Illness/Sickness: what is wrong?

HI
Fore some time now I have had my two axolotls in the fridge and given thems salt baths, after they lost their "gill hair" and the skin behind there gills was looking quite nasty. One of them has recovered, but i am still wooried about the last one.
She has always been small and has not eaten as much as her roommate.(I have had them fore two months) As long as I have had her she has some dark colourrations on her head and infront of the gills. This has been reduced while she was in the fridge, so maybee she has been ill fore some time?
I do not know what more to do, but to keep her in the fridge and give some more salt baths! Any idees? And dose anybody know what the problem might be?

Hi mli,

I would not give them any more salt baths because it may actually be hurting their gills.

What color is your axolotl, is she white? Perhaps the black marks are the normal coloration of a white axolotl? Can you post a picture?

-Eva

Hi Mli,

Firstly, we have to determine if your axolotl is sick in the first place. And if it is sick, what type of illness it has. Giving unnecessary or the inappropriate treatment may be even more harmful.

Its best if you can take a photo and post it here. The photo can help us assess your axolotl's condition.

i suspect that if your axolotl is leucistic for example, the dark colouration may be normal. Also when you say the gills look nasty, can you elaborate? Are there fuzzy white growths? Are the gills shrunken and twisted? How is its behaviour? Is it inappetant? Floating a lot?

There is no real harm in putting your axolotl in the fridge. In fact, it is the best way to bide for time if you are trying to figure out what illness it has. The danger is giving it salt baths if it is unneccessary. Wrong salt concentrations, wrong 'soaking' duration etc can all harm your axolotl's delicate skin.

Some axies may be genetically meant to be smaller. Males may also appear smaller than females. So do young axolotls compared to adults. Nontheless a photo would be best.

Cheers

hi.
here are two fotos, I hope they can help determin whats up.

I am keeping her in the fridge and have stoped giving salt baths. But I think the salt baths have helped her condition - It was as if something had eaten her gill hair and the skin behind her gills. - and that has stoped. The hair has started to grow again and the wounds behind the gills have healed.
So what now?

Hope somebody can see something from the fotos!

Hi Mli,

Thanks for the photos. It appears that the region around the gills do look like they have been recently infected. I would have to agree fungal infections are a real possibility and your salt balths could have helped previously. Fungal infections do tend to strike around the gill area.

You can leave your axie for a longer period in the fridge till you see the area is completely healed. And even then once you notice there are no signs of infection and the skin looks normal, leave it there for another week just in case. Continue to perform daily water changes during this period and continue to offer food.

If you have noticed the gill filaments are growing back and the skin is healing, it is a good sign that you are heading to the right direction. I do not think salt baths are required by this stage and just simple fridging would suffice.

Continue to take photos every week so you can compare and document your axie's progress.

Cheers

thank you fore your advice . I will keep her in the fridge untill she is well again.