News Blog Life isn’t fun and games for pet axolotls (01-09-25) The fourth most googled question related to axolotls is ‘are axolotls real?’ This is less surprising when you know – as some of you may already – that, as well as being a critically endangered aquatic amphibian from Mexico, axolotls are a mob (character) on the computer game Minecraft. Following their introduction to the game in 2021, google trend reports show that worldwide interest peaked and has remained high. Sign the petition for a permitted list of animals that can be kept as pets Axolotls are now widely kept as pets in Scotland and the rest of the UK, and for many people, particularly children and young people, the desire to keep them stems directly from seeing them in Minecraft. In the game axolotls can be kept in aquariums and put on a lead. This is a clear example of people buying animals on impulse and thinking of them as commodities, which are two of the strongest themes that emerged in the research we commissioned. Too many people don’t understand that these animals have feelings and complex needs. In their homeland of Mexico, axolotls live in streams and deep mountain lakes fed by snowmelt. Some people keeping them as pets struggle to maintain the correct water temperature, which can cause problems as they are highly sensitive to temperature variations. It is also quite common for their ‘floofs’ (gills) and slime coats to be damaged by poor water quality, stress, others in the tank, or the tank itself. People sometimes resort to putting their axolotls in the fridge temporarily to try to reverse these harms. Overfeeding is another problem in captivity, where they are deprived of their natural hunting behaviour. Despite this, axolotls are described as ‘beginner friendly’ and they are easily available for sale online, with some sites offering delivery. The second most googled question is ‘where can I buy an axolotl?’ The ability to buy a living being with the click of a button is not conducive to thoughtfulness. Captive breeding of colour variations that are not found in the wild – but look more like those in Minecraft – further blurs the distinction between what is real and what is a game. It is not a game for the poor animals stuck in barren tanks though. Sign the petition for a permitted list of animals that can be kept as pets Our Don’t Pet Me campaign is working to end the suffering of wild animals kept as pets. That will need the Scottish Government and others to take various measures, including finding ways to interrupt impulsive buying prompted by films, games and influencers. Read our Don't Pet Me report Manage Cookie Preferences