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Swollen Axolotl??

scoobydoo

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I purchased my female leucistic axolotl back in October right before Halloween and I have never had any health issues with her until this past week and a half. A week and a half ago, she started to refuse food. I was worried that maybe it was an impaction but there is nothing, but maybe the sand, that could have impacted her. Anyways, so she has lost all of her appetite and has not been eating anything, not even earthworms. She is living in a 37 gallon tank with my male axolotl. The male has had no problems at all and has been eating a lot. I hand feed them so it is not as if the male has been getting all the food.

About a week ago, I noticed she was very swollen. Her cloaca, which I had never even seen before, was slightly swollen, as well as her jaw. I was worried that this was caused by heat stress so I put her in the fridge for 4 days. She was very active in the fridge and the swelling decreased but it didn't go away. Has anybody else had this problem?

note: the first two photos are from last night, after I took her out of the fridge. The last photo is a picture of her 12 hours later, in my tank. All of the water parameters are safe.
 

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auntiejude

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How old is she? It looks like she is gravid, you may see eggs soon if she is in with a male.
 

scoobydoo

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How old is she? It looks like she is gravid, you may see eggs soon if she is in with a male.

She is a year and a bit while the male is 7 months but he is larger than her and his cloaca is fully formed. Would being pregnant cause a loss of appetite and swelling of her jaw? I am very new to axolotls as you can see.
 

auntiejude

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Loss of appetite yes, females generally don't eat when they are laing or just about to, but I don't see too much swelling in the jaw. The easiest way to tell if it's bloat or something else is to look at the legs - if the legs are swollen it's bloat.
 

scoobydoo

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Loss of appetite yes, females generally don't eat when they are laing or just about to, but I don't see too much swelling in the jaw. The easiest way to tell if it's bloat or something else is to look at the legs - if the legs are swollen it's bloat.

Thank you for your help, I hope she is pregnant rather than ill. I am very worried that maybe she is allergic to the java plant in the water? The swelling in her jaw has increased, she can no longer close her mouth. Also, I just noticed that a very small patch of her tail is white? It isn't like a spot or anything, I'll try and get a picture of it. Her cloaca seems to be open and there is white material in it, is that usual?? (sorry if this is too graphic) Thank you for your help.
 

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scoobydoo

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Her legs have turned completely red within the last 4 hours and she seems really lethargic :( I'm worried tonight might be her last night. I moved her into the fridge so maybe she can fight off whatever is attacking her.
 

Bette

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I'm sorry to hear that your axolotl is ill. I would bring it to a vet familiar with amphibians at this point.
 

scoobydoo

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I'm sorry to hear that your axolotl is ill. I would bring it to a vet familiar with amphibians at this point.

Unfortunately there is only one and it isn't open on Sundays. I will bring her tomorrow if she makes it through the night. I've done some research and it appears that she has 'Red Leg syndrome.' Is there anything I can do to help slow this down before tomorrow?
 

Bette

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Unfortunately there is only one and it isn't open on Sundays. I will bring her tomorrow if she makes it through the night. I've done some research and it appears that she has 'Red Leg syndrome.' Is there anything I can do to help slow this down before tomorrow?

Well, if that is what it is, then I am not sure.... I have no experience with that.
Since she is already in the fridge, I would leave her there until you take her to the vet tomorrow.
 

scoobydoo

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Well, if that is what it is, then I am not sure.... I have no experience with that.
Since she is already in the fridge, I would leave her there until you take her to the vet tomorrow.

Thank you very much for your help!
 

scoobydoo

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Unfortunately, Theresa passed away the same day that her legs turned red. Just as information for anyone in the future, here are the symptoms that occurred:

-Theresa all of a sudden stopped eating her pellets
-I waited 3 or so days, she still didn't eat anything
-I went out and bought earthworms, she tried to eat them but she kept spitting them out and she gave up after 3 or so tries
-Her throat/jaw became somewhat swollen, as well as her stomach, so I moved her into the fridge (about a week or so has passed during this time)
-Her swelling went down while in the fridge but never really left, as well, her colouration was a tad pale
-After 4 or so days in the fridge, I placed her back in the tank
-Her swelling reappeared immediately, and worse than before, and she appeared stressed
-The next day, she all of a sudden started to swim like crazy and gasp at the surface for air
-This is when her legs and lower stomach area became violently red, some patches on her face were also red
-I removed her from the tank and placed her in the fridge once again
-Whilst in the fridge, her gills lost all of their colour but her legs were still bright red and she was still fighting
-She started to begin flipping over but she would try to turn right-side up again
-She settled and then during the night, she passed


The haemorrhaging of her legs happened pretty spontaneously without warning other than the swelling and loss of appetite. I hope this helps someone in the future!
 

Bette

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I'm sorry to hear of your loss! Thank you for the details on her symptoms.... perhaps it will help others in the future.
 
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