Caudata.org: Newts and Salamanders Portal
Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
Did you know that registered users see fewer ads? Register today!
-
Axolotls are illegal in California. Please read this thread for detailed information and links to the actual laws: https://www.caudata.org/threads/axolotls-are-illegal-in-california-here-are-the-relevant-laws.30779/
-
Did you know that registered users see fewer ads? Register today!
newbie help sick Axie
- Thread starter AmberJJ
- Start date
How worrying! Do you have a picture? How old is the axie? How long has he been like this? Have you checked water parameters and temp? Could he have injured himself on some sharp thing in the tank? In the meantime, I'd put him in the fridge (use the search facility on here and type in "fridging" -- you'll get loads of info. Good luck.
OMG,this morning i had a look at him and his skin is peeling from his lip up towards his eyes,and he has the same thing on his tail,i tryed to take a pic of it but it just comes out blury! he has not eaten for about three weeks! last week his tank sprung a leek so we took him out and my dad used some think to seel it up,may be this skin thing is a reaction to the sealing stuff he used? i have taken him out and put him in a bucket for now but we are on boar water and i have had to put him in that,i usaully get tap water from my grannys house when it needs to be changed but i cant get there untill later,i hope this boar water is ok for him?we shower in it and also drink it but im not sure if it's ok for my billabong.Im really scared that this might kill him now!!! dont know what to do????
blueberlin
2010 Research Grant Donor
Can you take him to a vet?
What is boar water?
-Eva
What is boar water?
-Eva
blueberlin
2010 Research Grant Donor
Ok without a vet the only thing I can recommend is to keep him in fresh water and keep him cool. I don't know what is in your water but we will just have to hope for the best. Please keep him in a container of water and change the water every day with fresh water that is the same temperature as the water in his container. (Just keep a bottle or two next to his container and use them to refill the container, then refill them for the next day.)
You can try offering him food each day but be very diligent about removing anything uneaten after an hour or so, so that the food doesn't spoil the water.
Axolotls are amazing at healing and regenerating themselves, so I wish you the best. I'm sorry I don't have more to suggest.
I don't suppose you can find out the name of what was used to seal the tank? Maybe we can research its contents and that will give us some clues?
-Eva
You can try offering him food each day but be very diligent about removing anything uneaten after an hour or so, so that the food doesn't spoil the water.
Axolotls are amazing at healing and regenerating themselves, so I wish you the best. I'm sorry I don't have more to suggest.
I don't suppose you can find out the name of what was used to seal the tank? Maybe we can research its contents and that will give us some clues?
-Eva
hi,im not sure what it was called i have to wait until dad gets home tonite,about keeping him cool do you mean putting him in the fridge?i also think that maybe it might not be the seeling stuff as before the tank sprung a leek he had gone off his food and he did have white patched on his tail,then we noticed his eye went red and was sticking out?but the skin on his lip has only just happened over the last two days and getting worse?
blueberlin
2010 Research Grant Donor
Ok, I have absolutely no idea what is going on with your poor axie. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say he is really, really sick. In my honest opinion, I think you should get him to a vet with experience with amphibians - heck, to any competent vet at all, at this point - today.
In any case, cool means 18°C or below. If you can manage that in some corner of your house, you don't need to fridge him. Fridging him will not hurt, though, as long as the temp in the fridge is above 5°C.
If you need something to distract you while you are waiting for your Dad, you could measure the water parameters in the aquarium (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, temperature) and post them here. You could try again to make some pictures to post. Not really sure what else to recommend.
-Eva
In any case, cool means 18°C or below. If you can manage that in some corner of your house, you don't need to fridge him. Fridging him will not hurt, though, as long as the temp in the fridge is above 5°C.
If you need something to distract you while you are waiting for your Dad, you could measure the water parameters in the aquarium (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, temperature) and post them here. You could try again to make some pictures to post. Not really sure what else to recommend.
-Eva
Is there any possibility that the water from the well could be polluted in any way with pesticides , fertilisers etc?
Ok...how long have you had your little axy?
Hello Amber,
It's difficult to make out in the photo, but that looks like a severe case of fungus.
The usual culprits for fungus is water quality issues and warm water temperature.
While your axie is so sick he will need his water to be kept very cool, clean and healthy. Axolotls breath in part through their skin and will readily absorb whatever is in the water. If tapwater is not available to you, this article provides alternate safe water sources: http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/Spring_water.shtml
The fungus will need to be treated with salt baths, if this could be done in conjunction with fridging this would be ideal.
I would suggest you follow Eva's recommendations to put the axie in the fridge. The fridge will help relax the axolotl and be a healing balm for him (axolotls love cold water). The fridge will also help the axolotl fight off the fungus.
