I do not remember how I came to own my first water dog. I honestly have no recollection of where he came from or what made me decide that purchasing one would be a good idea. All I know is that somehow I ended up with one. He lived in my 55-gallon fish aquarium. I had him for a long time during college, probably about three years or so. After he died, I missed him so much that I bought another one. Well, let me correct that statement – I walked into a pet store, asked for a water dog, and bought what looked like what I thought was a water dog. However, after having this new critter at home for a few weeks, it became clear to me that I had bought way more than I had bargained for. The creature I brought home began to morph into something different. At the time I had no idea what he was. I went back to the pet store and demanded answers. It turns out they had sold me a larval tiger salamander.

After learning this, I began to do some research. As it turns out, the salamanders I owned were more than just water dogs. The first pet I had was actually an axolotl. I had already figured out that the second pet I had was a tiger salamander (accident). “Water dog” is a term used loosely by pet stores to describe a various array of salamanders. There is an actual species called a “mud puppy,” but these are most often only found in the wild. Very rarely will you see a real mud puppy in a pet store. So, if you are considering purchasing any type of salamander as a pet, be sure you use the correct terminology and be sure the employee of the pet shop you are buying from understands exactly which species you are referring to.

Axolotls are fully aquatic, spending their whole lives inside an aquarium filled with water and breathing from their gills. Tiger salamanders start out as aquatic when they are in their juvenile state. As they get older, however, they begin to absorb their gills and start spending more time breathing air at the top of the water in the aquarium. They will require a terrarium for the rest of their lives after this stage. An aquarium and a terrarium are completely different setups.

The differences in appearance between an axolotl and a larval tiger salamander are slight. The color of the animal should give you some indication of what species the critter actually is. Look for spots on the animal. If the spots are a dark color, you are probably looking at an axolotl. The toes of a larval tiger salamander are shorter than that of an axolotl. It can be very difficult to distinguish between the two, and often pet store workers do not even know there is a difference. These pets are often sold under the common name “water dog.” People use the term loosely and do not always make clear exactly what species they are actually selling.

If you decide to purchase either an Axolotl or a larval tiger salamander as a pet, be sure you know exactly what you are looking for when you go to the pet store, or you could find yourself with an entirely different pet than you bargained for.