Minecraft: Do Axolotls Need Air & Can They Survive on Land?

Minecraft is filled with mobs whose primary role is to either make your life easier or harder, depending on whether they are passive or aggressive. Naturally, most passive mobs can either be tamed or offer some kind of bonuses and materials depending on the species. One of the species of useful mobs is an axolotl, an amphibian creature most commonly found in lush caves. Even though an axolotl is an amphibian creature, naturally players have many questions, for starters do axolotls in Minecraft need air, and can they survive on land? 

What are axolotls in Minecraft? 

Axolotls are colorful amphibian creatures often found in lush caves where the light level is 0. Water is the primary habitat of axolotls and needs to be at least 2 blocks deep. They will not thrive anywhere near shallow water. If attached to a lead, axolotls can give Regeneration I to the player for 5 seconds. They spawn in 5 colors: pink, gold, brown, cyan, and blue. The blue color is objectively the rarest. 

Even though Axolotls are passive toward the player and will not attack him, they can be quite aggressive toward other underwater mobs, going so far as to attack them. They employ various intelligent strategies in order to survive, like playing dead when damaged. For example, if axolotl attacks drowned and gets damaged by it, it will drop to the bottom for 10 seconds until Regeneration I kicks in.  

Axolotls will primarily attack hostile mobs like the aforementioned drowned, but they are known to attack passive mobs as well. They will never attack turtles, dolphins, or frogs, as well as mobs belonging to their own species, axolotls. 

Can I tame an axolotl in Minecraft?

Axolotl cannot be tamed like some other mobs, for example, wolves and cats. But they can be attached to a lead and transported.

There are several ways how to approach luring axolotls. 

1. You can lure axolotl by using a bucket of tropical fish, their preferred food, and putting them on a lead
2. You can transport axolotl by using a bucket of water. This is a great way to transport them since it means they will not dry out on land and you can easily place them in a pre-made controlled habitat of your choosing. Transporting axolotls by boat will cause them to dry out and die if the voyage is long enough,

How to breed axolotls in Minecraft? 

Axolotls in Minecraft can be bred just like any other breedable animal. You need to put them in the willing mode by offering them a bucket of tropical fish, after which two specimens will breed and produce a small axolotl. To breed axolotls, follow these steps: 

1. Get a bucker of tropical fish
2. Approach axolotls you want to breed
3. Interact with them while holding a bucker of tropical fish 
4. Hearts will appear over axolotl heads, and you will see another axolotl spawning near them 
5. After they were bred, axolotls had a cooldown of 5 minutes in the Java edition of Minecraft and 1 minute in the Bedrock edition. 

Axolotls typically inherit their color from their parents. However, there are small chances for them to be blue even if their parent is not blue. 

Do axolotls need air in Minecraft? 

Axolotls don’t need air like dolphins do. They can be submerged underwater for a long period of time. They have no use of air blocks in the same way that dolphins do. 

Can axolotls survive on land in Minecraft? 

Axolotls can survive on land in Minecraft. However, the conditions are specific. Axolotl will occasionally wander on dry land if water blocks in a radius of 16 blocks are at least 2 blocks deep. In that case, they can stay on land for extended periods of time. 

If they, for some reason, or by a player, move farther from the water, they can spend only 5 minutes on land before starting to dry and eventually die. This is why transporting them in a water bucket is preferable to leading them and a lead. If they are caught outside of the water, the axolotl will slowly move toward the water if water is within 16 blocks of it. 

If axolotls aren’t near water when it’s raining or during a thunderstorm, they will not dry out and die after 5 minutes. 

Do axolotls despawn?

Axolotls that were placed in a bucket and spawned by using the bucket do not despawn. They hang around as long as all favorable conditions, such as water proximity and availability, are met. 

What do axolotls do in Minecraft?

Axolotls can provide the players with the Regeneration I effect as well as remove the mining fatigue effect as long as the player engages and kills the mob that was in combat with Axolotl. This makes them valuable companions if you ever find yourself in caves and are in need of help while exploring underwater. 

To sum everything up, Alxolotls are relatively rare passive aquatic mobs that can provide the player with useful effects. While they cannot be tamed like some other mobs they can be captured in a bucket and led on a leash. In order to prevent the death of your axolotls you need to provide them with constant vicinity of water at least 2 blocks deep. This is the only way to prevent them from drying out and dying.

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