So the axie is kept at a constant temperature and does not suffer from temperature fluctuations which can stress him further, keep bottles of water in the fridge as these will be used for the daily water changes and for the salt baths.
Salt Baths:
Good luck to you and your lovely axolotl - I hope he pulls through.
It's difficult to make out in the photo, but that looks like a severe case of fungus.
The usual culprits for fungus is water quality issues and warm water temperature.
While your axie is so sick he will need his water to be kept very cool, clean and healthy. Axolotls breath in part through their skin and will readily absorb whatever is in the water. If tapwater is not available to you, this article provides alternate safe water sources: http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/Spring_water.shtml
The fungus will need to be treated with salt baths, if this could be done in conjunction with fridging this would be ideal.
I would suggest you follow Eva's recommendations to put the axie in the fridge. The fridge will help relax the axolotl and be a healing balm for him (axolotls love cold water). The fridge will also help the axolotl fight off the fungus.
So the axie is kept at a constant temperature and does not suffer from temperature fluctuations which can stress him further, keep bottles of water in the fridge as these will be used for the daily water changes and for the salt baths.
Salt Baths:
- Prepare a tub of fresh water
- Dissolve 2-3 teaspoons of non-iodized salt such as sea salt, fresh aquarium salt, kosher salt (do not use table salt!) per litre of water. Ensure that the salt is completely dissolved before putting the axolotl in the saltbath.
- Leave axolotl in salt bath for 10 minutes, but no longer than 15 minutes as the salt will start to damage the axie's skin and gills.
Good luck to you and your lovely axolotl - I hope he pulls through.
ok i have given billabong a salt bath using sea salt,when i put him/her not sure what sex it is!,it rocked from side to side and swam around,not sure if that is what was ment to happen?left in there for about 12 minutes then put him in fresh water and now he is in the fridge with a dark tea towel over it to keep it dark,the ph is 7.4 but the pet shop didnt have the tester for the ammonia so i can't check that at the moment,i did notice in the water was some of the flaky skin.
Darkmaverick
Site Contributor
Hi Amber,
Its excellent that you are heeding all the advice given so far. i would have recommended salt baths and fridging as well at this stage.
Some additional notes though. In one of your earlier post, you mentioned that your dad used a 'sealant' on the axolotl's skin. Do you know what it is? Axolotls have sensitive skin and are very prone to chemical burns. Chemical insult can result in skin ulceration or a wound that can lead to a secondary infection such as from fungus or bacteria. Please do not use chemicals or medications off the counter for axolotls, they can be extremely dangerous.
Also, you mentioned you use bore water. From my understanding bore water can sometimes have high levels of nitrogenous wastes and even presence of some chemicals since they can be affected by fertiliiser, herbicides and pesticides runoff. Will you be able to perform a water chemistry test on the bore water? (Check for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph)
Regards.
Its excellent that you are heeding all the advice given so far. i would have recommended salt baths and fridging as well at this stage.
Some additional notes though. In one of your earlier post, you mentioned that your dad used a 'sealant' on the axolotl's skin. Do you know what it is? Axolotls have sensitive skin and are very prone to chemical burns. Chemical insult can result in skin ulceration or a wound that can lead to a secondary infection such as from fungus or bacteria. Please do not use chemicals or medications off the counter for axolotls, they can be extremely dangerous.
Also, you mentioned you use bore water. From my understanding bore water can sometimes have high levels of nitrogenous wastes and even presence of some chemicals since they can be affected by fertiliiser, herbicides and pesticides runoff. Will you be able to perform a water chemistry test on the bore water? (Check for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph)
Regards.
Darkmaverick
Site Contributor
Hi amber,
My apologies, i should have read it more carefully. Im glad that you didn't use anything on the axie directly.
Hope your axie has a speedy recovery.
Cheers.
My apologies, i should have read it more carefully. Im glad that you didn't use anything on the axie directly.
Hope your axie has a speedy recovery.
Cheers.
- No one is chatting at the moment.
-
Shane douglas:with axolotls would I basically have to keep buying and buying new axolotls to prevent inbred breeding which costs a lot of money??+1
-
Thorninmyside:Not necessarily but if you’re wanting to continue to grow your breeding capacity then yes. Breeding axolotls isn’t a cheap hobby nor is it a get rich quick scheme. It costs a lot of money and time and deditcation+1
-
Clareclare:Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus Japanese . I'm raising them and have abandoned the terrarium at about 5 months old and switched to the aquatic setups you describe. I'm wondering if I could do this as soon as they morph?+1
Clareclare:
Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus...
+1