Because Lucys are so prevalent, you can typically expect to pay between $10 and $30 for one, with some reaching as much as $50 depending on the situation. If the eyes are black, regardless of how white the body and head appear, you are looking at a leucistic axolotl, not an albino.

They feature a light pink body and head, dark pink gills, and black eyes that make them stick out, which is a good thing because many people who are new to axolotls mistake Lucies for one of the albino axolotl variations, which they are not. The leucistic axolotl, or Lucy for short, is the next most frequent color variety of axolotls and is also extremely easy to find from breeders if you want a mainly pink axolotl that many people confuse for white. Once old enough, the only guaranteed method to determine the difference between the two is to check for the melanoid’s lack of a bright golden ring in the eyes. The bulk of these axolotls will gradually darken as they age, making it more difficult to notice their spots and giving them the appearance of a melanoid. The body of this axolotl is generally green, brown, or black, similar to the melanoid, however the melanoid lacks the blackish golden specks present in wild axolotls due to iridophores pigment cells. The axolotl variation is known as “the wild type” since it is without a doubt the most frequent axolotl found in the wild.ĭepending on the lighting, this variety seems to have a very dark color for the majority of its body with shining golden flecks or speckled black patches. Because they are such a popular color, you can generally get them for between $10 and $30, with breeders frequently having lots of them in stock. This is the most common axolotl and made up the great majority of the population until selective breeding was used to try to increase the amount of different hues of pigment cells in the species. The most frequent pigment cell coloration of axolotls, the wild type, is first on our list. Things may change in the future, and we anticipate that the price of the rarer hues will rise over time as more people begin to collect them. However, these are merely guidelines and are based on what respectable breeders often charge for each of the colors at the time of writing. The three distinct chromatophores (Melanophores, Xanthophores, and Iridophores) in axolotls govern the color of their pigment cells, but the rarer the hue or pattern, the higher the price tag.Īs we make our way through the list, we’ve put an estimated price tag for each variety of axolotl to assist provide a guideline on what you should be spending for each of the hues. Then there are the three highly uncommon natural axolotl hues, which may sell for thousands of dollars, followed by a one-of-a-kind man-made creation by embryonic graphing, with only around ten ever been generated, and finally the enigma axolotl, with only one ever being reported to date.īecause there are so many various varieties of axolotls, each with its own pigmentation that gives them their own distinct appearance, it’s not surprising that we see so many individuals reaching out and asking for help determining which sort of axolotl they have or desire. Then there are the four rarer variations, which are based on unique colors, patterns, or mutations but are still reasonably simple to get if you are prepared to pay around double the price of the major color kinds. There are five primary color varieties that are quite frequent and simple to find (wild, white albino, golden albino, leucistic, and Melanoid).

Chimera axolotl