Illness/Sickness: Possible anchor worm infestation?

[Bwathke]

So I recently acquired an axolotl while ice fishing a month ago. Sadly the hook took one of his eyes out, so I decided to take him in in hopes of giving him a better shot. I had him in a holding tank with water from the lake while I made up a 20gal aquarium for him. I purchased some feeder fish (I have since learned that was a mistake) from a local pet store, he ate one of them but wasnt too interested after so I left him alone for a while. He ate a couple of worms I gave him as well. I was moving his tank around and while looking at him I noticed his gills looked smaller than normal and not as bright. He is also COVERED in these little white worms. After reading many articles on this site and others Im quite certain they are anchor worms most likely from the feeder fish I gave him. But from my understanding those "hook" themselves into the host, these white worms seem to crawl around him aimlessly and I can pick them off with no resistance. I also viewed a couple under a microscope and they didnt have the "anchor" tail those buggers seem to have. So Im quite confused on what these are and what steps I should take. Ive since fridged the little guy while I clean the tank and figure out how to help him! Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated!

 

[DSaxolotl]

Hello,

As much I am against collecting creatures from nature , that deed is done and you should try to provide best care possible now.

Cant really say from the pictures what kind of worms they might be but what I would do is , remove / wash them off him. Clean you tank / vacuum gravel etc and then do a good portion of water change.

Meanwhile look for some deforming products such a API General Cure that might get rid of the parasites. Do your research beforehand on whatever you choose to use.

Get a proper axolotl food , pellets, earth worms, blood worms etc.
Read on how to cycle your filter so they can handle the waste/ammonia, read on acceptable water conditions and nitrogen cycle. Use conditioner for your tap water API Prime etc...

 

[Bellabelloo]

Can I check with you that you caught this from the wild? If that is so, it is unlikely that this is an axolotl. but may be a larval salamander. The head shape doesn't look right either. Could you post some more pictures please? Let us know what state you are from too and someone may be able to identify it for you. The gills getting smaller may be because its about to metamorphose. Just in case add somewhere it can haul out onto if needed.
Now onto the anchor worms Here is a post that explains how to treat it.
http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-be...anum/f58-sick-axolotl/60192-anchor-worms.html

Please so keep is posted, I'd love to see more about this animal

 

[Bwathke]

I agree with not taking creatures from their natural environment, I just felt with the hook taking out half of his sight he may not make it long in the wild. That may have been poor judgement on my end but as you said the deed is done and now it is my responsibility to provide the best care I can for him! When I first found him I was wondering if he was a larval salamander (Ive had a Tiger for a little over a year now) but from how large he was I was just guessing he was an axolotl. He was caught in 5-6ft water (sadly) on a crappie bait from a lake in Northern Wisconsin. I've been using a water conditioner and have kept an eye on the water parameters, everything was fine in the tank he was in and the new one I had setup. I attempted to remove the worms by hand but I cant get them all or near his gills without worry of injuring him. Are they indeed anchor worms? I read the post you linked prior to making this post and looked into Dimilin, but it sounds like I should not attempt to use any chemical to remove the parasites without being 100% certain of what they are first. I got a couple of pictures taken moments apart so you can see the movement of the worms.




They crawl similar to inchworms, but again do not seem to be hooked into him, after removing 10-15 of them I see no wounds or any entry attempt from the worms. I'd just like to know what they are for sure so I can avoid stressful or harmful chemicals if there is a "cleaner" way to dispose of them. Ive also attached a full body shot of him, hes about 10 inches long. I will definitely add a land portion in his tank if he is indeed a larval salamander. I would be ecstatic if that was the case and he metamorphed, I have lots of experience with land salamanders but next to none for the aquatic guys!

 

[Nina Willis]

Not an axolotl. They are native to mexico. At some point he will probibly morph, so be ready to provide some land for him when that happens.

 

[Bellabelloo]

Thanks for replying .
j am pretty sure it is anchor worm, and if it was my animals would treat it as such. Maybe worth calling a vet to see if they will treat wild animals?.Here in the UK they will treat free of charge, mind you, our wildlife is less exotic
Looking at the photos and looking on Google, suspect this could be somemtypr of Necturus, but the dark colouring makes me less convinced. Hopefully someone more familiar will see this and comment

 

[Bwathke]

Alright thank you for the advice, I’ll get a hold of some Dimilin and hopefully that will clear up these parasites. I was wondering when I first got him if he was a “mudpuppy” which I thought was interchangeable for axolotl (I have since learned they are quite different!). I have changed his tank accordingly, he has a good 3-5 inches of water and his log he hides under is now poking up out of the water. Once the parasites get cleaned up and he’s back in his home I’ll be able to keep an eye on him and see if he starts to come out of the water. If he doesn’t or anyone is able to tell me he’s definitely a mudpuppy I’ll be sure to provide him with a lot more water again! If anyone would like specific photos of him to help identify I would be happy to provide them!

