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Risa23

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I have a juvenile axie and have had it for about three months now. When I first got it, he would eat anything I gave him (bloodworms, earthworms, daphnia, red wigglers, beef liver, etc). Now, he won't eat anything! It's been about two weeks since he last ate. I've done everything I can think of from a partial water change to a full water change to changing what i'm feeding him to taking him out of his tank and feeding him in a different environment. I'm really worried about him now. He hasn't grown at all since I have had him. I'm at my wits end! I need help!!! I don't know what else to do. Any advice would be wonderful!
 

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Are you sure that's an axolotl? The head shape and color is throwing me off a bit, it almost looks like a salamander larva. Take a look at this picture here: http://www.conservewildlifenj.org/images/artmax_561.jpg Do you see the same similarities I do?

It doesn't really have anything to do with the eating problem, though. ^^" Just an observation. Of course, I'm not saying it's not an axolotl, it just looks a bit different from the ones I'm used to seeing.

Anyway, back on topic. Axolotls tend to stop eating when they're stressed by heat or other conditions in the water. Remember that axolotls like temperatures around 18C, with 20C being on the high end of their comfort zone. That being said, what is the temperature of your tank? And, what are your water parameters?
 

Hello :p
As stated above, what are your tank parameters? Im assuming since you did a full water change, your tank is no longer cycled, so bad water quality could be why he doesnt want to eat.

Also if your temp is above 20C they will get heat stress and could take a good few weeks to decide to eat again.

You need to cycle your tank again and keep the temp cool and he should start to improve in due time, earthworms are the best diet for axies :D
 
It looks like a pale axolotl to me. The eyes do look andersoni-esque though.

This time of year feeding tends to slow down as animals prepare to enter winter. Keep trying with live, wiggly food. What kind of earthworms are you using? Red wigglers or nightcrawlers?

Unless you scrub the tank down during a 100% water change, you probably WON'T crash your cycle. The beneficial bacteria do not live in the water, but live on the surfaces of the tank.
 
PatchworkClocks said:
Are you sure that's an axolotl? The head shape and color is throwing me off a bit, it almost looks like a salamander larva. Take a look at this picture here: http://www.conservewildlifenj.org/images/artmax_561.jpg Do you see the same similarities I do?

It doesn't really have anything to do with the eating problem, though. ^^" Just an observation. Of course, I'm not saying it's not an axolotl, it just looks a bit different from the ones I'm used to seeing.

Anyway, back on topic. Axolotls tend to stop eating when they're stressed by heat or other conditions in the water. Remember that axolotls like temperatures around 18C, with 20C being on the high end of their comfort zone. That being said, what is the temperature of your tank? And, what are your water parameters?
Click to expand...


I am 100% sure that he is an axolotl. My college studies them and that is where I got him from. This is the second one that I've gotten from there. My first one, Guillermo, ended up with an infection and sadly didn't make it after I had him for three years.

The temp of my tank flucuates between 16C and 18C. All my parameters are good. The water pH is a 7.3, nitrates/nitrites/ammonia are all in normal parameters.
 
layna said:

Hello :p
As stated above, what are your tank parameters? Im assuming since you did a full water change, your tank is no longer cycled, so bad water quality could be why he doesnt want to eat.

Also if your temp is above 20C they will get heat stress and could take a good few weeks to decide to eat again.

You need to cycle your tank again and keep the temp cool and he should start to improve in due time, earthworms are the best diet for axies :D
Click to expand...

The temp of my tank flucuates between 16C and 18C. All my parameters are good. The water pH is a 7.3, nitrates/nitrites/ammonia are all in normal parameters.

I had been doing 20% water changes every three days but was told by my professor, who is an expert of them, that I needed to do a full water change. He told me that as long as I don't wipe the tank down, that the cycling wouldn't be an issue as long as it doesn't take me more than a couple hours to change everything (which it only took me about 40 minutes).

My axie was brought up on earthworms but when I got him, he decided he didn't like them anymore...so I changed to red wigglers as per the suggestion of my professor. He ate those for a while then decided he didn't like those. So I then changed to frozen bloodworms. He seemed to really like those when he first tried them and now he won't even snap at them. So then I tried daphnia, but he just refused those all together.
 
When my axie went off his worms (heat stress) I found he'd take them if I blanched them first - just a dash of boiling water then instantly cooled with cold. Still fresh but not excreting goo (I use dendrobaena) or fighting not to be eaten. 2 weeks on those and he was back to normal - and he's just become a dad.

If there's no apparent reason for not eating maybe something different - like you did before - will tempt him. I would also suspect that daphnia are too small for him - mine just ignore them.

The other things that my axies love is river shrimp - if you can get them.
 
auntiejude said:
When my axie went off his worms (heat stress) I found he'd take them if I blanched them first - just a dash of boiling water then instantly cooled with cold. Still fresh but not excreting goo (I use dendrobaena) or fighting not to be eaten. 2 weeks on those and he was back to normal - and he's just become a dad.

