Leg torn

My female lil axie got one of her legs bit and it peeled a layer off of her leg that turned white and fungusy and it looks that way on the top foot in the tail what i do?

sry panicking the tail tip is mangled and the back foot the part that was split off is just dangling on it and the front foot is awful she was limp when i picked her up i thought she was dead at first but she started moving. what i doooo????

Oh I don't know but I hope someone can help you quickly. I hope she will be okay.

I would immediately separate whatever or whoever caused this.

If fungus is developing on the wound, carefully read the Salt Bath tutorial sticky thread and follow the instructions. Err on the side of too little salt or you can cause more harm than good.

Amputate before the infection spreads and kills the axolotl; a sharp pair of scissors will do the job. Axolotls grow their limbs back in about 3 months, and amputation probably doesn't hurt them the same way it would hurt us, since their legs have evolved to be disposable, replaceable organs, rather than something vital that has to be protected to avoid being permanently crippled. They're like lizard tails in that respect; they have their uses for crawling around, but a big part of their function is to pop off when something grabs them and then regrow, and they're not something that the animal particularly seems to miss having while it's regrowing.

Amputate the leg, so the fungus doesn't spread. Then, seperate her. Let her rest in a seperate container. Try the salt bath, give her enough food, then she should be fine.

Amputation is sometimes necessary - but yes, it hurts them. Even earthworms feel pain and an axolotl is a more complex creature than that.

They'll freak the heck out and you may further injure them doing this yourself since they will thrash (for instance, into the sharp edge or point of scissors or as you accidentally open and close them a little bit more in the confusion and trying to see if you even made a good, clean cut). They'll thrash just having you try to hold them, not to mention when you actually cause them significant pain and injury.

I'm not just being a bleeding heart - I've been involved with amputation and seen it. I'm not against it if necessary - but the axolotl is certainly going to feel it and not like it and untrained and unprepared you could well end up doing more harm than good - especially if it was unnecessary to begin.

So far what the OP has described is rather vague to me and I can see the words taken several ways. I would in no way advise at-home amputation without at LEAST pictures to clarify the situation. And injury with a non-sterilised (no, just putting rubbing alcohol on something won't do it) device can get a brand new infection instead of just easily-treatable-at-home fungus.

There is no reason to amputate over something like saprolegnia if it's just clinging to the surface of the wound. This happened to my axolotl who was missing limbs when I first got him - and he was cured completely with salt baths, no further damage to tissue necessary.



1. Post pictures and determine if amputation is even necessary.

2. Evaluate your own comfort and abilities to provide a safe environment for amputation if truly necessary.


I understand not being able to afford a vet and trying your best - but that shouldn't be the first solution offered to anyone.

My amputation advice was given based on a conversation in chat that I was having with Iggy when I read this thread, and I mixed them up and thought they were about the same thing (sam had added me to the convo within seconds of me arriving at caudata.org, so I hadn't quite gotten my bearings).

Iggy has a P. waltl that has a completely degloved arm which isn't moving, and which hasn't responded to anti-fungal treatments, so I advised him to amputate it since it was likely necrotic:

http://www.caudata.org/forum/member...i/22209-you-can-see-sort-ghostly-glove-there/

That's okay, mistakes happen and I thought you meant well no matter what. I just didn't want to OP jumping to amputate before we even see pictures.

Please post pics of ur lil girl axie so we can better help you.

ok, what i thought was fungus on the tail is bone. I amputated one leg but it looks like two other legs are guna have to go too. theres also like stringy skin and its turning white but looks dead not fungusy one leg turned white and theres missing toes and gills... she is at least no longer sideways and is moving about the tank again
shes lots legs to the same lotl before but never anything this bad