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Urgent Please help!

lotllove

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Hey, I'm new to the site and if I do anything wrong please let me know but I need some help with 2 of my axolotls.
#1: Sawney
this little guy is in the worst condition and I need help soon or I'm afraid he won't make it. He is about 2 inches long, albino, severely bloated and constipated (he can't really stay at the bottom of his tank so it is tilted so he can touch the bottom if he wants). I have tried the three days in the fridge but no success. It also seems as if he has some fungus growing around his gills so I have started to give him salt baths in order to solve that issue. He is also missing a leg but has managed very well and seems to be growing back just fine. He still swims around and has a big appetite but I don't feed him too much for fear he will explode. He also has something wrong with the tip of his tail, not sure if it was ripped and grew back funny, or he has anchor worms or if it's the fungus.
#2: Bean
Bean is a 4-5 inch Melanoid and has a dislocated/broken leg. He limps when he walk-swims and it hangs at a strange angle. The shoulder still works because he tries to swim with it but the rest of the limb is unresponsive. This makes it difficult for him to swim and turn around. I have left it alone for several weeks hoping it would heal itself, so far no such luck. I don't have much experience with these guys and would prefer to not cut the limb off myself for fear of hurting him. He still has a fantastic appetite and other than the arm he seems fine.

They are housed separately in foot by foot by foot tanks until I can get them all healed and better. The room is hardly ever at 70 (f) (the highest maybe 72?) but, it tends to stay around 68 degrees. There is no substrate in their tanks for them to swallow. Sawney however was in a tank for a day or so that had some fine sand, but I don't think that could cause his stomach issues. I am at my wits ends and just don't know what to do so any help would be a blessing! Unfortunately I'm having issues getting the pictures up, but hopefully I will have some up tomorrow.
 

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lotllove

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just some more images
 

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PatchworkClocks

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Where did you get your axolotls from? If you got them from a pet store, the most likely cause for the bloating and constipation is compaction caused by swallowing gravel. Try fridging the albino for a few more days. Offer it waxworms or butter worms too, those will help grease up its insides and hopefully it'll be able to push whatever it is out. Don't feed it with the wax/butter worms everyday, though. Too much fat can cause kidney problems. Offer it half a worm once a week or so, and in between give it pieces of earthworms.
That's just what I think it might be. There may be other answers, so wait and see what others say first.

Unfortunately, there's not much you can do for your melanoid on your own. If you can find an experienced herp vet, they should be able to set the leg back, and if they can't, they may have to just cut it off and let it regrow on its own.
 

lotllove

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I got both of them from a breeder in Arizona who does not use any kind of substrate. And the albino was doing fine for a while, then he just expanded... But maybe changing his diet might help some. Thank you for responding it really means a lot!
 

PatchworkClocks

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I got both of them from a breeder in Arizona who does not use any kind of substrate. And the albino was doing fine for a while, then he just expanded... But maybe changing his diet might help some. Thank you for responding it really means a lot!

The albino one doesn't look all that bloated, honestly. But it's hard to tell from the pictures. Either way, he's probably constipated, so a bit of butter or wax worm in his diet will help ease it. If you're feeding them with pellets too, lay off of those for a while. They're okay as part of the diet, but too much can cause constipation (I learned that the hard way :eek:). You more than likely already know this, but no freeze-dried foods either. Those types of food expand in the axolotl's stomach and it really upsets them when they're forced to spit everything up.
 

layna

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As stated above try giving a little bit of wax worm to the constipated one to help pass whatever the blockage is, i would put the constipated one back in the fridge for a few more days until the blockage passes, but they eat less in the fridge and the temp wants to be between 6-10C ideally :D
Dont keep putting him in and out though if hes in, hes in for a few days not just one day to the next.
And if he cant keep down, lower the water level to just above his back and gills so he can comfortably stand.

An axies tummy is supposed to be as wide as their head, if its not they need feeding a little more, if its wider than their head then just hold off for a few days.

As for the one with the broken leg, i think a vet is needed if its not healing on its own.

With the fungus, as they are little i wouldnt really do a salt bath, or id do a half strength one at most but almond leaves also have anti-fungal properties and are far less harsh, so i would source some of these and add them to the tub :D

 
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    with axolotls would I basically have to keep buying and buying new axolotls to prevent inbred breeding which costs a lot of money??
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