Please help- very sick axie! What can i do?

Hi everyone,

I've read a few threads to try and find some help. My poor yellow albino axolotyl "Serendipity" is very sick. She is mature and about 4 years old

She hasnt eaten in about 3-4 weeks now and just refuses and buries her head away.

She had her leg bitten right off by our other axolotyl so we separated them with some mesh stuff in the tank but ever since she has hidden in her cave and rarely moves around.

Today i noticed her flitting about in the cave and gently pulled her out to see if she was ok.

Her gills have turned purple and the red bits are bright red, she is on her side and not moving much.

I've put her in the fridge in clean water. How long should i leave her there for? What exactly will this do? Is it too late to help her? Should i call a vet or something!?

I feel terrible, and have been crying all afternoon as i thought there would be nothing i can do but i have some hope after reading this forum. I hope someone can give me some advice on what i can do to help her?

Oh and i don't know how to test the water?

Thanks in advance.

Firstly, when you say you've put her in clean water (did you dechlorinate the water - add water conditioner to water - before placing her in it!). Sorry just have to check!

It's a start and hopefully the fridge will help destress her somewhat. If she seems to lean on the side while in the fridge, try and keep the water as low as possible but still covering her top fin. Leave her in the fridge until she hopefully improves. The fridge will slow her metabolism down and putting her in there will hopefully give her body a chance to both destress/calm down and heal/get better. Don't forget to do 100% daily waterchanges. Keep either a bottle of dechlorinated water or another container of dechlor. water in fridge, so they're same temperature when you change water. Fluctuating temperatures can be stressful.

Regarding testing your water - take a sample of your tankwater into your local/nearest petshop and ask them to test it for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH and give you the results (ask them to write it down if necessary - when i first did testing I kept muddling nitrite and nitrate up...) The tests only take about 5-7 minutes.

Don't be tempted, by petshop assistants advice, to buy products to either a) sort out your tankwater (if there is high ammonia/nitrite or pH); or b) any medication etc... for your axolotl which will help calm/fix it. High ammonia/nitrite can be lowered by regular 20-30% daily waterchanges. Fridge should calm/destress it ...

Anyway, once you have the test results post them here if you're unsure.

What has your tank temperature been at? Have you had problems keeping it below 20 degrees Celcius? And, does she have any other tank companions apart from other axolotl?

ps: You can buy the test kits for these at the petshop either individually, approx NZ$15 each(so should be similar figure there), or as part of a full freshwater master test kit which costs NZ$55-NZ$75. If you can't afford to buy them as long as you take samples of tankwater to your petshop to test the water regularly/or if something seems wrong with your axies . They should do it for free.

Hope Serendipidity, improves! Love the name by the way.

(Message edited by heihei on January 29, 2007)