Illness - help needed!

Hi everyone,

My axolotl is sick.

He's not eating, he's getting thinner (natch), and is generally not very perky. He has some slight red marks, like a rash, around his mouth. His veins are more noticeable across his body. See photos attached.

Here's his background. He has been living in the garage at my parents' house - we moved him there as it was too hot for him in the house (my parents are quite old, and blast the heating all day). My mother has been taking care of him for the past 6 months or so as I relocated twice (and he hates moving!!). She swears she has done everything correctly - water changes, using treated water, etc.

I changed the water immediately when I saw him and didn't think to test it first - doh! So I'm not really sure if there was an imbalance there. Could it be that he is just too cold in the garage? I see all sorts of stuff online about axies not getting too hot, but do they also suffer in cold? We insulate his tank with some bubble wrap and foam around it, but it's still pretty cold in the garage.

I have brought him inside in a travel tank today just to see if he improves. I tried to feed him but he doesn't really respond to the food as normal. However, he did seem to be trying to eat from the tank floor (opening his mouth), but just not managing to get a powerful enough vacuum to get any food in there.

What's going on here? Any ideas? And what can I do for him?

Thanks in advance!

Sounds like a blood infection likely bacterial. Should try and consult with amphibian veterinarian . There are good lists on this site for herp vets. Good luck and let us know how it goes . There are many stories on here about disease try and search for similar stories by typing in the symptoms to the search field .

Thank you! I will. Poor wee guy.

Hi again,
I took him into the vet last Thursday and he's on the antibiotics now. The swelling on his mouth seems to have gone down, so that's a plus. But he's still not eating! It must be weeks since he has had anything. Any more tips on getting him to eat? Or will it just happen when he's ready? I was thinking of trying to put some food in his mouth as we administer his antibiotics. He's getting very thin

What are you offering him? Have you tried small live earthworm?

I would assume that force feeding while administering the meds shouldn't be harmful.

He ate a worm this morning!! All by himself. I am so happy and relieved!
Thanks to everyone who responded.

Guys! After he ate a couple of worms the other day he perked up. But just the last couple of days I noticed him acting really agitated- thrashing about, possibly chasing his tail (?), floating around. His cloaca is swollen - is he just constipated? Would that make him thrash like that?
Tested the water parameters before and all normal. First I wondered if his skin was just irritated from the antibiotic administering (on a towel), but then saw the swelling..
thanks!!

Here's a photo if it helps. I can try and get more for details if necessary.

I put him in a cold place him for a couple of nights but no pooping. I've now moved him out again to his normal tank as I'm more concerned about getting him to eat which he obviously didn't want to do in the cold.

He seems to be finding it difficult to eat. He will snap and shake his head but he doesnt really open his mouth enough to get food in, or he just goes in the wrong direction.

A vet has advised to get hold of some liquid paraffin to clear him out.

Any more thoughts and ideas much appreciated...thank you.

Sick axolotl - red leg?? Please help!

Ive been posting the last couple of weeks about my sick axolotl. Here's a summary of events:
- Axolotl not eating for a while, floating, unhappy- was diagnosed with bacterial infection and stomatitis
- Treated him with antibiotics for 10 days
- Still not 100% but got a couple of of worms down him.
- Then he seemed to be constipated - swollen cloaca etc - but 'went' yesterday despite still not eating.
- Seems to be deteriorating further today. Floating, not eating, slightly red tail, veiny appearance, a small red mark on his leg.
Water parameters are fine. He has a new plant in there but I can't see it being the cause of anything because he was ill before the plant went in.
Is this the dreaded red leg?? Should I put him back on the antibiotics?? I am so worried about him
I'm attaching a photo of his tail...will try and get more later...

Oh dear…I'd take him to the vet immediately. I'll keep my fingers crossed that he gets well soon.

Ohhhh, thank you!
Shortly after I posted that I freaked out and decided to put him back on the antibiotics (vet agreed the morning after) and in the fridge. He's in there now and at least isn't getting worse. Although he needs to eat ASAP, I won't move him out until its cleared. Don't want it creeping back, or a fungus.
BUT- does anyone know how I should deal with his tank? Do I need to sterilize it? What about the filter? Obviously I don't really want to cycle it again but I don't want him going back in there if its harbouring nasty bacteria. Wondering if he picked it up again when he went back in there from his hospital tank.. Thanks!

Don't worry too much that he's not eating. Imagine yourself being really sick and having no appetite.
They are able to survive for weeks, sometimes even month without food. As long as he's in the fridge, it's highly unlikely that he will eat. His metabolism slows down because of the low temperature.

Just try to stay cool. You're doing a great job. :happy:

What does the vet say about the tank and the filter? I'd ask him.

How is he? Please tell me no news are good news...:uhoh:

Ahh, I only just saw this! I didn't get a notification, or else I just missed it in my email. Sorry about that!

So...he's still in the fridge. He hasn't got worse, which I'm happy about (I've heard how quick these things can progress!), but he's not really better yet. He still has red on his legs and is still on the antibiotics. The vet said he'll need to take them for another 3 weeks!

I'm pondering what to do about the tank still. When I visited the vet (when he was first sick), he said I didn't have to sterilise the tank. But I'm worried that if I don't, he'll get sick again, like he did when we put him back in there after his first 10 days of antibiotics. I'm thinking of cleaning the tank, starting it cycling again while Axel is in the fridge, then putting him back in it ASAP. It's hard knowing when he'll be able to go back in though - I don't want him to get sicker or get a fungus or something when he's already weak. But he needs some food soon..the last thing he had was a couple of worms about 2-3 weeks ago, and nothing since, and very little for weeks before that.

Any thoughts always appreciated!!!

Thank you so much!

Thanks for updating! :happy:

It's not that bad that he's still in the fridge. Once I got two axies that had been treated really bad for a year. Their water was too warm and filthy, they had big gravel and all they've ever been fed were expired no-name pellets not better than styrofoam.

The diagnosis was staggering: damaged organs as a result of malnutrition (both of them had yellow heads - a sign of liver and/or kidney damage), enteritis and hemolyzing staphylococcus and streptococcus. Their chance was fifty-fifty, and we gave it a try. Long story short, I had them in the fridge for over two month…they didn't eat once during their treatment. (I cried tears of joy when they ate their first earthworm three month after I got them.)

But they recovered! Sadly, the organic damage was irreparable, but without the fridging and the treatment they would've been put to sleep at the age of one instead of two.

Axel has a better background story. :happy: Really, don't worry about him not eating as long as he is in the fridge.

If you feel safer, definitely sterilize his tank. It's a good plan to do it now so it will be ready for him. You can boil everything that won't melt or put it in the oven for an hour or so. Don't forget about the filter.

Did the vet tell you what Axel is suffering from exactly?

Ah! That must have been so stressful for you. What a scary list of problems! It's nice that you could give them a better life for a while.

The vet was pretty vague - when I first took Axel in, he diagnosed it as stomatitis and a general bacterial infection. Then, when he got worse again, and developed the leg marks, the vet said it was red leg.

I know that infections - particularly persistent ones - might be the result of something else, more serious. Is that right? I'm worried that for the time he was with my parents (about 6 months) he might have got something worse and this is just the visible side of it. Could that happen? I checked on him every few weeks and my mother said she did everything as I outlined, but it's so hard to tell what actually happened.

Is there anything bad I should look for in terms of symptoms to know if he has any organ damage or anything more serious, besides a yellow head? Do you have any photos of when yours when they were sick? I might have another vet come out and see him if possible.

OK - I guess I'll leave him in the fridge for the next 3 weeks, while he's on the antibiotics. I will sterilise everything get the tank cycling in the meantime!!

Thanks so much for your help, I would be totally lost without it! x

Maybe something happened while he was with your parents, maybe not…infections happen when your immune system isn't able to prevent it. But that's the way you get a cold, too - I'm trying to say (and my english skills are on the lowest level right now because I'm tired ) it doesn't mean your parents treated him bad.

Of course, if something happens to an axolotl, it's much scarier than when a dog gets sick. I got my dog from animal welfare, he had a bad start being separated from his mother way to soon. Therefore, he has a weak immune system and tends to catch diseases easy and we have to visit the vet a lot. But I'm not panicking like when one of my axies doesn't look well.


This is what Nenetl and Nahuatl looked like when I got them:




Nenetl on the left was in pain because of the enteritis and pressed her legs against her body. Nahuatl's gills looked bad, and she never regrew them to be fluffy. I found out later that they were actually bloated when I took the picture - they were so skinny when they recovered, and they were never able to gain weight, although I fed them every day and they loved to eat. I let them go the day after they stopped eating. Autopsy showed how badly their organs were damaged.

I don't think that Axel's organs are damaged. Just try to keep cool and continue with the treatment as long as you have the feeling that you're doing the right thing. Sometimes it takes really long until they get better. :happy:

Thanks so much!

Axel doesn't have that yellowing, so that's good - I panicked because I thought I saw a yellow tinge on him earlier. But it was nothing like that.

So I'll just keep going with him in the fridge for the next 3 weeks. You're right - it's so worrying because its so hard to tell what's going on with a 'lotl! :sad:

Thanks again - I'll keep you posted!!

:

Yes, please do so - I'll be here waiting for news.