If there's no apparent reason for not eating maybe something different - like you did before - will tempt him. I would also suspect that daphnia are too small for him - mine just ignore them.

The other things that my axies love is river shrimp - if you can get them.
Click to expand...

How long do you blanch your earthworms for?
 
I think the answer is just a few seconds, but we can let AuntieJude answer that one.

I was looking at the pics, and was just wondering... Is the red patch on his/her left side a coloration it has always had? Or is it possible there is something else going on?

I hope all is well, and your baby starts eating again soon.
I certainly would try worms again, obviously it changes its mind often on what it likes and dislikes :D
 
SariYappa said:
I think the answer is just a few seconds, but we can let AuntieJude answer that one.

I was looking at the pics, and was just wondering... Is the red patch on his/her left side a coloration it has always had? Or is it possible there is something else going on?

I hope all is well, and your baby starts eating again soon.
I certainly would try worms again, obviously it changes its mind often on what it likes and dislikes :D
Click to expand...

I just noticed that as well. Since my albino is still young enough that he's translucent, I went to check if he's got a patch there as well, but he doesn't. If you notice, the red doesn't actually look like it's on the skin, rather, it's below the skin. I don't see any organs in that particular area that would display that kind of color normally. Maybe that has something to do with it?
 
The red patch looks as if it's where the liver is. Had your axie been thrashing? It could be a bruise.

Risa23 said:
How long do you blanch your earthworms for?
Click to expand...

Literally dash the hot water over the worm to kill it, just enough to cover it, then cold water straight away to cool it and prevent it cooking.
 
If you have a cycled tank then you only really need to do 20-30% water change once weekly :D
I know the cycled bacteria live on the filter and surfaces but i wouldnt want to risk crashing the cycle with 100% water changes as they could dry out and die.

Have you tried axie pellets? I had a fussy eater and he likes the pellets, he wont eat anything else :wacko:
 
My professor said that the red patch is either his heart or liver showing through and it shouldn't be anything to worry about because he's so light colored. I haven't been able to find axie pellets around where I live. Where do you find them at? My prof said to wait a day or so and try blanching a worm to see if he will eat it.
 
Sorry, what is the substate you are using? It almost looks like aragonite.

Anyway. You won't crash a cycle by doing 100% change if everything stays wet since the bacteria live on the surface.

You say your levels are normal but don't state what they are.
Ammonia : 0
Nitrite : 0
Nitrate : Less than 40ppm
I hope that your are in that range and so they are indeed normal.

The red spot looks normal to me although. Common in young axolotl of light colours - might I add your is a stunning colour.

Red wrigglers can be unfavorable to axy - they excrete bitter juice. Try fridging them or blanching as mentioned above.

Whats the weight of your lotl too? It doesn't look to skinny to be honest. Treats you can try to get it eating again include: slivers of blanched chicken, prawn, shrimp, feeder fish, pellets, bloodworms, whiteworms, varieties of earthworm, slaters (woodlouse), crickets, waxworms, meal worms, the list goes on. Some (such as earthworms and pellets) are suited as a diet but most of the listed above are best used as occasional treats.

Also, does he appear healthy in all other aspects and not stressed?
 
You can get the pellets from the internet, try ebay or just googling 'axolotl pellets US', i think some people use salmon pellets and these are okay for axies :D
 
Possum63 said:
Sorry, what is the substate you are using? It almost looks like aragonite.

Anyway. You won't crash a cycle by doing 100% change if everything stays wet since the bacteria live on the surface.

You say your levels are normal but don't state what they are.
Ammonia : 0
Nitrite : 0
Nitrate : Less than 40ppm
I hope that your are in that range and so they are indeed normal.

The red spot looks normal to me although. Common in young axolotl of light colours - might I add your is a stunning colour.

Red wrigglers can be unfavorable to axy - they excrete bitter juice. Try fridging them or blanching as mentioned above.

Whats the weight of your lotl too? It doesn't look to skinny to be honest. Treats you can try to get it eating again include: slivers of blanched chicken, prawn, shrimp, feeder fish, pellets, bloodworms, whiteworms, varieties of earthworm, slaters (woodlouse), crickets, waxworms, meal worms, the list goes on. Some (such as earthworms and pellets) are suited as a diet but most of the listed above are best used as occasional treats.

Also, does he appear healthy in all other aspects and not stressed?
Click to expand...


The substrate that he is on is fine fw sand bought from my school. My ammonia and nitrite levels are 0. My nitrate level is about 15ppm. I don't know his exact weight. I do keep my red wigglers fridged. He is healthy in all aspects( no curled tail/gills, no fungal growth, active swimmer, curious as can be). He just refuses to eat.
 
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