Axie will not eat looking very thin

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newtofish

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our axie is not very well is not eating has not eaten anything for a week and a half. i change the water every few days as we live in a hot area. had him for about 8 weeks we have feeder fish in with him and he was eating them and now nothing. i put him in the fridge last night. very scared to look this morning but all is well he is still here. how long do l kept him in the fridge and how do l get him ready to go back in his tank and he is finished in the fridge. he also looks like he has flacky skin?????????? thanks sonia
 
Hi newtofish, a few questions to help narrow down your issue:

-If it has been hot, what has the temperature been? If it is above 24C it will cause a great deal of stress to your axolotl and will eventually kill him
-What are your water parameters? Ammonia/nitrate/nitrite? They should be 0/10-60/0 respectively. How big are your water changes each day? If they are too big, this can cause more stress to your axolotl through inconsistent water levels. Usually water changes aren't the best way to keep temperature down as the fluctuating temperature will further stress your axie.
-Did you quarantine the feeder fish? If you bought them for a pet store you need to quarantine them for 30 days to make sure there are no diseases.

With the fridge, perhaps keep him in there if you are worried about temperature and bring him out when your tank is at the right temperature and you have sorted out any issues with it.
 
hi don't know the water parameters. live in a small town and have no way of getting the water checked. i have had no feeding fish die. i even had a shrip in the water for a few day and it was fine took it out as i throught it was stressing "ben 10" . no sure of the water temp but we have had a very hot summer 30' to 40c have had the air con on the hole time. i will take photo's and hope this will help thanks sonia
 
Water testing is very important. You can buy (or order online if you live in a small town and can't get to a pet store or aquarium) test kits and to it yourself. It is not hard. But yea testing is essential to make sure your tank is ok. Ammonia is the most important test out of that lot so try to get an ammonia testing kit asap. Do you condition water beforehand?

What is the *tank* temperature? (not the outside temp) If you have had 30-40C days it is possible your tank is too hot. So you should get a thermometer asap if you don't have one already.

Even if your feeder fish look well, they may have parasites and diseases that aren't apparent yet. That is why people recommend waiting 30 days before putting them in a tank with axolotls. It can be very risky otherwise as many pet store fish carry diseases.

Anyway, it sounds from your posts it could be any one of the above issues so it would be good if you could post your temperature and water parameters. This will be more helpful than a picture.
 
hi just borrowed a test kit from a friend


gh---0
kh---0
ph---6.0
no2---0
no3---20-40????

hope this helps some thanks sonia
 
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Your levels look fine, though ideally your PH should be higher (they like 6.5-8) and you should do an ammonia test as well (you have nitrite N02 and nitrate N03). You can raise the ph by adding crushed shell grit, which is available at pet stores.

Have you got the temperature? It could very well be heat related so keeping your axie in the fridge for a bit sounds like a good idea, though hopefully you can get him to eat as he is very skinny. :(

The fish in your tank look quite large. Could they have been bothering your axolotl? Sometimes fish try to take a nip at an axolotl, which is quite stressful for them.

Anyway, I would recommend you monitor your temperature, quarantine any new additions to your tank for a minimum of 30 days, and be wary of using fish in general as food. What type of fish are they?

It is probably better if you try feeding your axolotl foods like earth worms, blood worms, salmon pellets and things like that in the meantime.
 
what is the best way to get him to eat. and when i take him out of the fridge??? what do l do to get him back in his tank. have no way to do a water temp. very skinny. should l take out the feeder fish?? i am very worried. the kids love him very much. we have him in the lounge room is this to busy for him. i cover the sides of the tank when it get very sunny in side would this be alright. thanks very much for you help
 
He's very thin. Obviously you need to check your tanks temperature, but if it's been warmer they do need to eat more to maintain weight as their metabolism is higher. Unfortunately warmer water (over 22 degrees roughly) is stressful and they are less likely to eat hence they lose weight.
 
You can buy a thermometer and stick it to the side of the tank in the water. They are very cheap usually and this will allow you to see the temperature all the time. How are you making sure the fridge temperature is ok at the moment? They shouldn't be kept below 5C. Thermometers are essential for an axolotl tank.

With feeding, if it isn't live food you can hold the food in and wriggle it in front of his mouth, I find that is the best way for my axie to eat. Other people use kind of tweezer things to hold the food out, if you are a bit squeamish about hand feeding.

Covering the tank is not enough to keep it cool usually but it is still a good idea to cover the tank to block out excessive sunlight. Here is an article on cooling http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cooling.shtml. You can read over it and see what would be the easiest method for you to use. But you can also search the forums as people use a lot of different techniques. Or just come back and ask here if you have questions.

Anyway, good luck with your axolotl.
 
hi i got him from a pet shop in shepparton vic

have found two worm in the garden wash them and put them in his bowl
 
If the worms are quite large you may need to cut them up...it sounds mean but it'll be easier for your little axolotl to eat.
 
found that out this morning nearly got ben10 to eat a worm, it was to big will try again now thanks for letting me know that Bellabello
 
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