Floating tails?...

Hi guys,
firstly id like to say thanks for all the ppl who help with info. thanks to that i seem to have healthy little guys who are growing well at 3 (or is it 4?) weeks since hatching...
having said that, ive noticed a few have "floating tails". Normally i feed then twice a day & last week i went to sydney & i was gone for about 32/36hrs. I fed them big just before i left & again the momennt i got back. I did notice some however had floating tails & i had read something that if they dont eat enough they get air in their bellies?

(Moved from the axolotl breeding secion)

Please work on your grammar and punctuation.

Axolotls can get air bubbles in their stomach when they're under fed, but if their tails are floating, that may indicate another problem.

That's not very helpful, Jake.
Kaysie once said that their behind floats up a little sometimes when they need to poop, it is possible that your axolotl could be constipated? Maybe you are feeding it too much? What do they eat?

inkozana said:

That's not very helpful, Jake.
Kaysie once said that their behind floats up a little sometimes when they need to poop, it is possible that your axolotl could be constipated? Maybe you are feeding it too much? What do they eat?

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Sorry I'm not a very helpful person, inkozana.

Let me tell you something seriously, if an axolotl needs to poop, it's behind doesn't float. It would float because it has a gas bubble trapped in its intestines.

drmunroe said that the axolotls have "floating tails" and then mentioned that there was a discussion about axolotls getting air bubbles trapped in them when they haven't eaten enough. Those are two different thoughts from what I can tell. I've seen axolotls in pictures and in person with raised tails, and I've seen those with bubbles trapped inside of them, and those are not necessarily the same thing. drmunroe never actually said that the animals had bubbles in their bellies, but that their tails are in fact floating, so how can you jump to the conclusion that they've been fed too much or that it even has anything to do with the food it's eating?
If anything it sounds like they're in need of a meal.

I must admit I used to notice this type of thing a lot more when my axolotls were babies. Now they are a year old I havent seen them exhibiting this tail floating in quite a while.

The only thing I did notice when mine did it was that when they were babies they were more active. More activity resulted in more frequent visits to the surface to grab a gulp of air.

Sometimes I would notice they were almost bobbing with the tails floating and the axolotl trying hard to keep itself level in the tank.
Then usually maybe a few hours or even a day later I would notice the 'bobbing' axolotl suddenly rush up to the surface and 'burp'. It would realease a large air bubble. It was usually fine after this and the floating would stop until the next time.
In baby axolotls obviously the digestive system and stomach are a lot less mature and I can only liken this to human babies who gulp a lot of air when feeding and get the hiccups or burps.

I don't think saying "Maybe they have been fed too much?" is jumping to a conclusion, Jake - it's just a question. I am just trying to help with the knowledge that I have gained from websites, breeders and helpful people on Caudata. In my opinion the food it is eating can have a lot of impact on digestion and the rate at which it occurs.

I really think you need to calm down a bit, I am just trying to help DrMunroe.

inkozana said:

I don't think saying "Maybe they have been fed too much?" is jumping to a conclusion, Jake - it's just a question. I am just trying to help with the knowledge that I have gained from websites, breeders and helpful people on Caudata. In my opinion the food it is eating can have a lot of impact on digestion and the rate at which it occurs.

I really think you need to calm down a bit, I am just trying to help DrMunroe.

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Drmunroe stated that the axolotls hadn't been fed in 32-36 hours which is a bit long for young larvae to go without feeding, so how do you figure that they had been fed too much? Axolotl larvae can and should be raised literally surrounded by small live foods without eating too much.

You obviously don't know me if you think I need to calm down, if I calmed down any more I'd be in a coma, but thanks for your concern

Okay, I'm sorry I thought you were getting mad at me.
I was just trying to help but I suppose I don't really have expert advice.

wow, there's tension in the forums...i didnt think my question was so controversial

*sings* "What the world needs now, is love, sweet love..."

or

*sings* "Be the love generation...."

anyways, thanks to all that posted. Yes i think they were just alittle hunrgy & maybe alittle full or air. They're fine now...if only i can get the little buggers to eat the blood worms!! Im sick of hatching brine shrimp!!

cheers