Axie escapee

gershco · Oct 11, 2007

One of my juvenile axies has some kind of pale substance on his gills. I haven't been too concerned about it as an older axie had it for a couple of weeks and then it disappeared.

However I just went upstairs to feed the axies and found this axie had gone missing. On searching, I found it on the table below the shelf where it's contianer is. Could its escape from the water be a sign that it's not very happy and needs some help?

I thought I'd try a combination of salt baths and fridge treatment, so I looked up the salt bath concentration on the axolotl page, made it up and put him in. He wasn't at all happy about it and after three minutes I noticed his tail was bleeding so I took him straight out and have now put him, in the fridge.

ianclick · Oct 11, 2007

Hi any chance of a photo?

Sometimes axies escape by jumping out of the tank.

Axolotls don't appear to have the fight part of the fight or flight behaviour. They go for the flight and hide or freeze and look like a plant behaviour.

It is possible that it has been startled a leapt out of the water to confuse or elude perspective predators.

Or it wasn't happy where it was and left. For an axie this is slow suicide. it is possible for them to breathe air but they need water for their slime coat.

I would say it can't be a good thing.

Fridging helps axies destress the cooling slows their metabolism. So I would say leave him in the fridge while you address the other issues.

You may need to check your water temp and parameters.

Good Luck

gershco · Oct 12, 2007

I'll try to take a photo later. I'll have to borrow a camera as my youngest son recently broke ours!

I have six juveniles, each in a container of its own. I do partial water changes every other day and give the containers a complete clean once a week in order to remove slime that builds up.

I had done a water change only a few hours before the axie escaped. The other axies all seem happy enough in their 'new' water.

How long do you think I should keep the axie in the fridge? Should I try a salt bath again at a weaker concentration? Last time I used around 2.5 teaspoons in 1 Litre of water.

Bellabelloo · Oct 12, 2007

I would agree with Click that your axolotl was startled enough to leap up..and in this instance out of the tank. I have seen one of mine do this when startled, and if it hadn't been for the mesh she would have been out of the tank too. I'd let it calm down in the fridge long enough for the tail to start healing, that way you can keep a closer eye if anything should develope further.

ianclick · Oct 12, 2007

A week is not long in the fridge for an axie and should be enough to help it destress and the tail to begin to heal.

You may need to get a lid or mesh for the top of the tank.

gershco · Oct 14, 2007

The axie is in the fridge and seems OK. I'm going to borrow a camera so I can take some photos.

My wife found a second axie on the carpet this evening. I'm going to do another partial water change in case there's a problem on that front. If I put lids on the containers, I guess I'll need to put in some air holes?

Has anyone ever experienced salt baths causing bleeding? Could the bleeding be a result of damange caused when the axie decided to go jumping?

Jennewt · Oct 14, 2007

I suspect the bleeding was caused by skin damage that occurred from the jump. The salt is irritating, so it might cause a wound to bleed.

How well ventilated the lid needs to be depends on the kind of filter being used. If you have a bubble driven filter or airstone of any kind, then the lid can be solid, no problem, because the air pump is pumping in fresh air. Also, if you have a "waterfall" type filter that hangs on the back, it probably gets enough exposure to outside air to keep the water airated. Otherwise, yes, you need to be concerned about ventilation of the lid. A screen top, like they sell for reptiles, might be an option, depending on the setup.

ianclick · Oct 15, 2007

Do you have any other pets, cats, ferrets, dogs, inquisitive children?

It feels like something is starling your axies.

You may need to check your water parameters this may be the other cause of your escaping axies.

gershco · Oct 15, 2007

All the axies are juveniles, a few inches long. They are in individual plastic containers which I clean out with salt once a week and rinse thoroughly before returning the axies. I do partial water changes every day or other day. Do people think the water parameters are likely to be bad in these circumstances?

As far as children or other pets startling the axies, our rabbits are outside, the firebelly toads are downstairs and the escapes have always happened when the children are in bed.

Frog · Oct 15, 2007

water parameters

The only thing I can say is that I had 3 axolotls in a plastic container doing dailey water changes . Waiting for a big tank to cycle for them and tonight I did a water test on the container after reading the test I figure it would be better for them in the tank . The ammonia was way high in the container . So you could get an ammonia tester and test your water or really make sure to change it dailey . I haven't had any jump out on me though . And never had a problem with them acting stressed .

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