Axolotl 2 yrs of age has not ate for one month

Hi everyone,

I have three albino axolotls in a standard 3 ft tank and untill recently all has been well.

The oldest of the girls, at 2 yrs, has not ate for one month and shows very limited signs in interest in food. She basically looks at the live earthworm and shakes her head at it in a fast motion but does not make an attempt to suck it in or swallow. She has become rather thin although her activity level remains acceptable.

I recently gave her two salt baths and have been alternating her in the fridge for periods of one hr however this has proved fruitless. I contacted a local veterninarian who was not much help. She is kept in good conditions, at 18 degrees Celcius with the aid of a chiller and her water is well maintained with a good external filter and regular water changes. Her other two tank members are fine and show no signs of illness or stress. There has been instants of bullying by the other two axolotls and i did seperate them however these bullying acts have ceased. I fear my only option left is to euthanise her as I will not watch her suffer.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Paul :talker:

Hi Paul and welcome at Caudata!

If she is trying to catch the food but does not do it, maybe there is something wrong with her mouth or throat. Can you see any signs there, maybe a swelling or something? What do you feed normally? Can it be that she has something stuck in her mouth or throat? I think a vet would have looked into her mouth, didn't he?

And another thing: What substrate do you use in your tank? Gravel can lead to congestion and that might be another reason.

Hi Paul did she have signs of fungus?

If not it would be doubtful whether salt baths would be benificial. I would suggest isolating her in the fridge for a week or two and follow Daniels advice.

The fridging will help destress your axie.

Good Luck