Axl is sick!

Hi everybody. I was hoping maybe someone can help with my Axl issue. For the last little while my Axolotl has stopped eating and constantly flips upside down. Everyday I assume that he is no longer alive, and when I flip him, it's only then I realize he is alive. Some days he's almost motionless, other days a bit more. When he is upside down, it seems as though his mouth is always slightly open, as if he were choking on something. He shows absolutely no interest in any food what so ever. How long can an axolotl go without eating. He was once quite plump and he seems to be wasting away and I don't know what to do. He is about 5 years old and I never experienced anything like this and I don't know what to do. I hope someone can help me in suggesting something, anything.
Help!

I'll move this to the Axolotl Sick Axie part of the forum.

Remove your axie from the tank and put him in a container of dechlorinated water (lower the water so he doesn't float). Ideally I would say put him in the fridge as the cool temperatures will slow down his metabolism (as long as the temp is minimum of 5C) But if your room temperature is low enough (below 20C) then keeping him in the container should be fine until you can work out what might be wrong.

You'll need to waterchange this container completely each day - try and use a container with lid.

As for your tank -
1. What is your tank temperature?
2. What is the size of the tank (measurements please)?
3. Does he have any tank companions?
4. How long since he last ate?
5. Have you tested your water parameters at all for ammonia, nitrite and nitrates? If so what were the readings (if remembered)?
6. Have you added anything recently (ie companions) to your tank?

Let's see. I would say the symptoms started about 3 months ago. From one day to the next he just wouldn't eat, and by the 2-3 day is when he started to flip upside down. As mentioned, I thought he was dead. I unfortunately was leaving for 7 weeks and told my "babysitters" that I had no good feelings about this situation. When I returned 4 weeks ago, to my amazement, he is still alive.

His tank is a 54 gallon, a little more than half full. I have done water tests and they all seem normal.
He is by himself. The temperature of my tank is 66-68 degrees. The one possibility I thought of in the beginning was that maybe some of the "feeder" fish he ate were contaminated by something. But again, that was over 3 months ago now. I am at the point of desperation now. I don't know what to do to help this poor guy.

A slight improvement. He actually ate almost a full freeze dried worm. He hasn't eaten in months. Should I still put him in the fridge and for how long and how often? It does not seem like he has any fungus that i can see. He does have a slight tear in his tail that hasn't totally regenerated itself yet and it's been quite some time. I forgot to mention that when he flips upside down, he's always on the bottom. He's never floating.

I took a few pictures but I would think it's hard to determine anything other than he's skinny.

Oh my, it almost looks like his inside organs have collapsed

Hi Mousentika,

Axolotls can go for a long time without food. Three months is about the limit though.

From the look of your photos yes tour axolotl is very skinny and in generally very poor condition. This is not a comment about your axie keeping just an observation about the condition of your axie. Its gill filaments and stubs don't look healthy which as kapo suggests may have something to do with your water quality.

The tail damage is quite bite like, what tank mates did your axie have before you got it.

To be honest the prognosis does not look encouraging. Whilst fridging may help in the short term I would be looking for a vet a.s.a.p.

Best of luck, If you have difficulty finding a vet, try contacting the Toronto Zoo they may be able to help