Baby Axolotl Journey

Today I want to talk about my Axolotl, Dr. Shrunk. He is named after Shrunk from Animal Crossing~

I actually didn't know what animal Shrunk from Animal Crossing was for a very long time. I always thought his character was funny, but I didn't ever think to look up what animal he was. One day when browsing tumblr I was introduced to Axolotls (also known as water dragons) and I was instantly amazed. I read up on them. Learned how to care for them and everything. I was instantly disappointed because I found out that most pet stores don't sell them, but I continued to read on anyways. Thankfully after close to a month of research and searching I found a store that sold them. I saved up the money as soon as I could and got him. Because Dr. Shrunk is one of my favorite AC characters I thought it would be fitting that my axolotl was named after him.

Very image heavy after the cut.

Pictures make him look sort of yellow, but he is white. It was just the camera. 

When Shrunk first got home he was very tiny. He was only 3 1/2 inches long. His gills were thin and not full and red like I saw on pictures of other axolotls. He didn't eat much. The store said they fed him bloodworms, but he would never really pay attention to them or he would eat a few and leave the rest. I tried starting him on earthworms right away. He liked those more, but he struggled with how they would wiggle in his mouth. Often times he would spit them up if they wiggled and would give up until they slowed down. 

All the following pictures are of Shrunk's growth. They are in order from when the pictures were taken. The first two pictures were taken on July 13 and July 14 after he came home with me.

July 16th

July 22

July 27

August 5

August 12

August 22

This picture was taken on August 16 and shows his growth to this date. The picture was taken at a slight angle, but his full length right now is 5 1/2 inches. On average axolotls can be between 7 to 14 inches at their full size. I think Shrunk will reach his full size in another month or two.

Axolotls are a really unique pet. They require special care and you have to be willing to handle live worms, but in the end I think it is completely worth it to have a sweetheart like my Dr. Shrunk.