Illness/Sickness: Bacterial Problem?

One of my axolotls is ill. It started when he gradually began eating less and less over the course of a month and his gills also began gradually shrinking. Then he stopped eating altogether, spitting out any food he grabbed and now makes frequent trips to the surface for air. Though he stopped eating he didn't loose any weight and remained lively.

I have had him checked out by my vet who couldn't find anything wrong, there were no injuries, blockages or abscesses that would stop him eating and given he seemed lively and happy (ie: not agitated) and wasn't showing any signs of stress the advice was to keep him cool and clean and see how he went.

The water parameters are 0, 0, 40 for the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate respectively. The water temperature was 14 degrees a few months ago and has gradually risen to 17 degrees over spring, and the pH is 7.4.
His tank mates are all healthy and eating/behaving normally. There is no bullying or overcrowding. (I have a 5ft x 2ft tank) The tank substrate is sand so he won't have swallowed any gravel.


However it has now been at least 2 months since he stopped eating and he still hasn't lost weight, which in itself is worrying. Yesterday I noticed he has started swelling up just behind his head above his front legs and these little bumps have appeared on one of his front legs. I am very worried as to what it could be.

He is currently in the fridge and booked in to see the vet this weekend. The picture shows his swelling. Does anyone know if this is some kind of bacterial thing or if it is a more serious organ failure?

I can't say for sure but organ failure seems to cause swelling in the head rather than the legs. The only other condition I can suggest is Red Leg, but I've never seen it.

I hope he gets better soon!

Petersgirl said:

I can't say for sure but organ failure seems to cause swelling in the head rather than the legs. The only other condition I can suggest is Red Leg, but I've never seen it.

I hope he gets better soon!

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Thanks, so do I!

I am pretty sure it is not Red Leg because sadly I lost an axolotl to that about 18 months ago and the symptoms were different to what I am seeing now. Swamp Monster doesn't have any abnormal colouration on his legs or anywhere else and he isn't showing signs of stress (curled tail tip and gills) that came with the Red Leg infection.

This must be so frustrating for you.

Your tank setup and parameters sound ideal. What does the axolotl's main diet consist of?

The only way to ascertain if it's a bacterial infection is for the vet to take a swab sample and run some tests. Hopefully your vet will have some answers for you on the weekend. Please let us know how it goes.

Jacquie said:

This must be so frustrating for you.

Your tank setup and parameters sound ideal. What does the axolotl's main diet consist of?

The only way to ascertain if it's a bacterial infection is for the vet to take a swab sample and run some tests. Hopefully your vet will have some answers for you on the weekend. Please let us know how it goes.

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The diet for all my axolotls is a mixture of crickets and earthworms. I buy the crickets in frozen and defrost them thoroughly before each feeding. I gather the earthworms fresh from my garden which I know some people say is a bad idea but I know for certain that my garden has been organic for at least the last 10 years and the layout of my house and garden means that there would not be any sort of contamination from neighbours gardens if they used chemicals on them.

My axi continued to eat earthworms after he stopped eating crickets, but the size of the worms he would accept got smaller and smaller. At first I though maybe he had a wound or abscess in his mouth or throat that made soft worms easier to accept than crickets, but the vet couldn't find anything of the sort last time I took him in.

回复: Re: Bacterial Problem?

I understand this disease, I think ascites caused by swelling of the body.
May is cricket after sharp legs, punctured it visceral, caused by chronic inflammation.
Sorry to say that is is very dangerous by now,and I've no way to do.Sorry.

Speckles26 said:

The diet for all my axolotls is a mixture of crickets and earthworms. I buy the crickets in frozen and defrost them thoroughly before each feeding. I gather the earthworms fresh from my garden which I know some people say is a bad idea but I know for certain that my garden has been organic for at least the last 10 years and the layout of my house and garden means that there would not be any sort of contamination from neighbours gardens if they used chemicals on them.

My axi continued to eat earthworms after he stopped eating crickets, but the size of the worms he would accept got smaller and smaller. At first I though maybe he had a wound or abscess in his mouth or throat that made soft worms easier to accept than crickets, but the vet couldn't find anything of the sort last time I took him in.

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Sorry for the slow update everyone, the internet has not been a priority the last few days.

On Friday things took a sudden turn for the worse and my axi began passing clumps of mucus, ranging in colour from white to yellow and green and then with clots of blood in it, his skin started shedding in places, fungus developed on his gills and his body also began to swell up further.
The vet he saw at the weekend wasn't the one who I usually use for my axolotls but I really didn't think I could delay until my preferred vet was in surgery. Anyway, long story short, I practically demanded a course of antibiotics for him and for the next 24 hours things didn't look too good. But, touch wood, things are slowly starting to improve. I started doing 100% daily water changes on his hospital tank instead of 50%.
The fungus has all but disappeared and the skin shedding has almost stopped as well. The swelling above his arms has now disappeared but his body is still swollen. The mucus he is passing is now white and yellow, the green stuff and blood clots have stopped and hopefully will not come back.

He is not out of the woods yet but thankfully he is looking better than before.