Sick axolotl?

Hi,

Two days ago i picked up my new axolotl's from a pet store down the road. The black one appears to have very short gills and some sort of cut or scrape on his lip. His throat also appears bloated and he is missing some toes. He seems very lethargic compared to his companions and I know axolotl's are naturally quite subdued creatures but with the stress from moving tanks etc I would think that he would be moving around a bit more. He also appears skinny but will not eat, however, this could be due to the stress of a different environment. I love them very much and opinions on his situation would be much appreciated. Here is a photo of the lip and gills sorry about the quality

hi erjw,
from the photo i cant really see much.....(i just joined this site anyway) but those snails to me are a bit of concern. i had snails with my very first axolotl and he didnt really cope well with them. he passed away because of the damage the snails were causing him and i didn't realize until it was too late. but hey, that's what happened to me, it might be a bit different for you.

you say that hes lethargic compared to his companions? my axolotls were pretty slow when i first got them and then a few weeks later they were as energetic as anything. i wouldn't worry about the missing toes or short gills UNLESS they were forming a cottony or white substance which may be a fungus. they grown almost anything back and as for the short gills........was he with fish in the tank where you got him from? fish tend to nibble on the gills which is stressing for the poor axolotls....

hopefully some other people give you hand on this one......... well this is my two cents worth....

Poor water conditions, diet, temperature and stress would be the cause of your little guys short gills. A good diet of earthworms, a steady temp of 16degrees (this can vary) , a cycled tank and keep an eye out for any cotton like fungus growing on those missing toes or lips! If you are worried about the lip and cannot keep the temp down, I would put him in the fridge.

Eek, snail is now out of the tank. Yes I thought that maybe the gills were due to nibbling. Thankyou both for your advice, it is much appreciated, I will continue to keep a very careful eye on him and the tanks conditions. Axolotls are so beautiful, i would never want anything bad to happen to the poor little guy.

The snails cannot go with your axies because while they sleep the snails will eat the slime coat on their body and nibble the feathers on their gills.

The missing toes is normal in a new tank it happened to me because my 3 axies were establishing who's cave is who's.

If your axolotl will not eat earthworms due to stress he might go for bloodworm because its smaller and requires very low effort to eat but he will still need earthworms because they contain essential nutrients and vitamins for an axolotl to be healthy.

With the bloodworm make sure if you dont put the water you defrosted them in to the water because the blood will foul the tank.

I myself defrost in one cup then with tweezers i put them into another cup with tank water in and lower it to the bottom then put it on the side so the axies can climb in and munch up the bloodworm.

Because the gills still have filaments, it's likely the gills wern't nibbled. Fish will go for the filaments. Live blackworms are also a very good choice.

Any better photo's available mate?
His bloated throat may be due to impaction - swallowing things that can't be passed easily.
What substrate are you using? anything smaller than the axies head (unless stupidly small like sand) can cause this.

What are your water parameters of ammonia and nitrite and also the temperature?

I will also reiterate the offering of earthworms, or bloodworm as well as fridging the axie if temperature is a problem as it slows down the metabolism of the axie, and thus the development of fungal infections. It also allows you to observe the axie closer :happy:

Sorry, I was just saying blackworm because thats what the vet on here usually says.......

Hey Blaze, from what i've read live blackworms are what they have in oz, and i think live bloodworms are what we have in the uk. You can get frozen bloodworms in oz and frozen blackworms in uk. So what you said was correct. Hope that made some sorta sense, my brains a bit fuddled. Lol. Mel.

ahhhh thanks Mel