Illness/Sickness: Axie attached by tank mate

This morning I saw my axie Little Duff getting attacked by his tank mate and his front leg is just about ripped off. I'd had him fridged for a little while because he had a fungal infection on his tail and reg leg but he was well on his way to recovered and I re-introduced him to the tank about a week ago and he was thriving. The leg that has been pretty much chewed off was the red leg. The leg is hanging on by a thread but the bone has been severed. I have no idea what to do so here are my questions:

Do i need to remove the leg so that a new one can grow or will it drop off on its own?

Did Littl Duffs tank mate specifically attack his red leg to try and help him or was he actually trying to kill him?

Will I have to separate them from now on or can he go back into the tank?

Sorry to bombard with questions but I really don't know what to do about this and it's really upsetting so I would appreciate all the advice anyone can give.

Axolotls have poor eyesight. If they see something moving they will try to eat it. Be it some bloodworm or another axolotl! He wasn't trying to kill him, it's just that fact he swam by and the other thought "that's moving, dinner time!". It's not an uncommon experience in juvenile axolotls and is likely to happen less and less as they get older. The leg will more than likely fall off on it's own after a day or so, in my experience. If amputation is necessary (I doubt it will be), use sterile scissors and cut as far away from the body as possible. Keep Duffs water cool and clean and he should be fine If he gets fungus, salts baths are your aid. It's hard knowing whether or not they will have to be separated completely. If he's reintroduced to the tank and still being attacked, they may have to be separated. However, the very occasional nip is inevitable even in adult axolotls. Keeping them well fed can evade accidents happening in future.

Thank you so mnuch for your help. I have Little Duff in the fridge at the moment. Is this the right thing to do or should I put him back in the tank?

I don't know about your end but it's cold up here! I don't think he needs to be in the fridge but if you're anxious about putting him back in the tank keep him in his container, somewhere cool and calm. Obviously change his water daily (dechlorinated). Give him some "chill out" time. This way it'll be easier for you to look out for fungus, make sure he's eating and is otherwise in all good health. Is there a major difference in size between the two axolotls?

They're about the same size. I've had them since last September and they've always been very happy together in the tank, even cuddling up with each other in their hide. When Little Duff returned to the tank after being fridged last time, the first thing he did was cuddle up to Axl and they seemed quite happy.

My sister has a spare fish tank that she is bringing tomorrow. I can keep him in there until he starts to look better in stead of keeping him in the fridge then. I assume it would be ok for him to stay in the fridge over night until the other tank arrives? I'm very wary about putting him back in with Axl. The last thing i want is for Little Duff to lose another limb.

He'll be fine in the fridge until he can go in the spare tank :happy: Just make sure you take him out of the fridge, let him warm up and let him acclimatise to the fresh water in the tank. Obviously keep water changes frequent if the tank has been empty as it won't have any "establishment". Unfortunately these things do happen but here's hoping they can be reintroduced and live in harmony.

I really appreciate your help and advice. I would be totally heatbroken if anything else happened to Little Duff. Fingers crossed he'll be ok now.

You're welcome I would be very surprised if he didn't make a full recovery! I've heard of much worse things happening to axolotls and them pulling through - They're tougher than we give them credit! I'm sure he'll be fine but the caudate community are always there to give some advice if ever needed. Keeping everything crossed for Little Duff!