Just watched my axie lose a leg

It was horrible I just saw my baby axolotl bite off the others leg. I have read all the posts regarding this and just wondered when people say you can substitute Holtfreter's solution with salt, so they mean normal table salt?

If there is anyone who has kept their axie in a fridge before what contained did you use, would a large plastic food container with some holes in the lid be suitable? My tank is usualy between 15 and 18 degrees so from what I have read 5 degrees is better for regeneration, will keeping him cold in a small container not make him/her more stressed? Oh, and do I feed him less whilst he is in the fridge, they have been having one or two small earth worms every two to three days. I thought that was enough but I wonder if that's why the other snapped because they were hungry.

Once I have cared for the wound with salt baths is it ok to use a tank divider to seperate them until they are bigger or would this risk infection?

I:m not sure how old they are about but i'm guessing 3 or 4 months,

Any help would be really appriciated,

thanks

I wouldn't put the injured axolotl in a salt bath.

Keep the water clean and keep him free of stress and he should come back just fine.

No table salt is not what they meant as it has iodine in it.

in this post the axolotl has suffered an injury and there is a good discussion on how to properly treat the animal. Salt baths were discouraged and the above 'clean water and stress free" are recommended but here is the article for you to read yourself..... you'll want to pay attention to Darkmavericks' post as his is the most detailed and informative. http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=59780&highlight=kind+salt

If you need any reassurance you're doing the right thing, the right way, we're here for you. Please feel free to post a picture of this new injury and follow up pictures as the days/weeks go on. That will help you see what progress he is making. Don't expect to see changes really fast, they take time.

FYI - the axolotl.org salt article.. http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/salt.shtml

and here is one for injuries and illnesses, I really like the teabath portion...http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/illness2.shtml

good luck!

Hi Vikki

I haven't actually got an axie yet, have been cycling my tank, but I have been reading lots about fridging in other threads, so may be able to pass on some of their advice (as all our resident whizz-kids seem to be offline at present ).

I know that you should put him a container with a perferated lid to allow air to get in, but then cover this with a cloth to keep him dark. He needs room to be able to stretch out comfortably (inc his tail) and covered in declorinated water (but not so much that he floats) - the water should be changed every day. Because he's an amphibian, the cold temp will calm him, not stress him - a little bit like an axolotl spa day I guess!

The impression I have got is that he will eat less whilst in the fridge, but I suppose it's still worth trying to feed him.

And yes, I think tank dividers are recommeded and can't imagine why they would cause infection.

In regards to feeding, I believe the younger they are, the more frequently they're fed, so maybe once a day feeding for around 20mins?

As I've said though, this is me regurgitating what I have read in other threads - Blueberlin, Bella, Ray, Jacq, Sharon - as some of my mentors, I hope I've done you proud...

Zoe x

LOL, as I was typing, Sharon has appeared to help, so you should be fine

Cheers guys,

I have put him in the fridge as said above and inc about 10ml of water with black tea in it, I asked if he wanted milk and sugar but he said he was fine

I'll keep following the advice and hopeully the poor thing will be ok,

Thank you Sharon and Zoe

I have just been asking about good tank dividers on another thread and have been advised that unless there is infection the fridge is not the best place as it slows down regeneration?

If this is the case maybe I could put the one who did the biting in the big tank with my older axolotl (with a divider) and keep the 3 legged one in the smaller tank, with periods in the fridge?

The small tank needs cleaning and I would be worried about the leg getting infected unless I did a 100% water change. Would this be ok at such a young age?

Thank you

Hi Vikki,

At this age they seem to lose limbs easily; seperate them - more floor space and make sure they're eating enough. I've never fridged (or done anything with) any of mine for loss of limbs personally.

For me, it's usually a sign of not enough room - although accidents do happen; even when they have loads of space Leg should be back within a couple of months.

I use under bed storage containers - they are about £5.00 from Wilkos.

Hope this helps. Cheers, Phil

I agree - even the refrigeration is probably unnecessary in this case. For the small ones, it's no big deal to lose a leg now and then.