Dory seems unwell :(

I have been having so much trouble with my new axolotl as she was sick when I got her (underweight). She isn't seeming to put on weight and she isn't active. She just sits on the bottom of the tank and doesn't move. Whenever I feed her a earthworm she just spits them out.. the other night she threw up her earthworms which isn't good cause im trying to put weight on her.


She has been in this tunnel for at least an hour now.. light is on cause she has no eyes.


What could be wrong? The temperature is just below 20 degrees, might have to freeze a water bottle to lower the temp. I test the water everyday, my tank is still cycling so the ammonia is 0.25 atm..

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What are the water parameters? Has Dory started this behaviour recently, or is he acting like this for a longer period of time? Have you tried to feed Dory anything else besides earthworms? Keep us posted.

This behavior has been happening ever since I got her, I got her for free because she was ill and I'm trying to make her healthy again. I have given her blood worms and the sinking pellets, but I heard earthworms are the best for them.

Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
Ammonia 0.25
Ph 7.6
GH 140

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What substrate was she kept on?
Have you been cutting the worms up? They sometimes can't swallow whole earthworms. Cutting them about the same width as the axies head is the general advise given.

Dory may not know how to eat live food yet, it sounds funny but my mummy axie is still learning how to eat worms. I give her little skinny ones and feed her them by hand. If they are too big she spits them out. But she seriously loves them and dances up towards me excitedly when the worms come over. I think that some pet shop axies have just not been fed live food so they need a bit of training. Be persistent, it will pay off as earth worms are a highly nutritious axie food. Maybe just look for skinny worms if you have any. Or perhaps she doesn't like red wrigglers if that is what you are giving her, they supposedly have a funny taste. Never tried one personally.

I have had axies vomit worms, this happened when I fed them too much and didn't chop them up into manageable pieces (width of head).

Perhaps someone can recommend an alternative food that can help Dory put on weight. I've heard people recommend waxworms. Also maybe Hikari sinking carnivore pellets or salmon pellets.

She is kept on sand, but at the pet store she was kept in a tank with no substrate, no plants, nothing. Just a tank full of water. They used to feed her bloodworms, not sure how old this one is but she is close to fully grown, so not sure how long she was at the fish aquarium for.

Thanks Kerry for your helpful advice, I really want to try waxworms to fatten the poor girl up! But no idea where I could get them from.. as for the earthworms I get the small thin ones, she swallowed 2 and a half yesterday without vomiting which is a good sign, but from now on I will half them so its easier for her to swallow. I just want her to be happy and healthy, I have spent so much money on her trying to do what's best for her but nothing seems to be working. She just sits on the bottom of the tank not moving, headbutting the side of the tank when she eventually swims to get oxygen, I have now installed an aerator for her which makes the tank look really pretty

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I've looked for waxworms too - I don't think they are available in Aus.

You could try some live black worms, they can be ordered online or can be ordered at some pet stores (can be pricey though). With your sand substrate, you might also want to look at a feeding jar or bowl to avoid excessive sand swallowing.

What kind of filter do you have and is the current directed towards a wall so it's not too strong ?

Are your water parameters still the same, it looks like your tank is still cycling with no readings for Nitrate, if this is the case, keep up regular water changes and testing to make sure the ammonia and nitrite doesn't get too high. Good luck, let us know how Dory gets on :happy: