Welcome to Ask-A-Lotl, home of uncontrollable curiosity. We are the Jackson family in Golden, CO, and we fell into having axolotls in 2020. Beckett, our son, was 5 at the time and checked out a book from the library that had axolotls in it. He is going to be a wildlife biologist he has decided, and was fascinated by the creatures. He did all the research on what they needed and how to care for them. So, for Christmas he got his first axolotl, a GFP Dirty Leucy we named Mochi after the show Waffles and Mochi.
We are a family that is very used to unusual creatures. We have anywhere between 12-80 chickens depending on what time of year it is, as well as assorted other unusual pets, and the common cats and dogs too. That is what happens "when the curiosity never ends".
Turns out that Mom loves the strange and derpy creatures too. So soon we ended up with Waffles, our wild type (turned out to be) female who needed a rescue.
Then, one fateful day in October, 2022, Annelyce and Mom had gone on a trip and walked in the door. We looked at the tank in the living and room, and what to our wondering eyes should appear but a derpy amphibian and 500 eggs, dear. Mom did not curse out loud. But one does not just let this kind of amazing science experiment pass by. However, we culled it down to just 100 (and then a few more that escaped us in the tank until 12 days in), and off we went.
Mom has always LOVED genetics and been fascinated by heredity and the infinite possibilities that it brings. Axolotls with their perfect Mendelian genetics, dazzling variety of options, and still not fully understood genetic structure is a wonderfully exciting diversion from her very non-scientific day job.
We are delighting in using the microscope, making hypotheses, and watching what will happen. Follow our journey thorough our "accidental axolotls" and beyond to where it takes us!
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