My Axi hurt himself and I am so worried!

So I dont know how exactly this happened but...

(back story)
My axolotl LOVES the filter, I think him and it are having a love affair. I come home and catch him sliding up and down it, wrapping himself round it and laying on it letting it suction his skin. (end)

it is an AQUA CLEAR 500



yesterday I cam home and saw him upside down with his hand trapped inside of the bottom slots. I chose this filter b/c the holes in it were too small (so i thought) for him to get any appendages stuck.

His arm was cut up and swollen and I had to cut the filter apart (carefully!) to get his arm out.

I took him to an exotic animal vet and she gave me some SILVER SULFADIAZINE and BAYTRILL to treat his wounds. She also gave him a shot of painkiller (which he seemed to enjoy )

Today he isnt moving around very much...:-( he did eat a little, but I am worried that he wont be able to use his arm again. I separated him from his 3 fish buddies just in case they poked at his wounds.

He is almost 8yrs old now and has been a very smart and active little guy. I was so afraid he died yesterday, i almost had a heart attack when I saw him upside down!

Does anyone know of anything I can do other then what I am to
1. treat his wounded arm
2.make him more comfortable while hes healing and make him happier?



Also, he also lost his gills about a year or so ago. I don't have a clue why. The pH was ok and he doesnt seemed stressed or anything. Does anyone know why this is?? Can their gills ever grow back?
pictures below are of him 3 years ago and then now....

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2

now..

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He doesn't look very well does he.

Where do you have him at the moment? If he's in the tank, then remove him and put him in the fridge. The fridge will slow his metabolism down and give him a chance to heal. You need to check that the fridge temperature is 5C/41F or above, if not known, place a thermometer in a glass of water and leave it in the fridge for 20-30minutes. Check the temperature and if ok, then place your axolotl in the fridge.

For the fridge method:

Use a foodsafe plastic container with lid, long enough for his body length to fit in.

Place dechlorinated water into the container. Keep it low enough so your axolotl doesn't float, but covers his back.

Usually activeness in an older axolotl can mean something wrong with water quality, toxins could be annoying/irritating your axolotl.

Place axolotl in the container. Place lid on (to stop him jumping if he gets a fright) - no need for holes as there is more oxygen in cold water. Wrap with a dishcloth to prevent temperature fluctuations and light flashing from normal fridge useage. Place in the fridge.

Put a bottle of dechlorinated water in the fridge as well. You will need to do 100% waterchanges daily on his container, this is what this will be used for.

He may not eat while in the fridge if the temperature is below 8C/46F.

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Did the vet give you any medicine for your axolotl, if not I would just leave him in the fridge and see how he goes.

Salt baths are usually used for most treatments of infected wounds and fungal infections. But just keep an eye on him and see how he gets on over the next week.

As for your tank, what are the fish buddies? Fish can/will nibble at gill filaments, gill stubs and tail. This may have been part of the cause but it could also be water quality related. How long have they been in the tank with your axolotl?

The gill filaments may grow back, albeit very slowly and probably not as prominent as they were when he was younger. It takes longer to regenerate in an adult. Two of our adults had damaged gill stubs when we got them last year, through poor water quality with previous owners, but you can see little hairy filaments where they had none before.

What are your water parameters for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? These are more important than pH. Saying that if your ammonia levels are high (above 0) and you have a high pH (ie 8) then your water becomes more toxic. If ammonia or nitrite levels are over 0 then you should do frequent partial waterchanges (20% at least) daily.

What is your tank temperature and how much and often do you do waterchanges?

Thanks for the advice! I am going to get some test kits today to test the water for nitrites, nitrates and ammonia. Also, I will try putting him in the fridge.

The doctor did give me some topical meds and also so me stuff to give him a medicine "bath" to help the healing.

Another worry,

he was floating at the top of the tank this morning. I've never seen him do that and it worries me. He wasnt really moving that much, just floating there. then he finally floated back down too the bottom, not swam, just sort of dropped down lethargically.


the fish with him are small goldfish and i've never seen them mess with him (up until he got injured and there was skin coming off him arm)

I still have him in the tank...should I put him in something else?

thanks!

Yes, best thing would be to remove him and place him in the fridge using the above instructions. Lower the water in the container so he doesn't float. It can be stressful for him.

I advise you to remove the goldfish from the tank, they have parasites and excrete a lot adding to the waste load in the tank, ie water quality. Regardless of you thinking they don't mess with him, well they do nibble gills, this can be part of the problem. His stubs do look worse than ours did.

What is your tank temperature?