Axolotl Shrinking

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alamao

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I have noticed one of my axolotls seems to be shrinking.
As far as I knew that is impossible so any idea what could cause it?
thanks in advance.
 
Is it shrinking in length or girth? Maybe it isn't getting enough to eat? What are you feeding and how often?
 
In girth. They Eat pellets, Earthworms, woodroaches and mealworms. One died on me yesterday which is why I am getting worried it was a sick axie for a long time though. got a rough ride from its past owner. I got two left
 
How much and how often do you feed them? What subtrate are you using?
 
The best diet for axies is earthworms :D axolotl pellets are an option for fussy eaters but earthworms are the best.
Mealworms arent good as axies cant digest their hard shell very well and its not comfortable for them to pass the exoskeleton.
I dont know what the roach things are but ive not heard them suggested or recommended before either, im assuming theyre similar to **** roaches and again, axies wont be able to digest their hard shell.
You should feed them mainly earthworms with the occasional snack of either shrimp, feeder fish (guppies), waxworms, bloodworm, rinsed and thawed prawn and fresh salmon, although axies dont need treats.

Try to make their tummy the same width as their head, if its not, feed more.
If their tummy is wider than their head, then cut back the portion sizes.

If they are little (less than 6") then you should be feeding daily, if they are bigger then try every other day :)



 
HAHA! I got bleeped out for trying to say c@ck roach!
 
Woodies are lobster roaches they have a soft shell and are digested easily. mealies I know they arnt the best for them but i crush the head and if they eat them its something. i think they just dont want to eat Im guessing its the weather or something. I just don't want to lose another axie is all.
 
I had a cat who used to loooove eating wood roaches whenever they slipped in under the back door. It was definitely an amusing sight. Those suckers get big though, are your lotls full grown? If not, maybe the roaches are too big. You said you crush the mealworm heads but do you do the same for the wood roaches? If not, you might want to start doing so. I imagine that they could wriggle around and tear a lotl's insides up just as much as a mealworm. If I went through that once, I wouldn't be keen on eating one of them again!

What is the temperature in their tank? Unless I'm mistaken, their appetite could be affected if they aren't kept cool enough. It speeds up their digestion if the water is too warm, which could explain the wait loss despite feeding. It also stresses them out and makes them more susceptible to disease(I think?).

And like others have suggested, I would recommend trying to make earthworms the main food of their diet. If you have trouble finding organic worms locally, this article may help you( How to Start a Worm Farm for Profit: 7 Steps - wikiHow ). I think I'm going to try to set up one of these too so I have plenty of fresh live food available for my little ones. I suspect the fish will approve of my work as well.
 
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lobster roaches dont have a hard head. my axies are fully grown 25cm and its supposed to be summer here but its more like another winter. warm raining and humid as hell. ta for all the help.
 
I'm not sure where abouts in Australia you live, but in sydney the days aren't our usual summer got yet. However even though the days read as like 20-22 degrees my tank is still creeping up around 22 If the fan isn't on, so although it might not feel hot, it really could be for the tank.
 
If a tanks temp is 20C or over its starts to cause massive problems for axies.
If you dont have a chiller, get one. You can try making your own (there are tutorials on here) or just buy one.
Axies need a main diet of earthworms and you can give them the occasional treat, but even then i wouldnt choose mealworms or woodroaches.

If you chose to ignore our advice then your axie wont get any better, you have been advised how to help your lottle and you still appear to not be listening :(

Have you cycled your tank?
 
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