Sick axolotl - advice please

right, i took my friends axolotl off him, because he never changed their water, hardly fed them and kept them in a fairly dark room. I have read up and put them in what I am told is the best environment for them. I have started feeding them, on a varied diet, but I have a problem with the male. Firstly, one side of his gills have been eaten away (maybe by the female), it looks like he is eating his own leg as well? He is not feeding very often. Also, he keeps floating to the top of the tank, and taking gulps of air, this seems to affect his bouyancy, he has his front feet on the ground but the rest of him floats almost upright. I'm new to this, and I don't want to distress my new pets - can you let me know you you guys think? Please e-mail me, I want to look after these little suckers. Cheers. Phil

clean water, dark room. they don't really eat all that often. I feed mine 1 3-inch(ish) worm twice a week. They will gulp air if the water is not well aerated (or even if it is, as mine gulp air too.) its a normal thing.

go to www.caudata.org/axolotl and read everything. Then if you have more questions, post here! good luck!

Don't worry too much about the floating vetically thing. They tend to do odd things from time to time. I've often seen them 'running' along the tank spinning their backlegs cartoon fashion...but you have to snaeak downstairs at night to catch'em...lol. It's an axie conspiracy thing.

floating at the top of the tank (horizontal) is typically down to bad diet a couple of days previously e.g too much beef or lambs heart.

i dunno mik, juju likes hanging out at the surface for no apparent reason...

I have noticed that the people who feed their axies liver and beef heart and that kind of stuff have a lot of that whole floating problem. Mine never get beef heart of lamb liver (whatever)they get earthworms and pellets every other day,i have never had a floating problem.and They havent had a problem with regenerating gills and feeties if that makes you feel better phil

Thx Heather thats was my point exactly and I did say typically.

I found out ages ago that if you cut down the beef/lambs heart & liver and there are no floating problems. Also I haven't seen a bolus I long time either.

The diet I feed mine is currently worms and pellets alternate days with once a week something else thrown in like pinkies, wax worms, meal worms, heart or liver for variety/enrichment.

Having said that; with recent drop in temperature they are now feeding every other day.

But I find worms and pellets by far the most convenient. Only draw back with pellets is having to vacuum out any uneaten ones by next day.

Your axies leave uneaten food? If I throw a cube of bloodworms in, they will eat every last bloodworm. They will hoover around until they are all gone.

[Dot Stasny]

Mik -

I have the same "problem" with the pellets. My two wildtypes used to eat them right off the tank floor when they missed catching them on the way down, but now only one will do it and only on rare occasions, (Bucky and Satchel are becoming quite the little primadonnas. ) And I'm in the process of getting my two new babies to eat pellets, with a lot of success, but with four axies eating pellets, and with me not having the patience to drop them in one at a time over their heads, it gets kind of messy. But sometimes I notice if there are pellets left in the middle of the tank floor, most of them will be gone by the time I go to vacuum.

i feed mine liver most of the time mine has never floated yet

That doesnt mean its healthy. You could eat big macs every day and not get fat, but that doesnt mean you havent clogged your arteries to the point of no return.

it must be some type of karma.......my ne baby is floating around now

it seems now like he does it on purpose because now when he floats around i will come into the room and he swims down to the bottom and waits for me to drop him some pellets. its so funny

Hi Jamie,

1. does she have any tank mates... please remove her from the main tank if this is so.

2. Is she floating at the top of the tank or does she have her bum up in the air?

If she is floating to the top of the tank, your best bet is to put her in a smaller tank with a lower water level so she doesnt get so stressed about the hole thing.

The reason axies go red is because they are stressed, this might be because of the floating issue tho.

Try and offer her some earthworms.. they love them! Frozen meat cubes are really not a great staple diet for them.

What do you have on the bottom of the tank? gravel, pebbles, sand etc?

And if she gets any worse try and find a Vet to see her.

Jamie sound advice from kim. Tried to move your post to a new thread and lost it. Looking to restore it. Aplogies but my powers must be weak, from too many kryptonite buttys.

thankyou Kim for the reply, spiket is floating with her head up and her tail down, i have fine gravel at the bottom, someone told us we have to have that because of her digestion. i removed some of the water so there is about 20 cm of water from bottom to top. Thanks Mikki, ill post it again.


HELP FOR MY SPIKET PLEASE!! She has lost alot of weight and is floating in her water, she wont eat, we have tried bloodworms, pellets, meat cubes, and i have given her an epson salt bath to hope to get her to stop floating, please help me...anyone...please help my spiket.

thanks

Jamie

Who ever told you about the fine gravel was sooooo wrong it's not even funny. Birds eat gravle to digest their food not Axies, the best thing for them is very large gravel, the next best is no gravle at all. Most of the time gravel will pass slowly, unharmfully (and unbenificially) through their digestive systems; however, due to their slow speed they can cause other things such as air bubbles to move slowly through there system, and there will be the occasional piece of gravel that gets stuck in their intestines and kills them. Salt baths won't stop floating, stop feeding her beef and get rid of the gravel. Meanwhile put her in water so her feet can touch the bottom and feed her healthy suff like earthworms until she stops floating.

Spiket, was there ever a Spike?

Jamie,

Yes fine gravel is bad for your axie, as they can eat it and get impaction from it. Please dont remove all gravel as it will contain a bactira which helps the water cycle and be otherwise heathly. I would surgest getting some pebbles (remove axie while doing this) and put them on top of the current lay of gravel you have. This will then keep the bactira and you shouldnt eat any gravel eating. The best size guide is something that wont fit in there mouth, say 1inch or more. But try and get it so that the smaller gravel is covered!

You might be best to leave her main tank as it is and put her in a bare bottom holding tank for a few days, then you will be able to see if she passes any gravel.

Best thing to do with feeding is to just keep offereing her, she will soon eat when she gets hungry, axies can go quie a length of time without feeding if they need to, or in the wild if food in minmal.

What temp do you have her at, at the moment. The hotter is it the more stressed she will be...

The only good reason to give her a salt bath is if she has any signs of fungus.

Anyway good luck and keep us updated.

Hi, this will be my last communication with you, Spicket just died 10.00am 31.10.2004 Sydney time. I'm so upset I think you all can imagine what I;m going thru now, I'd like to thank everyone who helped and offered advice. Thankyou to all and long live the Axloltl. R.I.P. Spiket
Jamie

Always sad to lose one; Hope Jamie O tries again.

Jamie,

Sorry to here about Spiket.

I know it can be hard.

Feel free tho to stick around and pick up any info on future axies you may get.