Question: Help! Bloated? Pregnant? Fat? Sick? :(

[Dolores]

Okay... Why always my axies?!

I don't get it...
It's about my nameless wildtype (not the one on my avatar). I bought him/her/it/that thing as a female but after months I found out that it was more a... male with the a-little-swollen-cloaca and things...

Last week I noticed something different. A rounder belly... Like my female axie once had... But... It's a guy? Right now (s)he has a more swollen abdomen and it's also hanging lower than usual... And I first thought that he might be a girl and pregnant, but right now I think something else is going on.
(S)he suddenly stopped eating. Didn't want to eat a worm (still don't want to eat... Not interested, not even tasting it. Just sitting there with a worm on his face...I gave up so I dropped it on his/her head.... lol)

I will attach some pictures... (It might be hard to see, and it may look like I'm just freaking out of nothing... but there really is a change... Like my axie is suddenly more round... Also I see her lower jaw (the bone) sticking out, like she lost some 'fat' around there... But it's better to be there before things get worse...right?)

Oh... (S)he also swims a lot, gulping for air, so I think something might be wrong or not normal. I had the axie in the fridge for a few days but the fridge thing never worked for me... I don't have gravel in the tank, just sand. And nothing else that can be swollowed. There's nothing missing..... Not even a piece of the fake plants...
I hope there's not something terrible... burning the insides or something... Or a disease. I don't have an axie specialized vet around here and I don't know any...

The tank parameters are just fine. Pretty much the same as always. The water raised to 22ºC a few days ago but is now back to 19. I hope that's not the problem. (It was pretty hot in my room somehow)...

Please, help me. What to do? What is it? Okay, (s)he might not be looking terribly fat, but it really changed somehow. Also the behaviour of the poor thing...

(And please, look at the pictures... It's a boy right? Or am I just totally wrong!?)

[Zoe]

Heh Morrison, I would say he is a she, she looks the same as my Jabba hence the tummy

[Dolores]

Yep, something "full" like that. So you think she's just full of eggs and feeling uncomfortable? (That would be cute...)
If yes, do I just need to put Xotl in the same tank? (My male axie who loves to drop "packages" when a female is around...)

[Zoe]

How is she today any interest in food??

Hard to say with the eggs and up to you whether you put her in a different tank. My Jabba has had 2 batches of eggs so she is going into her own tank bt is really up to you

Hope shes better today.

[Dolores]

Beh, still the same, still not interested in food... But it looks like she's swimming less (stressy way) than a few days ago...

[Dolores]

Okay, she/he/it ate 3 pellets, that's all. Not interested in worms... Now 2 of my other axies don't want to eat as well (but that might be because it was (and today IS) pretty hot around here...)

But could it be that she had eggs inside and that she is reabsorping them? I don't know what else it could be... She is also pretty thin (pretty good to see that around the jaw, you can see the bone of the lower jaw sticking out, and it was never like that...) and the shoulders and hipbones slightly appear... The only thing is that she has a "big" belly...

Why do I always have to deal with the things that aren't easy to identify? If it was fungus or a bite wound... okay... But all those weird things... It makes me feel.... stupid... Like: "*Sigh*.... why am I keeping axies anyway... I can't even take care of them properly...."

[Zoe]

Sorry to hear your still having problems what a nightmare I do feel for you

Afraid this is not something I know much about and no point going over the usual check list with you as know you know your stuff.

Hopefully a mod or someone with more experience will step in particulary as your others are now not eating aswell! Good luck x

[Dolores]

Sometimes when my axies don't want to eat or "cooperate" I think something like: "Okay?! Not eating, hm!? WELL, SCREW YOU!!!" (like that I want to give it all up)

Because nothing seems to work... Whatever I do.

[Zoe]

xx

[Leanne]

Morrison you are a very good axie owner. Keep your chin up. I dont have any advice that you dont already know, all I can say keep checking your water, keep the tank cool and ride it out. They might be going through a stage of being a pain in the b**. Hang in there. Please keep us informed on how they(and you) are going.