 

[Bellabelloo]

I think this little guy is in good hands. Please keep us updated :happy:

 

[michael]

Looks like a Necturus. If the warms crawl around they are not anchor worm. Sometimes worms are in a set up that are not parasitic to the salamander. Maybe they are from the fish you fed or something in the set up. A good way to determine that is to put the necturus in a tub or tank with nothing but clean water. If more worms show up they are probably parasites or worms that the salamander passed in it's waste.

Dimlin would probably be an appropriate treatment.

Can you get a better picture of the worms?

 

[Bwathke]

I found some Dimilin (more than Ill ever need in my lifetime) but itll be awhile before it gets here. I got some more photos which I hope are clearer images of the worms but its quite hard to get a clear and very close up shot. They dont seem to be moving around him as much, but they are definitely moving and were moving all over him quickly before he was friged. Hes been in there for about 4 days so maybe the cold is slowing the buggers down? I'd love to hear that its not parasitic so I can place him back into his real tank, I hate keeping him cooped up like this If they truly are anchor worms then Ill just have to hope shipping is fast!






EDIT: Forgot to add a happy note, its hard to see a difference in the pics but after hes been in the fridge his gills have gained a lot of the bright red coloration back to them. I was very happy to see that!

 

[Bwathke]

Update on Tippy (properly named by my girlfriend as he was caught on a tipup). Hes been doing well in the fridge. I got him to take a nightcrawler from my hands and he gobbled it down. The worms have completely stopped moving and look like white "pills" on him now. A TON of them have fallen off and died and Ive been dumping them out alongside his water changes (twice per day). The Dimilin has not arrived yet, but with the worms seeming to die from the cold, should I even use it? Id like to avoid using any chemicals if possible. A good 50-60% of the worms have fallen off after about a week of him in the fridge. Im hoping this means he gets to go back to his big tank soon

 

[michael]

It's a toss up. Do you think their are live worms inside it or do most of the worms seem to be on the skin?

 

[Bwathke]

I do not think there are any worms inside him, they all seemed to stick around his gills and tail. There are a few "inside" his gills but still on the outside of him. They're falling off as he swims, I tried to pluck some off but he really doesnt like being touched, understandably. If there were any inside him and they're just starting a new cycle or whatnot how long would it be before new ones would come? Ive been keeping a close eye on them and they are definitely declining in number quickly, for now.

 

[DSaxolotl]

I would use dewormer regardless. Only way to get rid or external/internal parasites in full is to use dewormer.

 

[Bwathke]

Sorry I haven’t posted any updates for awhile! I just wanted to let anyone following know that Tippy is doing great and his worms all seem to be gone He is back in his big tank and has been eating his nightcrawlers and loving them! Thanks for all the info and helping get this little guy healthy!



PS: The white specks are on the outside of the tank, I’ve gotta wipe it down!

 

[DSaxolotl]

Sorry I haven’t posted any updates for awhile! I just wanted to let anyone following know that Tippy is doing great and his worms all seem to be gone He is back in his big tank and has been eating his nightcrawlers and loving them! Thanks for all the info and helping get this little guy healthy!



PS: The white specks are on the outside of the tank, I’ve gotta wipe it down!

Good to hear that, what did you use to deworm it?

On a side note, that gravel is accident waiting to happen considering size of the pebbles. Might want to change to fine sand just to be on the safe side.

 

[Bwathke]

Since almost all of the worms were gone I used a minuscule amount of dimilin diluted in his tank. I couldn’t see any more on him before use and haven’t seen any after. I did a full tank clean/change afterwards and I haven’t seen any since. Yes I plan on changing the substrate after I read about how they can accidentally swallow the pebbles. I’ve got a dish placed near his hiding spot that I put his chopped up nightcrawlers on. How often should I be feeding him? It takes him 1-2 days after I put the worms in for him to eat them. I live in WI and he’s kept in a non heated room (figured it’d be best to keep his temp at the natural air temp) so the water is quite cold and I read they don’t eat a whole lot through the cold months. I just don’t want to overfeed him like you can with tiger salamanders (my tiger will eat ANYTHING that she sees move at ANY time )