Illness/Sickness: Bubble

sharelkaye

sharelkaye

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A while back I recieved to small juvie axies and while one grew the other didn't. I started to notice that the smaller one kept fliping over and swimming upside down, also could not stay down. He was floating and right before I started to notice he was almost swallowed by one of my older axies (they are seperated now don't worry about that) Anyway, after that it seems that he has a bubble on his abdomen underneath his stomach which is causing him to sloat upside down. He is still eating but not growing and Im worried he is getting stressed out and the bubble might burst or he just might not make it. Is there any way I can pop it in a way or a way to release the air so he can be normal?
 
Could you post a picture of this 'bubble' please. Its hard to say what it is without seeing it. Please don't go bursting it just yet, it may be a cyst and you could open it up to infection.
 
Could it be a piece of gravel he has swallowed leading to a small prolapse?
 
Here are some pictures
 

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Could there be something wrong with his swim bladder thingy? My goldfish had a problem with his and he floated upside for a month :sick: *shrugs*
 
Funnily enough Sheryl I thought about that too, but I'm not sure about that bubble, its almost cyst like.
 
Poor thing! It could just be a birth defect. Lots of axolotls are inbred. Try and find a vet that has kwowledge of reptiles and amphibians. Good luck!
 
Amphibians don't have swim bladders.
 
Well Thank you for that Kaysie, I wasn't sure. However do you have anything positive you could add? Noone seems to be helping out much. I have never seen it before and I doubt many have.
I'm afraid if it were my axolotl I would be thinking the worst.
 
gr33neyes said:
Well Thank you for that Kaysie, I wasn't sure. However do you have anything positive you could add? Noone seems to be helping out much. I have never seen it before and I doubt many have.
I'm afraid if it were my axolotl I would be thinking the worst.
Click to expand...

I quite agree. I think most of us are out of our depth here lol. Maybe you should try asking the oh so wise John... he is all knowing ;)
 
Has this bubble been there before he was halfway swallowed by the bigger one? This might be a result of the injury and filled with liquid. And it does not look very good.

I suggest to place him in clean, cool and shallow water (not much deeper than his height) with some plants in it so he might get a hold. If he is continually struggling for an upright position this will certainly stress him out.
 
Thanks for all your opinions and help.
I have some questions to add.

If it is a cyst would it cause him to float like he is.
The first day I got him was the day he almost got swallowed so there was much time to see if there was anything wrong before that happened but he wasn't floating.
He trys so hard to turn over but its seems as this bubble like thing is not letting him.
He eats probably more than the other one his age and the other one is twice as big. I also thought it could be his bladder but i guess its not.

I just hope he isn't suffering and he servives and it goes away poor baby.

Well if anyone has anything else to add please keep adding.
 
Hi Shaye,

The "Bubble" could be a number of things as mentioned it is hard to tell from the photos. I would suggest that it is probably not a prolapse due to the location, and it is not a swim bladder thing as axolotls don't have them.

I think that the likeliest explanation is the one offered by Daniel. I would be finding a vet asap. This does not look like your normal run of the mill axie issue.

Is there any chance of a clearer photo of the "Bubble"?

Also your axies look a little thin and could do with fattening up. A good size for an axolotl is a body that is as wide as the head.

Best of Luck
 
Question does anybody ever use antibiotics. I raise fish and I always have some on hand. And I use it on my clawed toads. You can buy the at pet stores and you can also order them. You use half the amount for fish for several days and it clears up just about everything even open wounds.
 
Hi Snake

Antibiotics are used to treat infections caused by bacteria. They do not work against other organisms such as fungi or infectious agents such as viruses.

So if its not a bacterial infection antibiotics won't help, if it is then they probably will and many breeders and keepers have used them successfully when needed.
 
Hey everyone he is still alive and I have seperated the two and put the bigger one in the main tank because he was starting to nibble on the poor little guy. He is still eating but still not getting any bigger I was doing some research and I was thinking it might be fluid build up cause by damage of the heart or kidneys when he was almost eaten by the bigger one. Does that sound like a good conclusion. Im hoping to find someone to drain it for me or i just might have to do it my self and i am not to fond of needles.
 
Hi Shaye

That is a posibility, I would try and get a vet to do the draining if I was, you there is a lot that can be damaged.
 
The same thing happened to my albino juvenile! I had him in the fridge for a long time, I tried giving him salt baths. Slowly the bubbles got bigger and bigger and he stopped eating. Eventually he died :(. If you find a way to cure your axie, please post! When my axie was sick no one really knew what to do or what was going on.
 
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