Whats up with axel????

Our albino is on his last legs quite literally we know that hes beyond help but just wondering if anyone knows whats been wrong.

when we got him he was very skinny but we thought we could just feed him up.
He wouldnt eat properly and when we did get him eating he didnt seem toput on any weight.

then he lost intrest in the food again.
hes always seemed to surface more for air than the other two aswell.

he has been floating around the tank too.

when I got home today dan told me that he was floating head down bum up and that his back legs seemed to be paralyzed. when I checked axel he was in the corner of the tank struggling to swim up using only his front legs. and he was sitting with his mouth wide open and gasping for air the biggest question for us is what causes paralisis and will it affect our other 2 axies?

Pictures would help.

Parasites come to mind with the failure to put on weight even after feeding.

I'm not really familiar with you and your axolotl but I'm thinking he should have been on meds way before this. And maybe you should take him to a vet - possibly for a necropsy to make sure what was wrong with him won't affect your remaining two.

Did you quarantine him before introducing him to the other two? Its always a good idea to keep newbies seperate.

I'm really sorry he's going down hill, maybe he should be euthed to prevent further suffering? I hate that, I like to fight until the last but sometimes there comes a time to just call it quits.

Please get us some pictures and lets see what we can come up with. But my first suggestion is still to find a vet. (sometimes easier said, or typed, than done)

Sharon

Hi Megan,

There are a variety of things that could cause the troubles Axel has been having, and a combination is of course also possible. Parasitic or bacterial infections, poor water quality and other housing conditions, improper feeding, birth defect... It is really impossible to know wherein the problem lies without knowing more about the environment and care Axel had until now.

As Sharob wrote, it would be a good idea to find a vet with experience with amhpibians to diagnose Axel's condition, even post mortem if that is the way it turns out, so that you can know if any threat is posed to your other axolotls.

In the meantime, you should definitely separate Axel from the others if you haven't done so already. It might be helpful (and won't be harmful) to put him in the refrigerator while you are looking for a vet. Are you familiar with this measure?

We can also go through the usual questions: What are your water parameters? What sort of substrate do you have in the tank and what sort in the tank where you got Axel? What do you feed the axolotls? How old (long) are they?

Good luck to you,

-Eva

im new to keeping axies but used to breed tropicals so I know bout water peramiters I have checked them and they are fine.

they are fed beef heart blood worm and occasionally pellets.

the tank is set up according to what ive read on the site

My first thought was a parasite or worms but the paralysis stumped me

Axel was the first in the tank so no i didnt quarentine him and the other two are feeding well staying a healthy size and swiming fine. unfotunately we dont have the money to take him to a vet but im pretty sure he will need to be put down

In the mean time he has been seperated and refridgerated

Megan, as Sharon has suggested, a picture would help. Also, what are the actual water paramters? Let us know what your readings are for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, ph, and temperature.

Hi Megan,

If an axolotl's digestive tract is impacted (from eating something it can't pass easily, like pebbles or snails or marbles or children's toys or...), it can cause the back end to float and the hind legs to stick out oddly. It can also make them stop eating. That was my first thought, maybe compounded by a newly cycling aquarium (those are the most common problems with new axolotl keepers). When you wrote that Axel isn't gaining weight despite eating, though, I was thinking about parasites, too. Still, this is all speculative at best.

If the water parameters are ok - if you are new to axolotls, you should note that at first you need to be checking those values often because axolotls produce a lot of waste in the form of ammonia, that is at least one worry less. If Axel is impacted, fridging him will help slow down his metabolism so that he doesn't lose weight as quickly while his body hopefully passes the blockage. Have you read up on fridging axolotls or do you need info on that, too? (Such a lazy typist I am!)

If Axel has a parasitic or bacterial infection, I don't know what else can be done except to see a vet. This last possibility is the scariest to me because it would mean that your tank is possibly infected and your other axolotls are at risk.

As the others wrote, pictures are often a great help, if you can manage one or two.

-Eva