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Illness/Sickness: How to encourage eating? Hot axolotl- not taking food

WasabiThumbs

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My axolotl has been going through some tough times lately but has been holding up just fine, with no physical signs of malaise. The only problem is that our A/C stopped working and the only barrier between my axolotl and the warm Pennsylvania summer air is a high-power fan chiller. It does wonders and keeps it at or below 70, but it can sometimes raise over. I am very aware that this is not optimal for axolotls and we are doing our best to get AC back on ASAP, for both me and the little axie. It seems that he has taken off food for the past few days and is now releasing a thin green excrement. I have seen other posts detailing how the green stool is usually linked to lack of food. Anywho, is there anything I can do but wait out the AC repair and keep him as cool as I possibly can?

Thank you all! :D
 

WasabiThumbs

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All of a sudden, he started gulping at the air? Just opening his mouth a whole lot sporadically. I don't think he has anything stuck in there, nothing he has in his tank should be hard or the right size to collect there... I am getting concerned
 

KumquatSquats

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do you have an airstone or other bubble maker in the tank? when the temp goes up there is less oxygen in the water so that might be the cause of the gulping, an airstone can also slightly lower the temp in the tank by increasing surface evaporation

have you tried other foods? something new or different might tempt them into eating if thats a possibility
 

WasabiThumbs

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I do have a sponge filter that probably introduces a fair amount of oxygen into the tank, but I am unsure as to exactly how much. I have tried chopped bits of nightcrawler as per your advice, but he wouldn't take it. The gulping has stopped today and I noticed that he looked a bit thinner, maybe he really did have something stuck in there. I don't know exactly what that could be, and that's what I really need to find out. If he spit it back into the (very fine, do not worry) sand then he could easily take it back up again, and depending on what it is there is no guarantee he will be able to pass it up the same way.
 

KumquatSquats

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hmm, id probably tub him for the time if i were you. try and figure out if its an illness or heat related or something in the tank he ate.
if you cant keep him under 70 you might want to consider fridging until the AC is fixed, ive heard some people in hot climates say their 'lotl lives in the fridge all summer. something to consider at least
 

Locke

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What are your ammonia levels in the tank? The warmer the tank the more reactive those chemicals can be and gulping can be a sign of poor water conditions. How long has the tank been cycling?
 

Hayleyy

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Have you noticed if the poop is green? That usually signifies a bacterial infection I believe. I haven't ever had this so will not be much help but I can try and find more info. Pictures will help as well.
Do you have a chiller or a fan? Some things that can help are getting rid of any glass or plastic lid, anything like mesh will do. Frozen ice bottles can be used in an emergency as well.
 
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