Wild type Axolotl For Sale in Australia

The original Mexican walking fish

Wild type axolotls look the way the species does in the wild, a dark olive to grey brown body covered in fine gold speckling, with a paler belly and a subtle shimmer that catches the light as the animal moves. The common name Mexican walking fish comes from the same place, though the animal is not a fish at all. It is a salamander that never undergoes metamorphosis and stays aquatic for its whole life, keeping the external gills that a land dwelling salamander would lose.

In the wild the species survives only in the canal system at Xochimilco near Mexico City, where it is critically endangered. Every axolotl in the Australian pet trade, including ours, is captive bred and has been for many generations.

Why wild type suits a first axolotl

Wild types are the most forgiving morph. They keep full pigment, including in the eyes, so they see well and hunt food across the tank without needing to be target fed. They tolerate small swings in water parameters better than the pale morphs. And because their colouring is natural rather than selectively bred, they tend to come from broader genetic stock.

They are also the most affordable, generally $55 to $80 AUD in Australia for a healthy juvenile. If you are setting up a first tank and would rather spend the money on a decent filter and a chiller than on the animal itself, this is the morph to buy. Compare the full range on the axolotl price Australia page and see are axolotls good pets if you are still deciding.

Appearance changes with age

Wild type colouring darkens and the gold flecking becomes denser through the first year, so an adult usually looks considerably more striking than the juvenile you buy. Under a warm light the gold reads almost metallic across the shoulders. Against pale sand the animal will lighten its body tone slightly over days, which is normal and reversible.

Wild type care

Standard axolotl requirements, which are covered fully in the axolotl tank setup guide. Water at 16 to 18 degrees, a cycled filter with the flow baffled down, fine sand or bare glass instead of gravel, and a hide for daytime. Feed chopped earthworm and sinking pellets, see what do axolotls eat.

Kept properly a wild type will live fifteen years or more, which is covered in axolotl lifespan. We also raise GFP wild types, which look identical by day and glow green under a blue torch at night.

Delivery of wild type axolotls across Australia

Shipping is express, early in the week, Australia wide. If the forecast at your end is too warm in the week you order, we hold the animal at our cost until it is not.

If you are ordering into a capital, the timing is on our Sydney page, and on Perth and Melbourne. Our shipping and delivery page has the packing and guarantee detail.

Related axolotl colours

If a wild type axolotl is not quite what you are after, mosaic axolotls and gfp axolotls are the closest alternatives we raise. You can also read axolotl prices in Australia, or compare every morph side by side on the axolotl colours page.