Illness/Sickness: 13 year old sick axolotl

[Rania.jpg]

Hello, my 13 year old leucistic male axolotl used to be very healthy, active and was very colorful, his grills were also very big, fluffy and almost red, his nails very notoriously black.
He has been getting very pale and his grills have been dissapearing. I do have to inform that he has not been taking care properly, the quality of the water of his tank was not the best, neither the food that he ate (most of time he did not wanted to eat.) I have also notice that one of his front toes is missing.
Now that I am finally able to take care of him and I want him to get better and healthy like he always used to be, but I really do not know what to do.
I have recorded a brief video of him: Axolotl - Google Drive


Please help me to get him healthy again, thank you

 

[axolotl nerd]

Hello, my 13 year old leucistic male axolotl used to be very healthy, active and was very colorful, his grills were also very big, fluffy and almost red, his nails very notoriously black.
He has been getting very pale and his grills have been dissapearing. I do have to inform that he has not been taking care properly, the quality of the water of his tank was not the best, neither the food that he ate (most of time he did not wanted to eat.) I have also notice that one of his front toes is missing.
Now that I am finally able to take care of him and I want him to get better and healthy like he always used to be, but I really do not know what to do.
I have recorded a brief video of him: Axolotl - Google Drive


Please help me to get him healthy again, thank you

axolotls must have good water quality and proper nutrition to be healthy. what exactly are your parameters? what has he been eating? he looks underweight as well, and his gills are in rough shape. gill receding can be related to old age, but the other information leads me to believe it's more of a care issue.
i've just watched the video, and he does look very distressed. he is dangerously thin.
my advice
- tub him using cool, clean water with dechlorinator. you may want to put in a few IAL or some black tea to help with stress.
- begin feeding him earthworms or red wigglers. he is quite small, and possibly weak, so you may have to chop the worms.
- invest in a bubbler/airstone. you do not need a filter in the tub, as you will do 100% water changes daily, but having an airstone can help with oxygenation and potentially fix his gills.

more pictures and information would be helpful

 

[Rania.jpg]

Thank you for your quick response!

- I do not know which were the parameters of his tank, but I do know that the filter was not working and that they rarely changed the water
He had been eating chicken and meal worms mostly.
- Do you know if there is any tutorial for IAL or black tea baths?
- I will give him earthworms or red wigglers.
- I have bought a new aquarium, filter and an airstone for him.
My axolotl is currently on a bowl (the one of the video), since he is looking very weak, Do you know how much liters of water is the minimum to use the airstone? I am very afraid to harm him. Would it be okay to put the airstone on the bowl? Should I get a bigger bowl? Sorry, I am so worried and anxious.

PD: I do not have more photos or videos.

Thank you again!

 

[axolotl nerd]

Thank you for your quick response!

- I do not know which were the parameters of his tank, but I do know that the filter was not working and that they rarely changed the water
He had been eating chicken and meal worms mostly.
- Do you know if there is any tutorial for IAL or black tea baths?
- I will give him earthworms or red wigglers.
- I have bought a new aquarium, filter and an airstone for him.
My axolotl is currently on a bowl (the one of the video), since he is looking very weak, Do you know how much liters of water is the minimum to use the airstone? I am very afraid to harm him. Would it be okay to put the airstone on the bowl? Should I get a bigger bowl? Sorry, I am so worried and anxious.

PD: I do not have more photos or videos.

Thank you again!

right, you'll need to get an API freshwater testing kit then. knowing water chemistry levels in your tank is imperative. no filter and few water changes are probably why his gills are in such a state. chicken and meal worms are not suitable foods, and probably have caused his malnutrition.
i use decaffeinated black tea bags in hot water, then leave it in the fridge until its the same temperature as the tank water. i add dechlorinator, then put it in.
good to hear his diet is going to change and that he's getting a proper setup.
i would get him a tub, i use one about the size of a shoebox. because your container is so small, perhaps wait on the airstone.
being anxious is normal, your pet is sick. the important thing is that you're doing everything you can.

 

[Rania.jpg]

-I just got him two new tubs about the size of a shoebox (one for his tea bath and one for his daily use until he recovers.)

- I also went to an aquarium store, they didn't have API testing kits, I will go to another store tomorrow.

-They did sell me an Instant Bactereum Conditioner: Dymax Instant Bactereum
Do you know if this conditioner can work as a declorinator? I do not trust this product neither the person that sold it to me, but since I am so worried, I just bought it just in case.

- I will also buy the black decaf tea tomorrow.
Can you tell me, for how much time does my axolotl have to be on the tea bath? I saw a post that said 10 min, 10 min then? and how much tea do I have to add to the water?

