Disappearing Tail!!!!

My beautiful female albino axolotl isn't very well=( I recently moved both her and her sister when I moved house and they became unsettled and began to nip at one another, this seems to have settled down now but she has has some problems since.
1) Missing the middle 2 toes on her left front foot, before this she looked like she had cotton wool on her foot, which I presumed to be a fungal disease? AND now the toes are gone her foot looks very red and sore and now her back left foot has gone cotton woolly and red and sore looking!
2) Her tail looked like it had been bitten but slowly she is having more and more bits out of it, like it is rotting away like a dry leaf=(
3) she has always had a blue tummy which i always worried about but her daddy assured me it was because she was albino?

She seems happy in the tank tho, likes floating in the plants.. There is a filter, largish stones, plants and there is only her and her sister who is black and looks perfectly healthy, her sister has always been more active and keener to eat. I feed them frozen beef heart from the pet shop and they generally swim to the top of the tank and eat from my hand.

I am very worried, I do not want my baby to bein any pain! Any help is much appreciated, attempting to attach pictures now but in the pics you can't, unfortunately, see the extent of the damaged.

I would seperate the two as soon as possible to prevent further injuries. It also sounds and looks like the albino has a bit of a fungal infection and I would recommend some salt baths and fridging to help ease this.

Your axies are not looking too bad.

1 - Axie tail fin is very delicate, very friable and easily torn off. The axie will regenerate the tail fiin back.

2 - Ensure water parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates) and temperature are ideal. Thats the best way to keep axies healthy.

3 - Frozen beef heart is only suitable as an occasional treat. They are not suitable as a staple food source. Your axie can get malnutritioned from just having beef heart. I recommend you include live worms - earthworms, blackworms, bloodworms, in the diet.

Thanks, hm I just looked at Ollie and her actual tail is this gross white bit where the fin has disappeared right up to it! And there was yucky floaty stuff in the water, I had turned the filter off because i thought it was stressing her out... I am a worrier when it comes to them!

One more thing,
Bloodworms are little black worms purchased from pet shop- just put them in the tank and axies will feed when they want?
Sorry new to all this, I started with feeding them fish but was told this is bad as fish may have diseases.
How do I check the water is ok?
Thank you sooooooooo much.

Bloodworms will be red and are usually sold in frozen cubes. Blackworms will be black and alive. With either one all you will need to do is plop them in a small area of the tank.

Looking at your last picture it looks like a bit of fungus on the tip of the tail, maybe someone else will chime in.

Looking at the picture of her tail, it looks like it could be fungus, it also looks like fungus on her toes. I would recommend fridging and salt bathing your little one. I would start the salt baths twice a day until you see a reduction in the fungus, then once a day until you are at least two days clear of fungus. (I'm hoping Rayson will double check my advice as he is the expert)

I would also fridge her to help her recover from these injuries, then once she is back to health you can return her to a tank, preferrably a different one from her sibling.

You need to get a test kit for nitrates, ammonia etc if you haven't already got one. Water quality is so important for axolotls and with poor quality water they can seccumb to all kinds of infections and diseases. The best kits are the type with test tubes and liquid 'dropper' bottles. They are the most accurate, a little pricey to start but well worth the money and should last a while.

Let us know how you get on.

The last picture of the tail tip definitely shows some fungal infection. However, considering its a focal localised spot, i think i would first go with trying to dislodge the lesion with a fine cotton Q-tip with the axie submerged in a tub with fresh clean dechlorinated water (or salt bath).

You certainly can try salt bathing and fridging your axie while you test out your tank parameters and rectify any problems. I have a strong hunch theres something not quite right with the water parameters.

Hi there! To check my water i use Quick Dip 6 tests in one strip, it checks nitrate, nitrite, hardness, chlorine, alkalinity, and ph. Very easy to use. The company is Jungle Laboratories Corporation. I wish you the best of luck!

Hi Linda,

Actually dip sticks are not accurate. Its best to use a solution colourimetric type test kit.

I agree with Rayson as I have personal experience with the inaccuracy of dip stick tests. The "all-in-one" dip stick ideal may seem like the easier and more economical way to go. However, when you factor in all the extra water changes, fridging, and worrying over a sick animal that could have been prevented by having a more accurate reading before the problem even began, it really isn't easier at all. Also, the dip sticks usually only come with 20-30 tests whereas the drip tests have several times that many so you aren't really saving any money either.

The drip tests require forking out more money in the beginning, but in the long run you're saving yourself from the world's biggest headache.

Good luck with your little fellows. Be sure to keep us posted!

Update:
I have seperated the two, putting Ollie in another tank- She seems worse. Attempting salt bathing. Axle (her sister) now has fungas on her gills (ollie doesn't on her gills) so I suspect it is the water! I am going to buy a drip testing kit, I presume these are at the petshop. Axle only just showed symptoms of fungas today!!! Er I am a bad Mum!
Wish me luck!

Update on my beautiful Ollie and Axle Lotl:

I seperated the twins and bathed Ollie in salt baths while keeping her in the bathroom (it is cold in there).
They are now both back in the tank (which has been cleaned), I fixed the water and also now have a heater/themometer that keeps the water at a temp of 20 c. Is this ok? They seem happy. I have a filter going to, which I think might make the current a little strong for them but they seem happier with it on? They aren't fighting atm but like to make noise digging in the rocks and talking while I try to sleep. (No one believes me that they swim to the surface and make noises).
Ollie still is missing toes and part of her tail- but of course they will take time to grow back/heal.
There is no fluffy gross fungai on them, is this the only way to tell if they are over the fungai?

Thank you SOOOO much everyone, I'd die if they died or stayed sick, and their dad would be very sad if I let them die! =)

Hi, you could turn the heater down / off. They like it 16-18 if the ambient temperature is low enough to allow that without a chiller. I think most people would say 20C is the max for them to be comfortable.

Yes a heater wouldn't be necessary for an axie tank in Australia. Its better off to try maintain the tank around 16-18 degree celsius.

The tank is currently in my room, the room is heatered through central heating, so this turns on in the mornings at 6am and then turns off during the day and back on in the evenings atm (as it is cold!) Would this effect them, as I have a feeling the temp in the water goes up and down, slightly.. I was told by my friend who has lots of fish that this would have an affect on their health??

Yes it is best to avoid temperature fluctuations. However, in general axies do so much better at low temperatures. A stable but prolonged temperature of 20 degree celsius in my opinion, still exposes axies to the risk of heat related illness and stress. I would still recommend against the heater.

didnt read all comment but you shouldn't worry to much. One of my axies got abit of her tail bitten off by accident and its fully grown back now... unless it's a common occurence in ur tank just chill