Runt of the litter sick?

Hi all,
I recently acquired 4 very young Axolotls(They were all less than 3 inches long), and so a month later they all seem to be doing very well, except for one.
The runt, as I call him, was missing a front leg when I first got him(or her), but other than that, there was no difference from the rest of the group.
The other three axies have increased in size, their bodies are filling out, and their gills have grown.
The poor little guy hasn't gotten any bigger since the day I got him. His missing leg appears to have grown a little, but he stays very thin compared to the rest of the group.
I have also noticed his gills have not sprouted like the other Axies. He seems to have trouble moving around. I would expect that due to a missing front leg, but his back legs don't seem to be working that well either, as he sometimes keeps them in an awkward position.
I have been hand feeding him bloodworms, just to make sure he gets his share. He seems to be eating fine.
At this point, I don't know what I should do with him. Would he benefit from being put in the refridgerator?
He's just so scrawny.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

Hi loltlman,

It sounds to me to be part genetic part regeneration. It is likely that most of its energy has been going into regrowing the leg and not growing the whole body. I would keep monitoring it an maybe increase its feedings .

lotlman said:

I have been hand feeding him bloodworms, just to make sure he gets his share. He seems to be eating fine.
At this point, I don't know what I should do with him. Would he benefit from being put in the refridgerator?
He's just so scrawny.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

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Hi Lotlman,

I would try earthworm as a staple rather than bloodworm. Earthworm is highly nutricious and it will also help fill him out:

http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/foods.shtml
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/foods2.shtml
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/worms.shtml

Has he ever been on gravel? With his back legs in an awkward postion, he may have impaction and be trying to pass a stone. If he does have a stone in there, then fridging will help him pass it. Fridging slows the metabolism right down, so he won't want to eat but the weight loss will also slow right down.

Like you say he could just be the runt of the litter. Often these little ones will remain small and perhaps appear deformed when compared to the others. Its natural , you see it all the time in nature. Maybe he will be fine but time will tell. He will need to be strong and eat well to survive.
I would do as Ian suggests, increase his feedings and perhaps if you need to, separate him from the others so he can be fed on his own with no battles for his food.
I hope he begins to thrive for you.

I use a sand substrate, so hopefully he hasn't swallowed any larger stray particles that were present in the sand mix. I am considering separating him when they are fed. If I put him in the fridge, how long should he stay in there?

I'm not sure about putting him in the fridge, I personally don't think it is neccessary. He just needs good food and plenty of it.

lotlman said:

I use a sand substrate, so hopefully he hasn't swallowed any larger stray particles that were present in the sand mix. I am considering separating him when they are fed. If I put him in the fridge, how long should he stay in there?

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No, it's okay you don't need to fridge him if he has been on sand substrate - sand doesn't cause impaction. Fridging is a great help when an axie needs to pass an obstruction, but is absolutlely no help if you are trying to encourage an axie to eat as the metabolism is slowed right down.

As the others have advised, just feed him up and seperate him from the others if needed.

Keep us posted as to how he does!

The runt is finally growing!!!! He has just about finished regenerating his left arm, and I can see his gills and tail are starting to fill out. His appetite has really picked up. It's a good thing too, as he is now only about half the size of the other Axies. I'll have to keep him isolated until he gains some weight!