[Dolores]

I guess that our fridge is evil...
I don't know what it is... It's not too cold in there I guess (at least... the thermometer says not)

But when I had my other axie in there a few weeks ago she came out with "shedding" feet and a piece of the tail was also flaking off...

Right now my "big bellied" wildtype also has some "painful looking feet". She was in the fridge a few days ago because maybe she swallowed a whole lot of sand that needs to get out... I didn't see a thing but the only thing I saw was that she also had those 'shedding" feet and tail, and today it looks pretty terrible.... All her feet look fluffy. Like fungus? (Okay, I did waterchanges daily, dechlorinated water in the fridge etc. so I don't get it and now I hate the fridge...)

Her feet also look weird, and sometimes bleed. One piece of the 'fuzziness" came off and it looks like some toes broke off... Poor thing. She is in a bare bottom tank on my desk so that I can keep an eye on her. Still not eating.

Oh and I do salt baths, but isn't that damn painful with bloody toes?

[Zoe]

Originally Posted by Morrison

I guess that our fridge is evil...
I don't know what it is... It's not too cold in there I guess (at least... the thermometer says not)

But when I had my other axie in there a few weeks ago she came out with "shedding" feet and a piece of the tail was also flaking off...

Right now my "big bellied" wildtype also has some "painful looking feet". She was in the fridge a few days ago because maybe she swallowed a whole lot of sand that needs to get out... I didn't see a thing but the only thing I saw was that she also had those 'shedding" feet and tail, and today it looks pretty terrible.... All her feet look fluffy. Like fungus? (Okay, I did waterchanges daily, dechlorinated water in the fridge etc. so I don't get it and now I hate the fridge...)

Her feet also look weird, and sometimes bleed. One piece of the 'fuzziness" came off and it looks like some toes broke off... Poor thing. She is in a bare bottom tank on my desk so that I can keep an eye on her. Still not eating.

Oh and I do salt baths, but isn't that damn painful with bloody toes?

Heh Morrison,

Umm sounds like what Jabba had (she is my troublesome axie bless her)!

Jabba's Poorly Feet Red & Skin Peeling???

Turns out it was nothing to do with my other guys so no nips etc just happened, Julia's axie (Bellabaloo) also had this problem with one of hers again for no reason! Know its stressful as Jabbas feet looked really painful, red, flaky and with toes missing was most odd and touch wood has only happened once BUT I did have to keep her out of her tank for quite a few weeks to get her healed I used tea baths daily and if I was you I would stop the salt baths as if they are red am guessing that would sting

Try some black tea, just chuck a tea bag in a cup with some boiling water, leave it to cool and put it in with your fridged axie and fingers crossed!

Chin up hope this all sorts itself out for you

[Dolores]

Thanks! I will try some tea baths instead of the salt ones!

Hm, she also developed some fungus on the gills... So still no sign of improvement yet...

Oh, I guess the feet turned out like that (as well as the feet on my other axie) because I accidentally placed both axies at the coolest place in the fridge. On the upper part of it all in the back... Today I found out that the back of the fridge also has some ice on it... (on the inside ofcourse)... So I guess I just did it totally wrong, poor lotls.
And I also guess that's what made the feet and the tail goes "dead-ish" and "sheddish". My other axie didn't have the fungus problem and is doing well now... but this one wasn't really lucky....


Oh, and still no food, but I think the most important thing is to get rid of the fungus.

And still bloated/fat/impacted or what...
I saw her cloaca, it was a bit "opened" like she was trying to get something out... But I hate the fridge and I'm scared that I might do it wrong and that the whole fridge is too cool for them... Is there another way to make them... (if neccesary).... poop?

They also eat food from the sand sometimes.... (When they missed when I drop a worm or so...)...
Can sand also cause impaction, blockage, non-poopness?

[mewsie]

Oh Morrison, what trouble you are having!

Can you clarify the order of events for us? In the first pictures, your axie looks nice and healthy, like Zoes beautiful Jabba. She does look like a girl, my boys are definitely boys, when you look down on them from above they bulge out at the cloaca, which your axie doesn't do. However, all my axies except the baby are boys, i don't have a adult girl.

