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Sick, skinny axolotl... HELP!

Readoss

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Hi,
I have had my axie for nearly a year now and not had any problems with him. He is quite a energetic one and swims around for most of the day. In the past week i have noticed he has stopped eating and is hanging around the bottom of the tank and is looking very sickly so i have taken him out and fridged him. He has been in for the past 2 days.
I recently bought an undergravel filter as my tank was starting to get pretty messy and i cleaned out the tank, filled it up with spring water and put in the new filter and airpump.
He is still refusing to eat and looks really lethargic and he also has a few grey marks under his tail.
The temperature of the tank was at 25 degrees and i now have a frozen water bottle that i will put in to cool it down.

What else can i do to help my axie get back to normal health??
If anyone has any ideas, i would really appreciate them!
 

carsona246

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What are the water parameters? 25 is definatly too hot for an axolotl. If the water parameters are just fine it may just be that he was too hot. I know that fridging lowers their metabolism, but has he been eating in the fridge? If you replaced the filter with an undergravel filter does that mean you replaced the substrate as well? If that's the case you might have a mini-cycle on your hands.
 

Readoss

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I am not sure what the parameters are. I need to buy a kit tomorrow to test the water. What would you recommend? I have no idea what to get! I have tried feeding him in the fridge but he just nibbles at the defrosted beef heart when he would usually gulp it up. So he isnt eating much at all. I have a filter that sits at the top of the aquarium and filters the water - i have kept that in and replaced the cartridge in it. I just removed all the water to clean the tank and added an undergravel filter and an airpump aswell, and then re-filled it. So i have 2 filters running now.
 

carsona246

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so did you replace the catridge when you added the undergravel filter/water? what substrate do you have? If you don't have any then I would still guess you have a minicycle. Beefheart is also not a proper staple diet. Mammalian meat is not good for aquatic animals(too much fatty meat), I would stick to worms. Get a drip test kit, the dip strips are not very reliable. the only drip test kit I know of is api, but I'm sure there are other brands. I'm assuming you dechlorinated the water when you replaced it, but just in case I'm gonna make sure you did. I would try and find some earthworms, and see if your axolotl will eat those. How long has it been since he's eaten? An axolotl can go for a week or so without needing to eat.
 

HitmanSougo13

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One week without food is no problem for an axo. The longer, the worst it gets. You can consider a different method when it comes more so to two weeks. Have you considered getting a longer term cooling method in place? Cold bottles may not be a good long term solution since the water temperature is high. Is it always warm where you live?
 

SwissAxie

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Hey,

How long has he been in 25°C water ? It is definitely much too hot. The temperature shouldn't exceed a max of 20°C at any time...

I am not sure if you can get him to eat in the fridge. His metabolisme is slower now and he might really not be hungry. So don't force anything. And, as Carson said, leave the beef heart, and try pieces of fish, earthworms and such things instead.

Why is he skinny of he hasn't eaten for just ONE week ???
 

Readoss

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Yes i replaced the cartridge just before i put in the undergravel filter. I have fairly large pebbles which sit on top of the undergravel filter.
I usually mix between beefheart and axie pellets as that is what the pet store person said to do, but ill try worms and see how he goes.
Yes the water was dechlorinated when i replaced it. I think its been about a week to a week and a half since he has eaten properly.
What could i use for a long term cooling device? I had a heater that came with the tank but took that out a few weeks ago because i didnt need it.
I live in Perth, Australia so it is fairly warm most of the time and the last few days has been 40 degrees and thats when i noticed he was really lethargic.
The water is usually around 20 degrees in the morning and gets up to 25 during the day but the pet store person said up to 24 is fine so i didnt really worry until i started researching more!
 

Bellabelloo

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Undergravel filters generally are unsuitable for an axolotl tank. As I understand it, muck can get trapped between the plate, not to mention stones are also a problem.
Unfortunately I suspect the heat and not knowing what your water parameters are causing you these problems.
You'll need a test tube type of water testing kit, the strips are prone to being very misleading. Maybe while you are their get them to test a sample of his tank water ( take it in a clean bottle )
I would suggest you fridge your little guy for a bit, until you can get your tank sorted. This article will help with this.

Axolotl Sanctuary
 

Readoss

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Thanks for all your help! it is much appreciated as im really worried about my axolotl!
I was having trouble keeping the tank clean as my little guy is so messy so i went to the pet shop and they said an undergravel filter will filter out all the mess aswell as airate the tank a bit???
When i first got him (a year ago) i had small gravel in the tank but he was sucking them up when he was eating so i was told to put larger pebbles in and i havent had a problem since and he seems to like them.
Its just he is soo skinny i just want to get some food into him and while he is in the fridge he isnt eating either.
ill leave him in for a few more days and ill go get a kit to test the water aswell as taking in a sample tomorrow.
 

Kaysie

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Under gravel filters do nothing but trap waste underneath the plates. I have a big hunch when you pick them up, you will find a TON of mulm underneath it.

