Question: What causes cataracts in an axolotl? and Pellet food advice...

Hello everyone, I was just wondering if anyone else has had experience with this. My axolotl is a golden albino named Sheldon I rescued from an open market 4.5 years ago. Gradually over the past few weeks, possibly month, I have noticed a gradual reduction in the golden light reflex in his left eye. It was only very subtle at first but now the lens of his left eye has nearly opacified. His cornea is very clear and intact and there is nothing to suggest trauma. Otherwise he is behaving/swimming/resting/eating/pooping like his usual self and his right eye looks exceptionally normal. I have a feeling it is likely due to a dietary deficiency. He is on a diet of frozen community fish food by Fish Fuel co and "Axolotl" pellets. I have tried earthworms previously for about a year when I first got him, they were breeding beautifully in a little container in our fridge, unfortunately he gradually just went "off" them (my husband was quite happy about that, and so were the worms I guess, they got to live in our friends outdoor compost and are just thriving). Anyhow, I am wondering about whether I should try the earthworms again as I really do not want to risk him developing a cataract in the other eye. Also, any thoughts on a better pellet to supplement his diet (other than aquamaster "Axolotl" food? I have come across these three: 1) Hikari Tropical Sinking Carnivore Pellets 2) JurassiDiet Newt & Frog 3) HBH Newt & Salamander Bites. Studies have shown lutein and zeaxanthin to be beneficial in preventing cataracts and age related macular degeneration in humans; not sure about axolotls though... Any thoughts? Thank you...

There could be any number of reaons for catacts - vitamin deficiency, UV exposure and age being the most likely. Ammonia is known to cause cloudiness in axie eyes, but it you say the front of the eye is clear thats not likely. How old is your axie?

If you can switch to worms your axie may not lose the other eye, but any pelle specifically formulated for axies should be fine. Fish food generally contains a lot of algae protein and not enough fish protein.

I wouldn't worry too much, axies don't generally have good eyesight and rely as much on food moving in front of them to feed - worms will help with that.

Thanks for that. Sheldon is going on 5 years old. I use bio-chem zorb pouch in his filter and siphon his poop whenever I see it (usually every 3 to 4 days) and top up the H2O regularly so that keeps the harmful things at bay. Yes, the cornea is completely clear; the cloudiness is confined to within the pupillary aperture exactly where you would expect the lens to be. He has been hand fed since I brought him home so it isn't as if he will go hungry but I would like to save his other eye if possible. The only other thing I can think of is the water conditioner I have been using (pretty much since I've had him). It's call Easy Life Fluid Filter Medium which is supposed to be good for, well everything: removing harmful things out of the water, improving slime coat and immunity and preventing infection as well making the water crystal clear. I was using it in both of my fish tanks (community and smaller beta fish) with excellent results. I remember looking up information at the time regarding safety of that particular fluid filter media and axolotls and didn't find anything to suggest it was harmful...I think I was using AquaSafe by Tetra before. Do you have any water conditioners? Any preference between AquaSafe (Tetra), API or Seachem?

I was contacted back by the Easy-Life office regarding their fluid filter medium and they said that have had no bad experiences with the use of Fluid Filter Medium in tanks with axolotls, so they expect no detrimental effects on the eyes or on the gills--which is a relief! All of the water parameters in his tank are sublime, so I really think it is a dietary issue--will be working on that over the next few months. Who knows, maybe with their regenerative properties Sheldon will be able to de-opacify his lens...

Hello, I know it's been awhile, but just in case anyone was interested or has had an axolotl with a suspected cataract, I thought I would give an update of Sheldon (my golden albino axie). I did a bit of research on cataracts and their prevention (in humans), in hopes to "save" his other, healthy eye. As Sheldon would not eat earthworms anymore, I found found a sinking pellet food that contained cataract preventative ingredients such as astaxanthin, vitamin C and vitamin E (Hikari Tropical Sinking Carnivore Pellets). Within several months of feeding this diet and supplementing with Fish Fuel Co. Axolotl food (which also has a pretty good ingredient profile) I am both surprised and thrilled to report that not only did Sheldon's healthy eye remain cataract free, but also that he no longer has a cataract in his left eye! Over a period of time it got smaller and smaller until it was virtually just a spec. He now has a light reflex again, albeit smaller than his healthy eye, but it does suggest that he has regenerated a lens and his retina is still intact. Although their potential for regeneration and healing never cease to amaze, the importance of a good diet with the right nutrients to prevent health complications is paramount!

Lens opacities can also result from trauma and can present some time (certainly in humans months/years) post-injury, so you may be worrying needlessly about nutrition.

I would find it odd to have such a noticeable unilateral opacity if it was due to a systemic deficiency.

Having said that - any effort to optimise the diet is never a bad thing!

That is true, you can get cataracts from blunt trauma (he has, in the past, made a dash about the tank. Perhaps he might have bumped into one of the few tank ornaments), so you might be right, diet might not have been the culprit! However, cataracts can be asymmetrical, so it is also possible that he had cataracts in both eyes, only one was more advanced that than the other. (It was definitely his lens that was opaque, both corneas were always clear and the disappearance of his light reflex looked like what I would expect to see in a human with a cataract). Anyhoo, thankfully it has healed up, he has his light reflex back, his other eye looks beautiful and to top it off, he is on a better diet too (which couldn't have hurt the healing process either)! Thanks for your post!