Missing Parts

So, I went to the pet store to pick up an axolotl I had on hold and they'd accidentally sold it, leaving only two left - and one was on hold for someone else.

So...







I think she's a golden albino (and I think she might glow, but I have no way to test it right now) ? And as far as I can tell, she's a she, but maybe too young to really tell.

They are a good pet store, but a bit ago one of her tank-mates attacked her (said tank-mate was then isolated). Her front leg is gone flush to her body, the back ones are a little longer, her gills don't look too happy, either, and I think her tail got bit, too.

It's been a couple hours since I got her home, and she's since eaten the pellets she wasn't interested in when they fell right by her head.

She'll be okay, right ? They told me so, and I trust them, but I need to hear it from someone else (it's sad to watch her hop around with bloody stumps). She's pretty active and is crawl-hopping all over. It just seems like so much to heal.

Keep her tank clean and cool and she will be fine. Just keep an eye out for any fungus, if it develops you'll need to do salt baths

(I love how the plant matches her!)

Thanks ! I've never had an animal like this before, and it's amazing to me that it can be fine even after all that damage.

She does have some white "fluff" coming off one leg :



I googled pictures, but I wasn't sure if it was maybe a fungus or a normal part of healing. That's the best picture I could get, it looks like cotton fluff.


I was told to add 20 tbs aquarium salt to the 10g tank (~37 litres). I have well water and there's water softener in use, so I think the idea was to replace some of what had been taken out ? I'm new to aquatic creatures, so I'm not sure how that works out and don't want to be giving her a constant salt bath or anything (I read the picture tutorial and it seemed like the same amount of salt ).

I don't think you should add the salt to your aquarium. Instead use a separate container and do as the tuturial says.

Lovely color though

Tapatalk'd with Desire.

I was told to add salt by the pet store, and that it was something I should add during normal water changes, too.

I'm also using Melafix (for reference).

I'm still learning about how aquatic chemistry works, so some things I don't completely understand yet. I understand the Nitrogen Cycle, but I'm not sure how the hardness/softness of the water and the added salt work out.

Axolotls are freshwater creatures, I wouldn't recommend adding salt to the main tank that they live in. Salt baths are an entirely differnt story. When an Axolotl gets sick you can do a salt bath treatment 3 times a day to help it get better.

I would wait till someone more experienced has a link for some information before trying it yourself.

Don't be surprised when posters here disagree with what pet stores will tell you. I'd tend to believe the forum over just about any store. Fish stores often don't treat their axolotls optimally, and the axies mostly manage because they're quite hardy, but that doesn't mean it's the best condition for them.

It looks like Melafix should be safe to use, but a salt bath following Kaysie's tutorial is probably the best thing for your axolotl. (http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-be...axolotl/72698-salt-bath-picture-tutorial.html)

Although the pet store said to put it in her main tank, I wouldn't advise it. Axies have very sensitive skin so been in the salt all the time could cause damage. Just follow the tutorial to do salt baths ^^

I'm not sure on melafix with axies, but I'd go with the salt baths first =3

So I should change-out the water that's in there now ? I'll get a tupperware container and put her in there (with the water, of course) while I do so ?

Their care sheet for axolotls seems well-done (and in-line with everything I've read here), I think maybe the person helping me today was not as experienced with them as the person I'd spoken with the first time.

I'll do the salt baths, the tutorial was great.


UPDATE : I did a 60-70% water change. I didn't want to traumatise her by moving her from place to place too much, and I hope that took care a good deal of the salt content of the water.

I'm glad to hear they have a good care sheet. Maybe that one person needs to read it! Water changes should dilute the salt adequately, and it sounds like you've made a good start. Hopefully you can nurse the axolotl back to health easily with salt baths. She looks a bit thin, but they recover from that quickly too. Mine was missing three legs when I got him and he's now fat and happy with all body parts.

GazerOfStars said:

Axolotls are freshwater creatures, I wouldn't recommend adding salt to the main tank that they live in. Salt baths are an entirely differnt story. When an Axolotl gets sick you can do a salt bath treatment 3 times a day to help it get better.

I would wait till someone more experienced has a link for some information before trying it yourself.

Click to expand...

The addition of non-table salt is a common practice in caring for freshwater animals as the addition of a small amount of sea salt or aquarium salt can be used to bring up the ion content of the water reducing the stress on the animal placed on it by osmoregulation. Typically pet stores recommend adding between one to three tablespoons of sea or aquarium salt per gallon of water. This can help the animal by as it has to direct less energy towards osmoregulation.

This is a topic that has been discussed repeatedly over the years see for example http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-be...eral-discussion/57063-salt-good-axolotls.html

If you have softer water then the addition of some salt is fine.

Ed

I'm going to have my water tested by them on Tuesday - a tank sample and a regular one, just to see where my water *really* stands before doing anything more.

I worked a double shift today, and just got home - checking up on her, it looks like 90% of the fungus is already gone !

I went to the pet store again on my between-shifts break and picked up some live sand and a hide-fake-log. I didn't know they sold live filters when I was setting up the tank, or I think I would have gone for it.

I saw the guy I originally talk to again, and he said the fungus was probably because their water was too warm at the store, and that the move to a cooler tank was probably going to help just in itself (which, when I got home, thankfully appears to be the case).

Thank you, everyone. I'm less worried now, and she seems to be doing great.