broken arm! :-(

I think my axololt Lucy has a broken arm...i bought her home from the pet shop yesterday and last night she was very active and swimming all over the tank, but i noticed she'd only use one arm and the other was tucked at her side and didn't move much. The arm looks fine - I can't see anything different with it compared with her other arm. Now she's calmed down and is sitting on her rock, but she's only resting on one arm and won't put any pressure on the other. What does this mean???? I know axolotls are good at healing when limbs come off - does this mean she'll be able to fix herself? how long will it take??

Lucy and I would appreciate any help!! Thanks heaps

Your Axie may have an injury. Take a good look to see. If so then keep the conditions good and Lucy should heal up without any problem. I have had Axies in the past who have had limbs bitten and the wounds must be tender because they do not stand on the injured leg - they always heal OK

dont panic

Its dissapointing when you bring your new axie home to find it not 100%. My little freckles ha exactly the same problem - keep him/her well fed with good quality food - the water clean and the temp at the lower end of the comfort tone and you will be amazed how quick it will heal. It took about 2-3 weeks for freckles to start to move/twitch the leg and about a month after this for full movment but it will tend to 'look after' this leg for a while though. Please give it a good look at to check that there are no ones sticking out as this might complicate things.


HOPE YOU AND YOUR NEW AXIE HAVE A FAB TIME TOGETHER!!!!!!

update on Lucy's broken arm

Poor Lucy seems to be getting worse...a few days ago i posted a threat saying she seems to have a sore arm - now she can't move it at all. And I've just noticed that it's a darker redish/grey just above the elbow. When she swims she keeps twisting her body and hitting the arm with her leg - almost like she's trying to pull it off!!! Is she still able to heal if the limb is still attached or can they only fix their limbs if its been bitten off? I hope she can't feel too much pain - it's traumatising to watch
Thanks everyone for your advice before - i'd appreciate any more tips u have...

Dittany, I merged your thread to avoid any confusion for people reading or wanting to help.

Does the limb have any open wounds?

Also, you've only had her for a few days, how long has your tank been setup? See: http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml and if you have any questions ask.

How often do you clean the tank, what size is it (length) and have you tested your water parameters for ammonia or nitrites at all since you set it up?

Reason I ask is if your tank is only newly setup it is cycling which could be effecting your axie. Any ammonia toxins that are now in the water can be irritating to your axie. If that's the case, then you'll need to do daily partial waterchanges, at least 20-30% (1/5) of tankwater to be changed, to keep toxins down low enough for your tank to cycle and your axie to live safely.

If you don't have water test kits, take a sample of tankwater to your petshop and ask them to test it and write the figures down for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Don't buy any chemicals as the frequent partial waterchanges will sort things out.

If the limb worsens you may need to get a vet to amputate it.

kapo forgot to mention that if the leg is amputated it will grow back so do not stress.

I had an Axie get its leg really chewed up years ago and it was hanging on by a thread and starting to look like bacterial infection was setting in - not good at all. I had to resort to cutting the damaged lower portion off with a razor blade. While this was not a pleasant experience my Axies health got better straight away and grew a new limb back. I am convinced it saved its life. He is stilll living happily today

i cycled the tank for 4 weeks before putting her in - is that long enough? I'm also using a secondhand filter - i've heard that helps as well with the cycling.

I took the water into the pet shop and they didn't know what I was on about - i don't think they even know what nitrite, nitrate and ammonia are!! Ill do water changes just to be safe - is it ok to put the water straight in (after it's been treated obviously) or should i leave it in a bucket for a few days before putting it in?

And also how long should i wait before resorting to the amputation option (considering it doesn't get any better) - How will i know when it's really necessary to do that? it sounds really painful so i don't want to do it until i absolutely have to - if it saves her life i have no choice!

thanks for you help

I must admit the thaught of amputating the limb my self made me cringe and I'm an ex country lass!!. But if it comes to it you need to be 100% sure you can do it your self..i.e its off first go. I think I would be able to do it if it was neccesary though, and to be honest it sounds likely. I suspect a salt bath would be needed after and fridging to help reduce potential stress, so you need to be prepared for all in advance. My thoughts are with you and fingers and toes crossed that it does not come to this.

Axies have cartilage instead of bones which is good. Cartilage - soft / Bones - hard. If you use a new and sharp razor blade the procedure is easy. It is a last resort of course but if septicema sets in you are in big trouble ( bacterial infection ). Sounds like your local pet shop does not know didly squat! I mean come on people . I treated my Axie with swabs of Iodine on the wound once a day - not sure if this is the best option but it worked fine ( this was at a time when you could not access the medications avaliable today ). IMPORTANT: Keep your water conditions clean. If you live in a town / city that has heaps of chlorine etc in the water then consider purchasing a large drum to fill with tap water and leave standing for several days BEFORE using it for water changes. I have a friend who has to do this in another city for his tropicals, I am fortunate that my tap water is sourced from artesian wells ( read: very good quality ).
I truly wish I lived close by because I would drop in and help out - can you post some pic's? They will need to be clear and have good detail though.

Yes you did more than most people with starting your tank 4 weeks in advance, and with a used filter. But cycling can take anywhere up to 8 or 10.5 weeks to cycle. Yours may very well have cycled but it's always good to check your water parameters weekly for fortnightly once it's cycled.

Does your petshop keep fishtanks, if they do I'm surprised as the majority of petshops if nothing else do test their water (at least one person is responsible for doing it).

After you treat the water, let it sit in same room for an hour so it degasses and the water is round same temperature as your tank before adding it.

You can buy freshwater test kits, they cost about $20 a piece or you can buy a master freshwater test kit which includes all tests for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, low and high pH. The one we use is an Aquarium Pharmaceutical brand where you fill the test tube with tankwater and add the respective drops, leave for required time and check against the charts.

Thanks NZaxie, I did forget to add the regeneration bit