Larger pebbles have the same problem as the under gravel. They trap a lot of unseen waste.

Try offering other food. If he's not eating his normal food, try something else: earthworms, waxworms, crickets, pinkie mice, decapitated mealworms. I especially suggest live things, like earthworms, but if he's skinny, any food is better than no food at all.
 

bayhicoach

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The purpose of the undergravel filter is to collect the detritus by pulling it down into the substrate or into the plates themselves. Having done that the bacteria go to work to break this material down (a huge part of tank cycling). Undergravel filters are an effective way to filter your tank and circulate water through the substrate so that bacteria can have access to nutrients and oxygen. If your substrate is sand, however, undergravel filters are not particularly effective since the grains of since tend to get compacted and don't allow a very swift flow of water.

Regular partial water changes help to ameliorate the problems that might exist because of excess waste collecting. It's also a good idea to dilute other built up waste products that are not being broken down by bacteria.
 

Readoss

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I bought a pH testing kit and the pH level is 7.4
I also went and bought a worm farm (haha) because that is all i could find and he ate (and swallowed) half a worm after spitting it out 3 or 4 times.
He is starting to look a little livelier but still pretty skinny.
I have still got him in the fridge.
How long should i leave him in there? This will be his 3rd day.
I also gave him a 10min salt bath this morning as i have noticed he has little black marks under his tail that looks like a fungus or something.
Am i doing all the right things and what more can i do for him??
 

Kaysie

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You need to test for ammonia and nitrite too. These are much more important than pH.

Keep your salamander in the fridge for at least a couple more days. Keep offering food.
 

SwissAxie

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Hey,

I still don't understand why an adult axolotl like yours (since you've had him for one year) should be as skinny as you describe him if he's just not been eating for about 10 days. I suspect if he's really as skinny as you say, he's not been eating for months. Otherwise it's not possible he's thin. An adult axolotl can go on for weeks without eating without being skinny.

Would you please post a picture. Thanks.
 

Readoss

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He isn't an adult yet. He is only 1 year old.
I got him mid April last year so iv only had him for 9 months and the lady said he was only a couple of months old when i bought him

When i got him he was thin but he is a little thinner now and i think it is due to the change in temperature as it has been 40 degrees recently.
I have been looking at photos of other axies and mine is quite thin compared thats why i started to get worried.
I usually feed him every second day alternating between meat and pellets but i was away for four days over new years when the temperature was hot and my mum tried feeding him with no luck.
Will attach a photo of him - also he has always had that black spot on him since i bought him - the lady said it was a birthmark
 

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Bellabelloo

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I agree with you, that your axolotl is a skinny little guy. I see you are trying hard to help get him better.
I would offer live food at least once, maybe twice a day, try a small earthworm. If the worm is too big, cut it in half. You can leave this in overnight, but make sure it is removed if still there in the morning so the water does not foul .
 

SwissAxie

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Hey,

First : I can tell from the picture that your axie is an adult. His toe tips are black which means he's sexually mature, and therefore adult.

He is very skinny... And he sure has had a problem for more than just 10 days. When did he poop the last time ?

I am not sure whether putting him in the fridge is the best idea. It slows down his metabolism alright, but he will be less hungry with that, too. But he absolutely needs to take weight.

The other possibility is that he's very sick, that's why I'd like to know when he pooped last time and what the poop looked like.

I would try to give him small pieces of chicken liver (liver helps the digestive system with its proteins). Do NOT give him that once everything is well again. Chicken liver is rather a medication than food. But he might take it. Be sure to use chicken and not beef.

And what's that black spot on his back ?
 

Kaysie

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SwissAxie, you need to drop the accusatory tone of your posts. It's not helpful in the least.

Readoss, keep offering food. Live food will usually entice an axolotl to eat more than pellets or frozen bloodworms will. If you can, try waxworms or butterworms too. If it comes down to it, you can force-feed, but this is a last resort effort. Your animal is very skinny, and it might be worthwhile considering.

Liver is extremely high in Vitamin A. I do not recommend using it, as it can cause too much Vitamin A in the system. Since your axolotl is sick, you don't want to make him sicker.
 

Readoss

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He hasn't pooped for the last 4 days and before that i was away for four days so i am not too sure.
As i said earlier, the tanks temperature has been above 20 degrees for a little while now but i didn't worry because the pet shop lady said it can be up to 24 degrees. I started to worry once i researched it more and read that it shouldn't be over 20 degrees.
He has had the black spot since i got him. The lady said it was a birthmark.
I can't put him back in his tank as the water is 23 degrees. I have frozen a 3L bottle and put it in there. It gets the temp down to 20 but it thores out in an hour and the temp increases again. I also dont want to stress him by going from 7 degree fridge temp to 20 degree tank temp.
I offered him worms about 5 times yesterday and he didn't want a bar of it and have tried again this morning.
 
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