Thank you for your kind words, I am really trying my best, I feel very guilty. Once again, thank you very very much for your response, it means a lot.

 

[axolotl nerd]

-I just got him two new tubs about the size of a shoebox (one for his tea bath and one for his daily use until he recovers.)

- I also went to an aquarium store, they didn't have API testing kits, I will go to another store tomorrow.

-They did sell me an Instant Bactereum Conditioner: Dymax Instant Bactereum
Do you know if this conditioner can work as a declorinator? I do not trust this product neither the person that sold it to me, but since I am so worried, I just bought it just in case.

- I will also buy the black decaf tea tomorrow.
Can you tell me, for how much time does my axolotl have to be on the tea bath? I saw a post that said 10 min, 10 min then? and how much tea do I have to add to the water?

Thank you for your kind words, I am really trying my best, I feel very guilty. Once again, thank you very very much for your response, it means a lot.

- good to hear about the tubs

- you may have to look online or in a chain pet store (like petco/petsmart) but be sure you get the liquid testing kit

- i will never trust "bacteria in a bottle" type products, i would not use it personally. unless it says dechlorinator on it, it probably doesnt work. i use seachem prime dechlorinator.

- some people do tea baths, but i usually make a bucket and use it in my aquarium as a preventative. you may want to just have a low dose in your tub every day.

i understand. i was sent away for mental health treatment and had no contact with the outside world for three months. i had left specific care instructions for my parents, but when i got back things were a mess. she was healthy, but needed a lot of tlc and a full water change + tank scrub. i felt awful, even though i was not in any way responsible (considering i literally could not leave the facility)
either way, from what i understand, you arent the one who did this to him.

 

[Ya_Boi_Eon]

Chicken should mostly be used as a snack as it can grease up the water, making the axolotl sick.

 

[Rania.jpg]

- good to hear about the tubs

- you may have to look online or in a chain pet store (like petco/petsmart) but be sure you get the liquid testing kit

- i will never trust "bacteria in a bottle" type products, i would not use it personally. unless it says dechlorinator on it, it probably doesnt work. i use seachem prime dechlorinator.

- some people do tea baths, but i usually make a bucket and use it in my aquarium as a preventative. you may want to just have a low dose in your tub every day.

i understand. i was sent away for mental health treatment and had no contact with the outside world for three months. i had left specific care instructions for my parents, but when i got back things were a mess. she was healthy, but needed a lot of tlc and a full water change + tank scrub. i felt awful, even though i was not in any way responsible (considering i literally could not leave the facility)
either way, from what i understand, you arent the one who did this to him.

Oh, I am sorry to hear that, It's terrible to not be responsible and still feel guilty
Because of life circumstances, my family had to take care of him and even thought I left specific care instructions, they were ignored.

UPDATE: This last week he has been on a tub about the size of a shoebox with an airstone and daily water changes, he has eaten 3 days in a row and he seems slighty better, he is also more active.
I did not and will not use the ''bacteria in a bottle'', I did bought: sera Quick Test | sera and sera ammonium/ammonia-Test (NH4/NH3) | sera best I can get in my country.

Thank you again for your help!
Here is a pic of him, I think he might look the same as the first pic that I posted but I truly believe that he is better.

 

[axolotl nerd]

Oh, I am sorry to hear that, It's terrible to not be responsible and still feel guilty
Because of life circumstances, my family had to take care of him and even thought I left specific care instructions, they were ignored.

UPDATE: This last week he has been on a tub about the size of a shoebox with an airstone and daily water changes, he has eaten 3 days in a row and he seems slighty better, he is also more active.
I did not and will not use the ''bacteria in a bottle'', I did bought: sera Quick Test | sera and sera ammonium/ammonia-Test (NH4/NH3) | sera best I can get in my country.

Thank you again for your help!
Here is a pic of him, I think he might look the same as the first pic that I posted but I truly believe that he is better.

yep. nothing more frustrating than leaving very clear instructions then coming back to see none were followed. my mudkip is adnormally sturdy, and she was fine, but not all are so lucky.
the added activity and eating sounds like improvement, which is wonderful.
i must've misread when i thought you got bottle bacteria, the testing kit is good news.

 

[Autistic Catholic]

Given his age, his gills might not make a full recovery. If you access to the ingredients in holtfreter's solution, I would strongly recommend adding that as bad pH can produce anemia leading to the pale color your axolotl has right now.

 

[Rania.jpg]

Hello all, just wanted to give a brief update on my axie.
He is doing a lot better; he is very active compared with before but sadly he is still pale and his grill almost did not grow back