constipated Axle

I'm happy to say Axle recovered well from his fungus and after 2 stints of one week in the fridge and salt baths he looks much better.He was very thin but has his appetite back and is always looking like he is starving!He doesn't seem to be able to swallow the earth worms so I am feeding him cut off bits of frozen raw prawn.I sometimes give him bits off our meat, pork and chicken(raw) which he loves - is this kind of diet ok, or a bit rich? I have removed all pebbles so the tank floor is bare and have noticed he is not pooing!I am a bit worried because when he was sick he never poohed and when I put him in the fridge all this undigested food came out which he ate 6 days before. his back half is starting to float up again so I am sure he is really constipated! Should I keep feeding him - change his diet? Should he go back in the fridge and why is he having so much trouble digesting his food??Any advice would be great!

Kasper said:

Should I keep feeding him - change his diet? Any advice would be great!

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Indeed, meat/pork/chicken are too rich to be used as staple food. Axolotls that are fed a imbalanced diet or a diet that is too rich can develop a nutritional disorder. This usually occurs because axolotls utilise lipoproteins to transport vitamin D metabolite and thus an excess in fat can effect the extent of transportation.
You can always try feeding your axolotls live bloodworms, blackworms and/or live tubifex worms. All of these provide a nutritionally balanced diet. If you would like more information, I recommend the following webpages:

http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/foods.shtml
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/foods2.shtml

Kasper said:

Should he go back in the fridge and why is he having so much trouble digesting his food??

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The image provided is 'best' indication of constipation. The symptoms of constipation typically entail an enlarged cloaca. If you are not noticing any faeces within your axolotl's tank, it could be because the faeces disintergrated before you had the chance to clean in up. However, if you are really concerned you can try popping your axolotl back into the fridge.

Jay.

Kal El said:

.... axolotls utilise lipoproteins to transport vitamin D metabolite and thus an excess in fat can effect the extent of transportation.

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What on earth are you talking about? This makes no sense. Also, raw chicken, beef, etc. are not "rich" unless the person is using hamburger or fatty cuts of meat. These foods are usually high in protein and low in fat - in theory, this is good - but they lack even a trace of calcium or vitamins, which is the real problem with them. [Also, Jay, please post links to photos, or state clearly the source for other people's photos rather than reposting them w/o source.] Thank you for posting the links to the foods articles.

Getting back to the original question... what is the temperature in the tank? I do think you need to change his diet. Earthworms and high-quality axolotl pellets should be his staple diet. I wouldn't rush into fridging him, as a little bit of floating and several days w/o poo are not causes for alarm. How much floating is he doing - all the time, or just some of the time?

Hi Kasper,

I would not feed him for a few days maybe a week and see what if anything comes out. Axolotls can go for a lot longer than this without food so don't worry.

I agree with Jen a bit of floating is not a big deal, alot is usually a sign of some trouble.

Good Luck

Jennewt said:

What on earth are you talking about? This makes no sense. Also, raw chicken, beef, etc. are not "rich" unless the person is using hamburger or fatty cuts of meat. These foods are usually high in protein and low in fat - in theory, this is good - but they lack even a trace of calcium or vitamins, which is the real problem with them.

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See, I was under the impression that people just give their axolotls the meat as it is- even if there is fat on it, thus contributing towards the fatty acid/fat content. Lipoproteins utilise these fatty acids for assembly. This is better explained with equilibrium arrows (<->):

Jennewt said:

Also, Jay, please post links to photos, or state clearly the source for other people's photos rather than reposting them w/o source. Thank you for posting the links to the foods articles.

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My apologies. I did not realise that photos required specific citations/references. Personally, I thought I would make it easier on the viewer...clearly not. Also, if the photo is enlarged it has a copyright logo, indicating that I did not plagiarise this source. But if that's the case, I will most certainly endeavour to make the appropriate references in future posts/threads.

Jay.

So little pieces of steak is bad to give to my axolotl every day?
They usually eat a bit of that and a bit of tubifex worm cubes.

..Is that okay? Also they have feeder fish

inkozana said:

So little pieces of steak is bad to give to my axolotl every day?
They usually eat a bit of that and a bit of tubifex worm cubes.

..Is that okay? Also they have feeder fish

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Fish whether frozen of live contain the enzyme thiaminase which catalyses thiamine and in turn cause a deficiency in thiamine. With the beef, try to give this as a treat only because it isn't healthy for axolotls to be ingesting beef on a daily basis.

Jay.