morphed axolotl. You can now start building him a permanent habitat.
 

You might be alarmed to find that your axolotl isn't eating during the transition. Don't panic - This is very normal. While some axolotls eat throughout their entire metamorphosis, many do not. To put it into perspective, there are a lot of changes going on inside of his body too! Before morphing, he didn't have a tongue - Just a broad, flat pad fixated to the bottom of his mouth that he couldn't move at all. During the morphing process, he starts growing a real, moveable tongue.

His digestive tract and intestines are also shortening. Some sources say that it shortens as much as 70 percent. I wouldn't feel like eating either! That being said, within a week or two he should start feeling hungry. Continue offering him food through the process regardless.

He should be fed a staple diet of earthworms, much like an aquatic axolotl. They provide all of the nutrition our salamanders need to prevent vitamin and calcium deficiencies.

Earthworms should be chopped in half to prevent the risk of intestinal perforation as the wiggling worm tries to make its escape. Beyond that, gut loaded crickets, dubia roaches, and even an occasional waxworm add a nice variety to the diet.

Many new morphs have a hard time adjusting to their new bodies and mouths after morphing, and starvation is a common risk if they don't start eating within a few weeks. A trick that works well is to put them in a small tub with a tiny bit of water, just enough to cover their feet. Chop multiple earthworms into small bits around them. You might also need to leave them in the dark or place a towel over their bin. The vibration of the worms thrashing in the water and the strong smell of blood often triggers a feeding response.

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From this point forward, you can either continue bin-feeding your metamorph or you can hand-feed them. You should never drop live food into their "normal" enclosure and expect for it to be eaten. Morphed axolotls are not skilled hunters. They will not chase down a cricket or dig a worm out of the dirt. Expecting them to eat on their own will surely result in starvation.