But I'm just confused about whats happened with her. She looks fine in the first pics, then you mention the poorly feet, but that they happened after the fridge... So why did she go in the fridge? I think it's Kaysie that says she's had tanks accidentally freeze over and the axie has been fine, so i'm not sure the cold is that worrisome. The stress of moving in and out and salt baths and different tanks could be bothering her and making her unwell, perhaps?

You do seem to have had some strange skin probs with your axies though, do you think something could be in your water from the tap even? Anything in the tank that could be leaching nasties into the water, like unusual rocks or ornaments etc?

And, stop worrying so much, you! x

[Dolores]

Ah yes, I agree, it's a bit confusing.
Well, a week (or so) ago I noticed my axie was "fat". Okay, not terribly fay, but something really changed. She was also swimming up for air all the time and feeling uncomfortable. I thought... "Hmm, maybe she has swallowed something. Let's fridge her to see if something comes out". (Okay, not literally like that, but it something how I thought)

So I fridged her for 2 days or so and then I saw those flaking feet... I took her out immediately and (after getting back to normal temp.) I placed her in a bare bottom tank that fits on my desk. An then the days later (just like NOW) she developed fungus on the feet and part of the tailtip. And gills, today...

(Oh, the fungus on the feet does look less, but she is missing toes on some places and I can see a little bone sticking out on one foot)

The pictures are not that clear I guess. Maybe I had to post a before and after-picture. The thing on the picture is is that she had a rounder, belly, and not that much like a little overweight axie, but more like something that can't get out. A little bloated, not that bad...

I had some trouble months ago with my axies, but luckily I haven't seen anything like that anymore and I tested a lot to make sure no creepy beasties are in the water.
Only thing in there is a little bit of algae (but it's the other tank and it's getting less luckily )

Also no unusual ornaments. Pretty much the same as I always used. And all cleaned before placing in the tank. Also nothing from "the big scary outside" with parasites on it...

Sorry for this big wall of text again.

(Oh, and I'm trying to keep moving her (salt baths, other tanks etc) to a minimum. I don't want her more stressed... But... She's pretty calm now... Sometimes gulping for air but not swimming around uncomfy).

[Leanne]

you poor thing..you are having a rough patch.
Are the teabaths working do you think? Are you able to gently get the fungusy stuff off using a cotton tip?
Have you thought about ringing a vet and ask their advice??? Is there one in your area???
hang in there

[Dolores]

Sadly there is no vet around here. I also have a corn snake and when he was sick I couldn't find a vet who knew someting about reptiles... So a vet who knows something about axies would also be pretty hard to find.

It looks like the tea baths are also calming her down... (I mean, a salt bath would hurt pretty much when you have big wounds on your feet... so this probably feels much better).

Right now there is a piece of fungus hanging pretty loose on her feet. I'm afraid that I hurt her when I'm trying to gently wipe it off. Just a cotton tip or does it need to be soaked in something? Like... more tea?
There's also a little bit of fungus on the back of her gills and when I touch that part to take a close look she swims away like: "DON'T touch that!" So that would be pretty tough to wipe off when she does that all the time...

But I'll definitely continue with tea baths.

[Leanne]

I know vets are hard to find.
I was thinking if you could get the fungus off then it wouldnt grow on itself and would just disappear......no need for salt baths that will hurt nameless.....I just used a cotton tip(no soaking) and removed the fungus. Do you have nameless out of water at any stage??? Is there a time when you could gently flush some saltwater over the fungus areas without her poor feet soaking in it??? I dont know if this would work Im trying to put ideas out there........think outside the box......

[Leanne]

How about you PM one of the vets on the forum for advice........they might be able to add more

[Dolores]

I found a vet somewhere and I'm not sure if they also treat axies, so I've sent them an e-mail and I hope they can help me out.

Hmm, the salt thing. I'm not sure if it works, because the fungus is also on the feet and around the wound. So that would hurt anyway...

Now I'm almost sure there is still something inside her. I see some "goo" hanging out of the cloaca but there isn't more coming out.
She also regurgitated a little piece of food right before I cleaned the water again. Didn't knew she still had something inside her stomach...

So is there also a fridgeless way to make her poop?