Urgent Help Needed

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diannpf

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My Otto seems unwell, again. Ok he was fine this afternoon but i just did a water test (it was fine) and this is what i saw:


Can this maybe constipation? The gravel is safe and small enough for him to digest so i dont think it would be that. Any help would be appreciated.

His bottom area seems to be swollen, and he is not the long slender shape he seems to be a bit wonky.
 

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Hi, he does look very uncomfortable. I would put him into the fridge right away , I beleive they tend to pass motions quite quickly..and you may be able to see what comes out better! The gravel you have may be small but ..imagine trying to pass something like that ( picture a large rough stone) I know I would not. My axolotls where kept on flouresent blue gravel by their previous owner and occasionally 3 months on I still discover smatterings of the stone in the tank. I'll kep my fingers and toes crossed for your little Axolotl.
 
'Put him in the fridge"? how, in a bowl with no air bubbles or filter? how long for? im a bit scared to do it, i dont want to kill him.
 
I don't think there is any reason to put him in the fridge. Refrigeration is effective for treating bacterial infections and fungus as it slows down the pathogen but allows the animals immune system to continue fighting it.

What you have is probably an impaction. I would put the axolotl in a bare-bottomed container with a hide until you can remove the gravel from his current home. This way you will be able to see the stone after it is passed. It may be necessary to see a vet if the blockage is bad enough. There are a lot of people on this forum that should be able to help you as this is a common problem, but I would not put your axolotl in the fridge.
 
that is a classic pose struck by an axie when it is bunged up no doubt by swallowing the small gravel you have in the tank. NO need to put him in the fridge once he manages to pass the blockage he should return to normal but remove the small gravel to stop this happening again. If you put him in a bare bottommed container you will see the amount he has swallowed..
 
Thanks. the lump seems to be smaller today, if i take out the gravel i have in there now what can i use? I have been told it is cruel to have nothing on the bottom of the tank as their feet get stuck like suction.
 
you should definately remove all gravel.
if you dont want bare bottom you can use play pit sand just make sure you clean it first.
if your tank is glass axies cannot grip but if it is perspex they will be ble to grip without sticking honestly either bare or sand is best.
 
Actually it isn't cruel to have a bare bottom tank, they soon get used to it, our axie larvae were raised on bare bottom containers and are now in a bare bottom glass tank as it's much easier for feeding and cleaning; one of our axies is in a bare bottom glass tank no problem.

You don't have to use sand, you could also use big pieces of slate (don't use river rocks you'll have a similar mucky mess like you're having with the gravel!

Or if you could do a permanent substrate idea, it may mean that you have to start cycling your tank again. Here's the link: http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/793/77098.html?1170154180

Also, what is your room temperature, you could leave Otto in a bare bottomed container/bucket and change his water daily. He will poo out the gravel but it can take months to come out of its body.
 
Thanks if i do the complete tank clean every day or every few days with the gravel would the water be ok, it wouldnt get cycled as i would be forever cleaning it.
Also if i use sand, how do i clean it?
 
Last edited:
No, you're right it wouldn't cycle if you emptied it completely. The general rule is frequent partial waterchanges. So, even if you do it daily or every 2 days, only do 20-30% of the tankwater.

The easiest thing would be to transfer Otto to another container of water/tankwater and remove the gravel. I know you probably think its going to be a lot of hassle, but it's worthwhile in the long run, easier to clean and you'll soon see little bits of gravel appearing over the next few weeks.

Ours have been pooing out gravel over 15+months, so it takes a while to get rid completely of it. Our girl axie in the bare tank had also been on gravel, her stomach is so fat (owners always thought it was from food or eggs as she was constantly like that), there's been a little bit of gravel every few days that I clean out from her tank.
 
The same thing is happening to my axie now. It has been doing this for two days now. Will it soon stop doing this. At night its but get reall big but then during the day it get smaller. I hope it can pass what is ever inside it.
 
hi stephen, what have you put on the bottom of your tank? I am thinking of maybe getting some sand, or larger pebbles but not too many as i want to be able to clean between them.
 
Make sure those "pebbles" are BIG. I suggest sand OR large rocks OR bare ( as mentioned above ). I bought 6 adult axies about 4 months ago and keep them in a bare tank - I am still getting stones out of them. If you love em then you will take the advice given by the team - if you do not take this advice it will be at your axies peril :(

IT IS NOT CRUEL TO KEEP THEM IN A BARE TANK - I use bog wood that has been leached of all tanins ( not that tanins affect them either ). Gives them something to climb on, even large rocks will do. Good luck.
 
I would just add my agreement with what others are saying: a bare tank is OK. The gravel size you currently have in the photo is not OK. If you are able to live without the tank for a while, or are setting up another tank, an additional option is to use silicone cement to STICK some sand to the tank bottom permanently. This is easy to clean and gives a nice "walking surface".

Fine sand can be cleaned with a normal gravel-washing siphon attachment. If you don't know what that is, see 5th photo on this page:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/faq/FAQhou.shtml

Diane, may I use your photo on Caudata Culture? It's a good illustration of constipation. If yes, please send me a PM and tell me whose name to mark on it as copyright.
 
I caught ray pooing out some gravel in the tank the other day, his belly was full of the stuff so I immediately went to the pet store to buy some aquarium sand. He's continuing to poo out the gravel but he seems a lot happier now.
 
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