#like there Are problems with the trade of axolotls. namely not enough people know how delicate they are

[bitchfitch]

while i was at Aquashella there were multiple tables selling axolotls and it reminded me about a handful of posts made by people who probably had good intentions about how so many Endangered axolotls would be Poached for the Evil Pet Trade if people kept liking them so much.

and y'all. that is so fucking funny because most people don't even know what a wild axolotl looks like. They're muddy brown/grey.

The white and pink leucistic ones are the descendents of lab animals that were collected for research around stem cells, limb regeneration, and a few other misc applications.

they're lucys because theyve been intentionally genetically modified. there is legit no reason to poach axolotls when the real all organic animal is muck grey and has the disposition of a prudish victorian noble woman while the ones already in the pet trade breed readily in captivity, can handle a larger range of water parameters, and come in way more weird colors. like "floresces green under black light bc of the jelly fish DNA some scientists gave it's grandparents to confirm Other genetic modifications were being incorporated into the animals DNA."

which you can buy as a baby for 70 bucks, and like btw, wildtypes go for around 45, and are usually the by-product of breeding for other colors due to how most morphs are comprised of recessive genes.

you can get combo adult breeder pair deals for 100$ and have a quadspmillion of the fuckers in a few weeks. and Not run the risk of getting massive fines and jail time for it like you would for poaching the ones that look like they came from a breeders soft cull bin.