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Question: Something's wrong with Charles- help please!

GreerDalrymple

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THE BACKGROUND INFO

Hi everyone, I haven't posted in a few months as everything has been fine after you all helped me out when my guys got heat stroke. I lost 3 axolotls because of that temperature mistake by the time I realised what it was that was harming them.
Charlie is my survivor, he/she is a roughly year & a half old wild type. For a lot of his life he was fed on crickets which stunted his growth as they couldn't be digested properly, & was kept outside in winter when he was a baby, also contributing to his small size. He copped a gill fungus infection with the heat, resulting in an almost dead Charles who didn't eat in the fridge for 3 weeks, & gills that were a lot smaller than before the ordeal.

http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-be...iscussion/93782-charlie-still-recovering.html
This is a link to my old post on Charlie, with a few different pic's on his recovery.

Everything has been fine since buying & setting up my chiller, Charlie has lived & eaten happily with my morpholotl Mustang since then in their 4' tank. They both eat boiled earth worms from my worm farm roughly every two days as much as they'll take, I hand feed them as my morph has trouble eating anyway, & it helps control waste. I have an Aquis 1250 canister filter & lots of hiding spots, also the chiller is a Resun CL-280 set at 17 degree's, though on hot days it kicks up to 19 at the very most.


THE PROBLEM
As of the last few weeks, Charlie has been spitting out his food. He is really keen to eat it, & after he spits it out he comes for another bit. I have tried getting small ones, cutting longer ones in half, holding them differently so he gets more in his mouth at once.. I don't know. He usually eats the very first worm & that's it, the rest is just following my hand & spitting them back out, he gets them fully inside his mouth, then starts regurgitating them or something.

While this has been happening he has stopped being very active at all, I don't know whether that's because he has no energy from not eating or whether it is part of the problem. Usually swimming or at least walking around, he just sits in the shade & only looks like he has any energy when I go to feed him, where he bites my fingers he's so keen.

One other thing is his gills never grew back as long as they used to be after the fungal infection, if anyone knows of any ways to improve gill growth that would be great, though I understand it could also be to do with the eating & behaviour.

Please let me know if anyone knows anything that it could be or that could help, thankyou!!
 

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auntiejude

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If you're sure your temperature is OK, it's not likely to be heat.

It could be that Charlie is a girl, and she could be reabsorbing unfertilised eggs. She doesn't look terribly skinny, just a little slim.

Have you checked inside his mouth for anything stuck or inflammation?

I would also have a look at his poop to see if there is any evidence of fatty poop, parasites etc. It might give you a clue to his problem.

2 more things you could try:
Different foods. You could try waxworms or maggots to fatten him up a bit, or anything else you think he might eat.
Offering foods at different times - if he's keeping the occasional worm down he may have good days and bad, and on a good day feeding him up might help.

There are a dozen other possibilities, all of them involving a vet. I would consider that option anyway.
 

GreerDalrymple

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Thankyou for the response, I only started having problems with my axis last time (without a chiller) when the temp got to 20 degree's & up, my chiller wont let it rise above 19 though is usually at 17 (currently 18) so I really don't think it's that.

I hadn't considered that he could be a female, it's fingertips are not miscoloured yet so I didn't think it was fully mature yet.

I haven't checked his mouth, but I will try that now. How do you advise I go about that? Move him into a smaller container with the same water would stop him escaping from me in the big tank, but I don't know how to open his mouth without hurting him/her.

I'll buy some meal worms or some other live food tomorrow, as the worms are dead when they eat them (boiled). He just has never had a problem with the worms before, even quite long ones so I'm inclined to think it isn't what I'm feeding him, but it's worth a try.

A few times when he hasn't eaten at all, I'll come back an hour later or so & he might have one or two then, but never more than that usually only one. I thought that maybe he had finished growing & just didn't need as much food anymore but I don't think so, my morph is full grown, way bigger that Charles & she's always keen on worms.


if you could let me know about how I can check his mouth, I'll do that, try him with meal worms or something tomorrow if his mouth is all fine, then if I'm still having problems I'm going to take him to the RSPCA. Thankyou again!
 

GreerDalrymple

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i knew i forgot something, I'm not sure how to tell whose poo is whose, but i may have to isolate him for a few days to find out.
 

layna

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"my morph is full grown, way bigger that Charles & she's always keen on worms. i knew i forgot something, I'm not sure how to tell whose poo is whose, but i may have to isolate him for a few days to find out."

Just to clarify, theyre not in the same tank right?
If theyre is a size difference they shouldnt be housed together and also i thought morphed axies live on moist land, not in a tank :confused:
 

HayleyK

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Also fingertip coloration does not indicate sexual maturity.
 

GreerDalrymple

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Oh true, i was told that was how you tell - Thankyou for that, i will do some further research.

They are both in the same 4' tank with nothing but the two of them, Mustang the morph is a fair bit longer in body but not exactly bigger i should rephrase, & they have lived together as long as I have had them, neither have ever lost any limbs or toes or anything, & the only time I have seen them ever fight as such, Charles locked onto Mustangs leg during feeding time- no damage was done & it has only happened twice ever in over a year easily.

My morph was originally in her own 2 foot terrarium with a water hole so she could fully submerge, when I very first got her she had no water access at the shop I found her at. as the whether got warmer she started spending more & more time completely under water, so I eventually upgraded her to my 4 foot axolotl tank with Charlie. She has lots of land access that I have seen her use so I know she can get up there, she just prefers the water. even in winter she stays in the water mostly now. She is quite active though & is always swimming up for air, I used to think she was trying to get out but I've put her on the land (have used driftwood, plastic covered in dirt like in the terrarium, tried putting a damp cloth over the land) & she crawls back into the water straight away.

if there is anything you can think of that could be causing that behaviour aswell please don't hesitate to tell me. :)
 

layna

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I have absolutely no knowledge with morphs so i cant help you there lol.

The only thing i can think of would be water quality or some problem with his mouth, maybe he has caught it and cut it, or its swollen and he is struggling to eat.
There is a sticky on force feeding, im not saying to force feed him, but it will tell you how to safely open his mouth to have a look :D

Have you tried bloodworms or wax worms?

 

auntiejude

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I've never heard of a morphed axie preferring the water like that! But then we don't have that many morphed axies over here.

I would definately segregate so you can examine poop. And Layna is right about checking his mouth - use the force feeding tutorial method to open his mouth.
 

GreerDalrymple

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Thanks a lot guys, I will look at the tutorial now & see what I can find :)

have tried blood worms, not wax worms though as I figured if he wont eat the blackworms he wont eat wax worms, have tried very small earth worms but yeah. I'll try that now, if not I will segregate him & examine his poo. :)
 
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