Meet Lizzy (of the lotls)

🦎 Meet the Breeder: Elisabeth “Lizzy” Harper

Elisabeth “Lizzy” Harper is the passionate owner and founder of Lizzy’s Lotyls, LLC, a Massachusetts-based axolotl breeding and boarding business dedicated to producing healthy, ethically bred pet axolotls.

With a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Management from the University of New Hampshire (2002), Lizzy has built a career rooted in animal care, science, and welfare. She has spent over 20 years at Tufts University in Boston, MA, where she currently supervises the Veterinary Services team within the Comparative Medicine Services department. In this role, she supports the care and wellbeing of thousands of animals, ensuring the highest standards of veterinary and technical excellence.

Lizzy’s expertise doesn’t stop in the lab. For over five years, she has been carefully breeding axolotls at her LLC's physical location in Marshfield, Massachusetts, focusing on health, genetics, and responsible ownership. Her mission is to improve both the pet trade and broader axolotl populations through thoughtful, science-driven breeding practices and appropriopriate social housing.

What truly sets Lizzy apart is her innovation: she is the first axolotl breeder in the world to offer non-invasive, sex-genotyped axolotls to the pet trade. This groundbreaking approach allows future owners to know the genetic sex of their axolotl before maturity—helping prevent accidental breeding and reducing the risk of inbreeding within the hobby.

Through Lizzy’s Lotyls, she is committed to:

• Producing robust, healthy axolotls

• Promoting ethical breeding practices

• Educating owners on proper axolotl care

• Advancing genetic responsibility in the hobby

Whether you’re a first-time axolotl owner or an experienced keeper, Lizzy’s goal is to ensure every axolotl is placed in a home where it can thrive.