have i got a sick axie on my hands?

the last couple of days Squishys passing undigested worms, i thought as id only had her since weds she was not used to live foods as i think the pet shop fed her dried stuff. just seen what appeared to be blood, or a slimy substance the colour of blood coming out of her. the temperature is at 19C not sure on ph an stuff as i dont have a testing kit yet but ive been doing 10% water changes daily. shes eating really well, but shortly after its back out again, half undigested, and now this liquid stuff. should i be worried? also, sorry about how disgusting this post sounds.

Aimee + Squishy x

Hi Aimee,

What sort of worms are you feeding her?

Have you seen her passing the worms themselves, as if not, she could be regurgitating them undigested. This is probably more likely than her pooing out whole worms. Axolotl's will regurgitate if they've eaten too much, or have some sort of obstruction. Occasionally mine will regurgitate worms (earthworms) for no apparent reason. Smaller axies may need earthworms cut up to successfully eat them or even adults can need this when they first start eating earthworms until they get used to them.

Bloodworms will turn into red-ish poo .

Is she otherwise behaving normally? Your water temperature is fine. Daily water changes if she's in an uncycled tank and you don't have a testing kit are probably a good idea. Get your water tested as soon as you can by taking a sample to your local fish shop.

More experienced forum-users will no doubt have some other ideas as to what could be the matter with her, if the above doesn't help.

feeding her bloodworms. ive seen her do it once, but they were dead, this was just after all the red slimy stuff. so maybe it is just the bloodworms turning things red. scared the hell out of me when i saw it. the live worms im finding are usually in little pile, mixed up with poo, so i assumed thats where it was coming from. shes started floting about half an inch above the sand a lot the last 24hours. this normal?

disgusting i know.. but this is what im on about. just saw her do it again.. only a lot worse. if this is normal then i apologise, but im new to this. should i stop feeding her bloodworms and try for something else? :uhoh: i apologise for how rotten the picture is.

Hi Aimee,

The bloodworm seems to be just passing through her...

I would try her on earthworm or salmon pellets - she is still young and growing these are far more nutricious for her diet as a staple food rather than just bloodworm. You will need to cut the earthworm into small portions - each portion as long as her head is wide.

If you gather earthworm from the garden, ensure NO pesticides or chemical fertilizers have been used (If your neighbours have gardens - I would check and see if they use any chemicals in their gardening - worms can wriggle into your garden from some distance - if your neighbours do use chemicals, don't use the worms from your garden).

You can purchase earthworm at any baitshop or find an on line worm farm if the garden for whatever reason is not 'worm friendly'. :happy:

keep us posted,

Cheers Jacq.

Just a quick question.
Have you any idea how old she is?
I only ask as she looks a fairly plump baby but i am unable to spot limbs.
Also what was she being kept on in the previous tank?

Havelock is right, earthworms are a very nutritious food and can be fed as a staple. The colour of her poo is similar to the colour of my axies' when they've had bloodworms, but more watery. Normal poo consistency looks a bit like a slug and will hang together briefly in the water until disturbed at which point it will quickly disintegrate. Too much detail ?
But yes, as Digger has asked, where are her legs? How long/old is she?

There was a previous thread which talked about her limbs, It seems to have been something that occured in the shop.

Dont worry Aimee, they will grow back, just keep an eye on the stumps for any signs of fungus.
As for the bloodworm thing, well although bloodworm are an excellent food and very nutrious they may not entirely agree with her, as Jacq said, perhaps try some alternatives.

Would you be able to post more pictures of your little axolotl ? maybe one that includes its face.

hi, thanks everyone for your help. im not sure on the age, only had her 5days. she seems ot have lost her legs before i bought her. not sure what she was fed on, but im pretty sure it wouldnt have been live food. its a huge aquatics place, with a massive fish section, the bloke didnt even know what the axolotls were when i asked for one. so i find it very hard to believe they'd go through all the effort of putting live food in each tank every night. she was in a small tank with about 8 others. no hides, just sand. havent fed her any worms since last night, im about to go back to the shop to see if i can get some salmon pellets, as i really dont have the heart to chop up earthworms, but if it comes down to it, ill get the other half to do it. it did look like how you described it, like a slug, but disintegrates when moved. then 5mins later she sinks to the bottom and that watery stuff comes out along with flesh coloured lumps and bits of worms. last night she kept floating halfway between the surface and the bottom, and then later on she was floating right near the surface for ages. i did loads of research before i got her, but ive never come across anything like this. heres some pics of her face as requested.

just got back form pet shop. turns out she was being fed on live bloodworms. they didnt have salmon pellets or anything like it. a girl that works there keeps an axie, she advised me to try frozen mussels chopped up, or beef heart. so ive bought mussels and a tub of tubifex, sure i read somewhere that that was ok.

this might help you figure out some of your other food options http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/foods.shtml

Thanks Eve, I'll go for daphnia next. Tried her with mussels, nothing. Tried her with tubifex, nothing. Put the bloodworms back in.. can't get enough! Looks like i don't really have much choice but to keep feeding them to her and hope she eventually starts digesting them. Axies are worse than children.

FOG said:

Thanks Eve, I'll go for daphnia next. Tried her with mussels, nothing. Tried her with tubifex, nothing. Put the bloodworms back in.. can't get enough! Looks like i don't really have much choice but to keep feeding them to her and hope she eventually starts digesting them.

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Hi Aimee,

Another tactic for finicky eaters: try leaving the alternate foods in the tank with the axolotl for a few hours or even overnight - even place the food in her hides. If the food is still there the next morning, remove it.

As your little one has no legs, she has a distinct disadvantage when it comes to the hunt and may need the chance to make several attempts at the food - leaving it in with her for a period gives her that chance.

Axolotls can be quite shy, she may eat when not being watched. I know she scoffs down the bloodworm like there is no tomorrow, a couple of my axies are the same - however, if I leave the more challenging foods like the earthworm and leave the tank for a while, I often find no worm when I return.

FOG said:

Axies are worse than children.

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Tell me about it.

Thanks Jacq. I did leave the mussels and tubifex in her tank while i went off to work last night, 5 hours later its all still there making a mess.