HELP! My axie has a white lump on his tail...

Hi,

This is my first Axolotl and I worry a lot about him. I've done my research and have now owned him for about 6 months.

A few weks ago I noticed that he wasn't eating his food, well he was eating it but would throw it out shortly afterwards. A few days after his new-found eating disorder I noticed a small lightly coloured lump on his tail. He is eating fine now but the lump is worrying me. :uhoh:

I was housing him in a 20L tank until recently, I've now got him in a 80L tank with the water half way up. I have tested the water's pH and ammonia levels which are fine. Any clues or help would be greatly appreciated!

Sorry about the bad angle, I will try and upload a better picture for you guys...

Hey el dodgo,

I'm pretty new to looking after axie's myself, however I did manage to find some useful information on the internet, as quoted:

"Axolotls can sometimes develop small (pinhead to pea-sized) bumps in their skin. While you should take note whenever something like this appears, it's not always a problem. The lumps are often the result of some fluid build-up beneath the skin. Sometimes they go away over time, and sometimes they remain for the rest of the pet's life without changing.
Occasionally scar tissue will form around an injury, causing a lifelong lump. These as well are nothing to worry about.
One bump here or there is generally not cause for concern. But if you notice numerous bumps developing over a short time, the axolotl could be experiencing heart or kidney failure or parasitic infestation.
If you suspect that the bumps are the result of healed injuries you may consider increasing the size of the tank you keep your axolotl in or reduce clutter within the existing tank to minimise future trauma."

I would provide the link from where I got this information but I printed this information out quite some time ago and I did not note the link. My apologies.

Just a note on your situation, you should keep an eye on that bump- especially if it starts to form a cotton-like substance around/on it because in this case your axolotl could have a fungal infection...I presume.

Hope all this helps. Good luck!

Jay.

I agree with Kal El..and what a lovely axolotl!, just keep an eye on the little lump. Out of interest what else do you have in the tank with your little axolotl and what are you currently feeding him? It is possible he was unsettled from moving into his new home and may just have need a little more time to settle in.

Thanks so very much for your quick replies!

At the moment I don't have much in the tank, just a little plastic log/tunnel for him to hide in and a few plastic plants. I probably should mention that I took them from the old tank, rinsed them (no soaps or chemicals used) and put them straight in there. I'm not going to use pebbles as I did previously but am thinking of getting aquarium gravel. I'm currently feeding him a few sinking pellets every two days. Hope this helps!

Hmm gravel is not a good idea at all. Your axolotl can swallow the pieces and that can lead to impaction and other problems. Also gravel is difficult to clean well and it can lead to water quality problems.

I would recommend sand or a bare floor. If you get sand you can just pick it up at a hardware store cheaply, just wash it before you put it in the tank. Some people also use aquarium sand too.

Cool! I think I might use some sand, I had a feeling that the gravel wouldn't be the best of options. I just thought his home looked a little bare without anything to cover the floor.....

Thanks for the heads up mate! :smile:

Any ideas on the lump?? I'm keeping a close eye on it, I'm just a little worried about him.. I'd really hate to see him go as I've grown quite fond of the little bugger...

Ziggy is going a little crazy..

I noticed today when I got home that my axolotl was behaving a little strange, he'd swim from one end of the tank to another and bump his head on each end, I also noticed as I was uploading more photos from my camera that he has developed a few more bumps...

Is he going to die?!? I hope not...

I don't know what to do, or if there's anything else I can do.:sad:

Hate to be a pain but these lumps are getting worse and I don't know what else to do... I also noticed yesterday that his red gills (if that's what you call them) have turned a very pale colour and don't seem as thick and as vibrant as they used to be...

If anyone has any advice I would be more than happy to try anything.

I think a visit or a phone call to your vet may be best, I personally would go as the lumps are progressing and hopefully they will be able to advise on any treatment that may be needed.

I agree with bellabelloo - if these bumps keep on growing you should contact a veterinarian. There may be several reasons for these bumps (simple (over-)reaction of the immune system, parasites, bacterial infection,...) and an accurate diagnosis is necessary for the correct treatment.

Hi, for what it's worth, my axolotl has these too in places, though they don't seem to be getting more numerous or associated with anything fungal. He/she is a wildtype so they're not quite as obvious. I would be interested in knowing how many vets out there know much about axolotl's. I'm a vet, and my only knowledge has been gained on this site and by keeping one for a short time so far and is therefore very limited. You'd need to find a vet with a special interest I'd suggest.

I might try and Google myself a vet that hopefully knows about axolotls or even salamanders. There's one up the road from my house but she didn't know much, she wouldn't even see him!

Anywas I'll let you all know how he goes, thanks for all the help everyone!:grin:

Lump's still there but he seems to be fine... Worried about my new baby axie though...

Hey I just wanted to wish you all a merry christmas and tell you that Ziggy is fine, he's eating well and looks great (besides that weird bump on his tail).

He's doing so well that I decided to get him a friend. I'm keeping his new mate in a separate tank for now. When I woke up this morning I found it lying on the floor (it's about a 4 ft drop), I assume it jumped out as it is a bit of a frisky little bugger. I don't know how long it was out of the water for and noticed when I put it back in the tank that both its wrists were facing the opposite way, when it walks around the palms face upwards. I don't know if it's going through any pain and am very worried about it.:uhoh:

Does anyone know what I can do??

Just keep an eye on it and get a lid/cover for that tank. Good that you're quarantining it (for minimum 30 days) before introducing it to your other tank. Also, keep an eye on your water parameters for both tanks - ammonia (and nitrites) as well as temperature. Remember any readings over 0 for ammonia/nitrite then do a 20-30% waterchange the same day. If that happens you may need to retest the tank water daily and if above 0 then waterchange same day as well.