Blotches AND constant swimming

* Hi Guys

We’re a bit stumped on one of our axies and could do with some help.

We bought our melanoid Elvira from the reptile shop in Camden about 3 weeks ago. She was in a tank with two REALLY big wild type axies and the shop was very warm. She was decidedly sluggish, just sat on the (bare bottomed) tank floor. We kinda felt she needed rescuing. She had some pale blotches on her – one on her head, a few on her back, but she was chunky and had solid burgundy gills.

First of all we tried her on a bare bottomed temp tank (the idea was to eventually introduce her to our leucistic Puck). She pretty much just sat there, wouldn’t budge, but seemed calm. But getting her to eat was a struggle – we have tried her on earth worms, blood worms, tiny river shrimp and minnows, all of which Puck guzzles down by hand. She almost seems to be nervous of food – she either moves away from it or just ignores it generally. We have tried feeding her by hand, by forceps and by dropping it in front of her. She’s had (and spat out) a few earthworms, eaten one properly and a shrimp plus a few blood worm. And she was so sluggish (swimming a bit at night sometimes).

So we tried fridging her, left her in there for a week. Took her out at the weekend and put her in a newly cycled tank (which has been tested and parameters are fine). She is now a different beast, she swims CONSTANTLY – not in a distressed pinball way, just constantly swimming round the sides. She’s now been swimming for 36 hours. She doesn’t seem desperate to escape, just a bit frustrated by the glass. She swims up to take air sometimes but not in a desperate way either (but before she just sat there with her gills flapping).

She still won’t eat though and that is starting to worry us. She’s going to the toilet though, which is a relief. She’s lost a bit of weight (she’s a good 8” and sturdy) but isn’t like the really skinny ill ones people post pictures of on here… she still looks healthy… but… here are my questions:

What are these white patches (see photos)? The guy in the pet shop said they were from heat? We noticed that some of the melanoids in the Bug house at London zoo had similar but smaller marks. Her mouth is pale too. Is there anything we can do? Also her gills were burgundy when we got her and are now darker (but robust and pointing back)

What’s with the constant swimming? Is she distressed or has she just woken up?

Any advice would be really appreciated as we are quite new to all this and we got very lucky with Puck being very healthy and very sociable.

this picture shows the blotches a little better... any ideas?

48 hours and she's still swimming but not eating. I know these sick axie questions aren't the 'fun' ones but we're really worried, its like having kids!

It's hard to tell from the photos. To be honest, my melanoid has a large white patch on her nose, but it's just a birthmark. Those white patches would also be a previous injury from the large axolotls she was housed with. If they don't look like fungus to you, then it's most likely either of those. I would go for the injury spots, though. That's what they look like to me. If she's active, that's good. Maybe she's just taking a long time to get used to her surroundings. Mine wouldn't eat for a little over a week when I first got them. Just keep trying to feed her, I would say.

Thank you so much, that makes me feel a bit better, I just wish she'd eat - that and the swimming are the bothers, not really the marks

I would keep an eye on the white patches. My wild and melanoid have white patches on them. They are not raised and they don't seem to be part of the skin colouration.
I would give her a chance to settle, make sure her tank is kept below 20 degrees and keep offering her food. It might be worth asking the pet shop if they know how she was fed before. Is she in a tank with another axolotl? What is her tank set up like? Could you post some pictures?

The white/grey patches are ever so slightly raised - or maybe they just look it.

Her tank set up, which is only temp, is big stones, two live plants and a plant pot to hide in. I every other set up she has just been sluggish.

The pet shop fed her on bits of meat, liver etc. Tried her on chicken earlier, she wasn't interested -- just tried it out of desperation, know it isn't nutritious.