Do Axolotls Lay Eggs? [And Why It Matters!]

Planning to bring an Axolotl home as a pet? It would help if you knew ‘do Axolotls lay eggs’. With this information, you can prepare for the new pet better.

Axolotls have gained attention as pets in a very short span of time.

Everyone we meet wants to bring an Axolotl home. 

They’re definitely exotic and unique, and they’ll make a good addition to your pet portfolio.

But one thing that you must know before bringing any pet home is how they reproduce. 

That’ll help you manage them better, depending on whether you want their population to grow or not.

Do Axolotls lay eggs?

Axolotls lay as many as 1000 to 1500 eggs at a time. The female mates with a male when the temperature and light conditions are ideal. Axolotls lay eggs after 48 to 72 hours following breeding and those eggs will take 15 days to hatch.

If you want your Axolotls to lay eggs, you’ll need a pair in the same tank and have to ensure that you’re providing them with the right mating conditions. 

A male and female will come together only under certain conditions. 

Once the right conditions are provided, the male and female Axolotl will mate and produce eggs within the next 48 to 72 hours. 

The female will continue to lay eggs for a day or two. 

It takes about 15 days for these eggs to hatch. The eggs can hatch sooner if they’re exposed to a higher temperature.

If you’re looking for expert advice on the right conditions for the Axolotl to lay eggs, we can help you. 

We’ve studied Axolotls in detail, and we know everything that you may be interested in.

Do Axolotls Lay Eggs?

Yes. Axolotls lay eggs. However, they can’t do so without the presence and participation of a male. 

For a female to produce eggs, she has to breed with a male Axolotl.

The breeding between male and female Axolotls is quite interesting. When the male and female Axolotls are ready to breed, they’ll come close to each other in a particular way.

The male will initiate the process. 

He’ll nudge the female’s body with his nose, which is his way of informing the female that he’s ready to mate.

The male Axolotl will position himself before the female Axolotl and lead her around.

The female will only follow the make if she’s willing to mate. This process is called courtship.

The male deposits his sperms (spermatophore) as the female follows him. 

The female will collect the sperms through her cloaca as she follows the male.

The process continues for several hours. 

The male keeps depositing his sperms, and the female keeps collecting them as she follows the male close behind. 

Once the mating is complete, the female Axolotl will start laying eggs after 12 to 72 hours.

How Many Eggs Do Axolotls Lay and How Often?

This may surprise you. Axolotls lay 1000 to 1500 eggs at a time, and they lay eggs several times a year.

They lay most eggs between December and June as this is considered the most fruitful and active breeding season for Axolotls.

However, that doesn’t mean these are the only months when Axolotls lay eggs. They can lay eggs at any time during the year if they get the right conditions. 

If you keep the female Axolotl with a male, the female will lay eggs continuously. 

Since laying eggs utilizes a lot of energy of the female’s body, you should try not to leave the male and female together in the same tank for too long.

When the female is laying eggs, there’s a lot of stress on the female’s body. The body prioritizes reproduction and deprioritizes essential body functions, even growth. 

You should make sure that the female Axolotl gets her rest before the next breeding cycle so that she can regain her strength.

Where Do Axolotls Lay Eggs?

Axolotls usually lay eggs in the vegetation present in their tank. 

For this reason, we recommend you add plants to the tank in which you’re keeping the Axolotls. If there are no plants in the tank, Axolotls will lay eggs anywhere they can, usually on flat surfaces. 

This could be the floor, too, and the problem here is that eggs may get mixed up with other substances present on the aquarium floor.

However, it’s best to provide plants so that the female can lay her eggs and deposit them safely. 

Plants are a lot more conducive area for the eggs to hatch successfully.

Axolotls don’t face any problems when laying eggs in the wild because there are plenty of options available. 

But there’s limited space available in the tank, and if you don’t provide any plants, the eggs may get mixed with other substances present in the tank and may get damaged and wasted.

Another plus point of arranging plants for Axolotls in the tank is that it’ll be easier for you to locate the eggs and transfer them to a safer spot successfully.

But don’t worry; eggs of Axolotl are quite resilient and tough. 

You should still do the task carefully and cautiously. Just make sure you’re cleaning the eggs well. 

If you don’t transfer the eggs, the eggs will get eaten up.

When Does a Female Axolotl Start Laying Eggs?

The answer to this question that would first come to your mind is ‘when a male and female come together.’ Well, technically, yes. 

But as we’ve said earlier, the male and female will come together only when certain conditions are provided.

Some of the conditions that must be present for a female Axolotl to lay eggs are listed below:

The Female Should be Sexually Mature

Not all female Axolotls can lay eggs. 

Only a sexually mature female can lay eggs. Axolotls can become sexually mature as young as 6 months, and sometimes, it can take an Axolotl several years to be able to produce eggs.

How soon an Axolotl matures enough to produce eggs depends on the quality of diet that it gets. 

The higher the quality of nutrition, the sooner they’ll mature. 

You shouldn’t let the female breed before they’re at least 18 months old or 7 inches long. 

This is to ensure they’re developed sufficiently and that their health and longevity aren’t affected during the process.

The Temperature and Light Should Be Right

Female Axolotl will not breed and lay eggs if the right temperature and light requirements aren’t met. 

The temperature of the water they’re in and the length of the day (daylight) are both important. 

Wild Axolotls breed during the late winter and early spring season. 

However, when you want Axolotls to breed and lay eggs while in captivity, you’ll have to provide similar conditions.

Ideally, the temperature must be cool, about 5 degrees Celsius lower than the typical climate of an aquarium. A temperature between 12 to 14 degrees Celsius is good enough to start the process.

As far as the light is concerned, Axolotls that are kept in a tank aren’t exposed to natural light changes. 

The only light they’re exposed to is the sunlight coming through the windows of the room where the tank is placed.

You can install artificial lighting, but that’s not advisable.