Illness/Sickness: Help me im desperate

handemum · Oct 11, 2011

Hi i need help im pulling at strings my axie has been floating on her side with head under water for 5 days now and wont eat anything at all i have tried for a week and a half i have checked her water and her tank is always clean and she lives alone and no gravel in tank she tries to swim down but gets pulled back up and her tummy is swollen i have tried the fridge and nothing we dont have an axie vet in town and im freaking out i love her and dont want her to die any suggestions would be great

and shes been stressing out

Zenna · Oct 11, 2011

I'm sorry to hear, I dont know much, but from what i have read, You should at least lower her water so its covering her but she can touch the bottom? That might help her not stress that much. Thats about as much advice as I can give untill someone more experianced comes on and helps =/

Best of luck.

danchristopher · Oct 11, 2011

What type of substrate is your axie on? What do you feed her and how often? What exactly did you check your water for (ammonia, nitrite, nitrates, pH)?

Also, you mention you put her in the fridge, how long did you have her in there for and did she pass anything while she was in there?

There are a number of reasons that your axie might be floating, a picture would definitely help

handemum · Oct 11, 2011

i put her in a container and lowered the water and put her in the fridge for a day and nothing happened, i checked her water for ph and it was 7.5 i did a complete water change while she was out in fridge and she had largish rocks at the bottom of her tank and re tested ph and put the drops in water to get rid of chlorine and chloramine

handemum · Oct 11, 2011

i put her in a container and lowered the water and put her in the fridge for a day and nothing happened, i checked her water for ph and it was 7.5 i did a complete water change while she was out in fridge and she had largish rocks at the bottom of her tank and re tested ph and put the drops in water to get rid of chlorine and chloramine

handemum · Oct 11, 2011

the blood worms are there cos i just tried to feed her but she still wont eat

Mandy6 · Oct 11, 2011

I'd keep her in a cool container with just enough water to cover her. That way she can touch the bottom and it will help her calm down. How big were the rocks that you had? Were they definetely bigger than her head?

If there is any chance she could have swallowed something I'd keep her in the fridge for a few days at least

handemum · Oct 11, 2011

the rocks were the size of my palm and flatish i never put anything small in her tank

handemum · Oct 11, 2011

Hey guys managed to Gert her to eat a small piece of chicken finite. But is it normal for her to play with the water filter? She still floating but lower water making her les stressed out

Mandy6 · Oct 11, 2011

Some axies like to play like that. If she's eating and playing thats a good sign =3 I'm not sure what else to advise other than keep her water clean, cool and shallow to keep her calm.

How old is she?

danchristopher · Oct 11, 2011

Yup, do as Mandy says.
I'd say eating is a positive sign

But if she continues to float perhaps a slightly longer holiday in the fridge could do some good... maybe wait to see if anyone else can weigh in on this; fridging is often considered the quick-fix around here, haha.

As for the pH, axolotls are fine with harder water so 7.5 is no problem. My axies are quite happy with their 7.6 pH

But a couple of other questions...
Is she still curled over like in the photo and does she try to swim around (apart from 'playing' with the filter)?
How long has the tank been setup and how often do you do water changes?
It's really hard to tell from the photos so I figured I'd ask anyway - does it look like she has an air bubble under her skin?

handemum · Oct 11, 2011

i have had her for 3 months she was in a bad state when i got her and severly neglected by a teenage boy, i change her water 20% once every two days and a a complete water change every week and a half i have dropped her water down in her tank she seems happy nestled up to thermometer and water filter but she is curled up like that for going on 6 days i cant see any bubbles under her skin and i thought that she needed to fart at first i have covered her with a blanket to keep her dark she hasnt thrown up her foos when i checked this morning but the amount she ate was very small so its a start my partner will not allow me to put her in the fridge again cos he thinks its grose. so i am going to try cooling down the water with a few ice cubes at a time. she tries to swin down when there is more water but she keeps floating back to the top when she stops trying
which is not normal

danchristopher · Oct 11, 2011

What is the temp of her tank?
Even better would be to get some 2L plastic bottles and fill them nearly to the top with water and then freeze them.
I would not recommend ice cubes but if you have no alternative make sure the water is dechlorinated before frozen.

The problem with this method is it can make the temperature a little bit unstable, which can also lead to more stress unfortunately

Your partner might think it's gross, but it may be the best way to save your animal. You can put a lid on the container and cover it in a tea towel, he won't even know she's in there.
Axolotl Sanctuary

handemum · Oct 11, 2011

ill try the coke bottle thing then, he notices whats in the fridge on account he goes in there so often to see what he can eat, tank temp is currently at 17c if she survives till next week im thinking of buying a beer fridge just for this purpose lol

handemum · Oct 11, 2011

oh and shes approx 5 yrs

handemum · Oct 12, 2011

ok so i put a frozen coke bottle in tank and checked on her an hr later she has nestled herself next to the bottle is that normal?

handemum · Oct 22, 2011

just an update to let u know
isis is coming right i kept her water cool for 2 weeks and she has eaten again today 2nt time in 2 weeks
and she is no longer floating on her side

Search

Search

Illness/Sickness: Help me im desperate

handemum

New member

Zenna

New member

danchristopher

New member

handemum

New member

handemum

New member

handemum

New member

Mandy6

New member

handemum

New member

handemum

New member

Mandy6

New member

danchristopher

New member

handemum

New member

danchristopher

New member

handemum

New member

handemum

New member

handemum

New member

handemum

New member

Settings Notifications

Options