My friend Annabelle has an axolotl, a close relative of the salamander and one of the cutest and weirdest pets I’ve ever seen. Sadly, they’re illegal to have as pets in California, which makes me question how Annabelle got one for $20 from ‘a guy,’ but I digress. I had honestly never heard of an axolotl until very recently, and I’ve only ever had a dog, so I guessed it might be a different experience. I wasn’t wrong, so here are five questions about pet axolotls (specifically, Pablo Wilson):
- How did you pick him?
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It’s a pretty great story. Essentially, Annabelle was doing a project for school about axolotls and her teacher offered her extra credit if she got one. I don’t know how legal that is, but she went to the axolotl dealer (just Reno things), who happened to be another school’s science teacher, and when she walked in, Pablo swam up and slammed himself against the side of the tank. They’ve been best friends ever since.
- What’s his favorite food?
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“Worms. And ghost shrimp.” Honestly, quite an eclectic selection. Pablo’s palate is refined as hell.
- What’s his sleep schedule?
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“His eyes never close and he doesn’t blink so I actually have no idea.”
Annabelle Wilson, 2022
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It turns out, axolotls don’t have eyelids so Pablo in the middle of the night is probably akin to the sleep paralysis demon I see in the corner of my room. A really cute sleep paralysis demon, though.
- How do you pet him?
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Sadly, you can’t really pet him all that much; the oils from your skin can break down the axolotl’s protective slime. However, Pablo bit Annabelle once, and he doesn’t even have teeth so she reports it just feeling weird and gummy.
- Does he have a personality?
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Yes, 100%. He still likes to randomly slam into the sides of his tank, he smiles and floats up to the surface when Annabelle walks into the room, but in general he seems to be pretty low maintenance. If anything, Annabelle says, “he’s just happy looking at me.”
The completely aquatic amphibian lives a simple life in Reno, though the species is critically endangered in general. They can only be found in the wild in a specific part of Mexico City, and climate change and human development have greatly impacted axolotl habitats. For now, though, I hope to meet Pablo and maybe have a staring contest. We’ll be taking bets, so stay tuned.