Question: Gravid female mystery? Advice really appreciated!

Hi all,

I've posted before regarding my adult female - She seems to enjoy tormenting me!
I rehomed her and a male tankmate approximately a month ago and she seemed gravid:

The day I rehomed her:



I asked my sister-in-law for advise and an opinion as she has kept axolotls for years and she also thought she was gravid. So I waited and checked plants, rocks, etc for hours a day for the week following and nothing - no larvae, no change in her appearance. Then eventually, she did seem less "rounded".

This is her today:


Very rounded again! She's usually quite happy strutting around on the tank floor and is pretty friendly but whenever she takes on this state she hides in this very corner and refuses to eat.

I do regular water changes and check the water quality.

Any ideas?

It´s not the pear shape that is typical of gravid females. The roundness all along the body is usually a sign of bloat.

What are you feeding her and how often?

This is the problem, I posted another thread regarding her eating habits as I rarely see her eat! All my axies are fed on bloodworm, brine shrimp and pellets and I've been advised to get her some earthworm (which I'm collecting tomorrow) but I think in the month I've had her i've only seen her have a nibble of brine shrimp and she managed some pellets yesterday and this morning.

Her previous owner fed her bloodworm and pellets every other day so I followed his routine. My others get angsty if not fed everyday.

NeekaLovesYou said:

This is the problem, I posted another thread regarding her eating habits as I rarely see her eat! All my axies are fed on bloodworm, brine shrimp and pellets and I've been advised to get her some earthworm (which I'm collecting tomorrow) but I think in the month I've had her i've only seen her have a nibble of brine shrimp and she managed some pellets yesterday and this morning.

Her previous owner fed her bloodworm and pellets every other day so I followed his routine. My others get angsty if not fed everyday.

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Adult axolotls don't need to eat every day. They usually do well with feedings twice a week. Perhaps she's just fat?

But she rarely eats. I think I've seen her have a nibble twice in the month I've had her. Turns her nose up at bloodworm, tried brine shrimp once and never again and now she'll only have the occasional pellet, hence why I was going to try the earthworm.

What substrate have you got her on and have you seen her go to the toilet? Could she be full of sand or gravel. That could explain why she went thin for a short time and then filled out again. Some axolotls are habitual eaters of substrate.


Regards Neil

When I rehomed her the previous owners gave me a bag of very fine gravel, but in turn I replaced it with sand. I have seen her go to the toilet. Also she's never been what I'd say thin, she's always been pretty chunky just not as full as this.

I would try her for a while in a bare bottomed set up to see if she passes any substrate.
I have a feeling that she could have something going on inside. I had a sand eater before and it took a long time of weaning him back onto sand before I could trust him not to sit there and eat the floor.

And you would be surprised at just how much substrate they can hold onto - - by the time my axolotl regurgitated/passed all the sand, it ended up being about 2 and 1/2 teaspoons worth!!

Thats something worth trying, thanks Jenste! I'll get right on it. The only other thing I thought about was eventually changing the substrate to large pebbles? I have large pebbles in with my younger ones mostly due to the fact I have an under gravel filter (otherwise I'd have sand) and never get any problems with them!

Update:

I've cleared the bottom of the tank today so it's now bare other than a couple of large stones so the pair have a bit of gripping surface. They haven't been fed today but she does look slightly less round. I'm keeping an eye on her.