eaten stones-please help!

[miffyhorror]

ive had my axolotl for about 5 years now. hes had a bit of a saggy belly for at least 3 of those years. i was concerned he may be eating stones but the pet shop told me if he swallowed one he would spit it out and not to worry. i recently read they should not have gravel on the bottom of the tank so i thought i would change it to sand and examine him to see if his stomach felt ok. it didn't, there are definitly quite a few stones in there.
do you have any advice as to what i can do? im very worried, altho i belive hes had stones in him for quite some time and is eating fine ect.
needles to say i have taken the stones out of the tank.
thank you for any help, it would be greatly appreciated

[Kira]

Try putting him in the fridge for awhile as the cold temps might help him pass the stones. You need to put him in a container that is longer then your axie so that he can stretch out. Keep the fridge temp at 5C and do 100% daily water changes with fresh dechlorinated water.

If he has had the stones in his tummy on and off for 3 years then I'd say that you are a very lucky person to still have him alive with you!!!! Swallowing gravel can cause impaction and death.

[miffyhorror]

hey, thank you
i will get a thermometer first thing tomorrow as i have no idea what the temp of my fridge is.
its only a guess that hes been eating them on and off for a year, but i think its a good one as ive regurly noticed strange lumps in him (hes white so its easier to see 'through' him) and sometimes swims with a bit of a hunch back.
saying all this now it seems so obvious that there was a problem. he's just never showen any signs of distress or altered his habits (eating, movement ect) so i took the advice of the pet shop and didnt worry.
i feel really really terrible about it

[miffyhorror]

also, and this feels so stupid saying it now, i was told that axolotls didnt poo as such but filtered waste through there skin-?!

[miffyhorror]

ok, what i have done for now is put him in a bowl and put in him in my spare room with the window open as i know it will be a lot cooler for him in there.
ack-im so worried...

[Kira]

Put a lid on the bowl!!!! Axies have been know to jump out!!

Originally Posted by miffyhorror

also, and this feels so stupid saying it now, i was told that axolotls didnt poo as such but filtered waste through there skin-?!

Some pet shops don't know much if anything about axies.

[miffyhorror]

i put a lid on the bowl. that i know at least!
yes im learning now that they know very little :s

[Kira]

LOL I didn't mean anything by the bowl comment. Some people just forget that's all!

[Jay]

Originally Posted by miffyhorror

also, and this feels so stupid saying it now, i was told that axolotls didnt poo as such but filtered waste through there skin-?!

Axolotls produce a lot of waste, which why should you have a good mechanical filtration and bio-filtration (established through the nitrification cycle). It is also good practice to perform spot cleans to prevent a build of ammonia in the tank.

The pet store was not lying when they said axolotls secrete waste through their skin. But, they do not filter it through their skin, neither. The waste that is secreted through the skin is the form of ammonia. However, this is not to say that axolotls do not defecate. They most certainy do, and the pet store has been unfortunate (or, fortunate, depending on which way you want to take it) enough not to see it because it was picked up by the mechanical filter.

Jay.

[Kaysie]

As the old adage goes... Everybody poops.

I don't think anyone's mentioned it yet, but you'll have to change your substrate from gravel. Sand is an appropriate choice (children's play sand, or pool filter sand), as is large rocks (which is harder to clean), or even just a bare bottom.

[miffyhorror]

Originally Posted by kira

LOL I didn't mean anything by the bowl comment. Some people just forget that's all!

oh no thats fine

[miffyhorror]

ok, i looked at him this morning and there was a lot a waste in the bowl which is good, but no sign of any pebbles :s can they survive with stones in them if they are still 'regular'? his belly isnt swollen or anything.
i have also moved him to the fridge
thanks to everyone for help and advice :)

[miffyhorror]

he passed some stones tonight! phew, im so relieved shocking tho as there so big compared to him. poor thing!

[Kira]

Glad to hear it!!