Sick or stressed?

Tom Highum · May 20, 2016

Alright, I have an axolotl that is about 1 year old. Normally he is super active and will follow people around the edges of his tank and is just generally in constant motion. He normally eats super well, generally frozen bloodworms that my son (3 years old) feeds him. They're the little frozen cubed ones and he gets them almost everyday and eats 90% of them just not the ones that get stuck in areas he cant get to. About 3 days ago my son threw in a handful of Goldfish, the cheesy fish shaped crackers. Yes, its cute but he did it while noone was watching and by the time we realized, they were complete mush and our axolotl was trying to eat some of them. I immediately removed all the Goldfish and did a large water change of about 50% of the water. The next day he was super lethargic, barely moving for the entire day, I tried to feed him but he showed no interest. So I did another water change. Its been three days now, he is barely moving, I haven't seen any bowel movements and he isn't eating. What can I do? Should I just clean the tank and wait a few days before feeding him again? Thanks for any assistance.

SammyTheLotus · May 20, 2016

Sorry to hear about what happened!

What are your tank parameters? That might give you a better idea of water quality, and if it's good you can rule out that being the reason your Axie isn't eating.
They can go for days at a time without eating so I wouldn't worry too much for now.. I will say though that an Axolotl of that age should be eating more than frozen bloodworms, they're not nearly nutritionally sound enough. A combination of earthworms and carnivore pellets is much more suitable for an adult Axie

Tom Highum · May 20, 2016

He is in a classic 10 gallon tank with fine play sand as the substrate, some large sandstone rocks for cover and some plants in the corner. He also has a moss ball that is free floating. We have a filter that hangs on the back, its a TopFin 10. Yeah at first he was super picky about what he eats and would only eat live worms. Where can I get carnivore pellets and what kind of earthworms? He used to eat black worms but i havent fed him those in a while.

SammyTheLotus · May 20, 2016

Tom Highum said:
He is in a classic 10 gallon tank with fine play sand as the substrate, some large sandstone rocks for cover and some plants in the corner. He also has a moss ball that is free floating. We have a filter that hangs on the back, its a TopFin 10. Yeah at first he was super picky about what he eats and would only eat live worms. Where can I get carnivore pellets and what kind of earthworms? He used to eat black worms but i havent fed him those in a while.

I have fine pool filter sand in mine, I was going to go for the play sand but I heard it tends to clog up filters easily!

You might want to think about upgrading his tank! The general accepted rule of thumb is 20 gallons for your first adult Axolotl and then 10 gallons for each additional one after that. A filter upgrade wouldn't hurt either, since Axolotl produce a lot of waste! Usually go a size bigger than what your tank actually is with the filter, for example I have a 70 gallon filter on my 50 gallon tank!
So a 20 gallon tank with a 30 gallon filter would be wonderful for your little guy!

I buy my carnivore pellets online (Hikari brand sinking carnivore pellets) and I feed my guys nightcrawlers! Not red wigglers because they have a funky taste and most Axolotl end up spitting them out.
If you find they're a little big you can cut it into pieces and feed him/her the pieces one at a time!

Tom Highum · May 20, 2016

Yeah, my issue is the current situation, upgrades are coming but since his current situation started after the Goldfish incident and he was doing very well before that is what I mostly need help with. Do you think it will just pass eventually or is there something I can do to help him out?

Tom Highum · May 20, 2016

I am mostly worried about the goldfish he ate, since he hasnt eaten anything else since and is very lethargic could it be something toxic? If so what can I do? Is it just not being digested properly? If so what can I do?

SammyTheLotus · May 20, 2016

Tom Highum said:
I am mostly worried about the goldfish he ate, since he hasnt eaten anything else since and is very lethargic could it be something toxic? If so what can I do? Is it just not being digested properly? If so what can I do?

Well, what are your water parameters? Ammonia, nitrites, nitrates? Just check those and make sure it's not a water quality issue.

Denaye · May 23, 2016

Ffs everyone is straight to water parameters! It's not always the answer people!

Tom is say he is constipated. It will pass eventually in its own but there may have been something in the biscuits alrhough I think it is highly unlikely.

My 4yr old female recently went nearly 6 weeks without eating. Turns out she was just sulking. That said someone (I have 3 axy's) recently did a MASSIVE ****! I've never seen anything like it and I had no idea anyone was constipated! !

I've heard you can try feeding mushy peas but I never actually tried it. I've also heard and tried that garlic is liked so we sautéed some worms in garlic but it didn't help. Eventually she just passed the problem and returned to normal.

I'd keep up the water changes, keep up offering food even leave it in tank for 20 mins then take out if not eaten.

My 4yr old lived on Axolotl pellets from our local pet shop for 3yrs. Now we feed the three of them pellets, beef heart n shrimp, a frozen square called "axy food" and occasionally blood worms. The girls prefer pellets and my big guy LOVES his frozen axy squares! All are purchased from local pet shop.

If he doesn't show improvement in a couple of weeks or gets worse maybe seek out vet opinion. One of local universities here in Perth has specialists in small pets.

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

SammyTheLotus · May 23, 2016

Denaye said:
Ffs everyone is straight to water parameters! It's not always the answer people!

Tom is say he is constipated. It will pass eventually in its own but there may have been something in the biscuits alrhough I think it is highly unlikely.

My 4yr old female recently went nearly 6 weeks without eating. Turns out she was just sulking. That said someone (I have 3 axy's) recently did a MASSIVE ****! I've never seen anything like it and I had no idea anyone was constipated! !

I've heard you can try feeding mushy peas but I never actually tried it. I've also heard and tried that garlic is liked so we sautéed some worms in garlic but it didn't help. Eventually she just passed the problem and returned to normal.

I'd keep up the water changes, keep up offering food even leave it in tank for 20 mins then take out if not eaten.

My 4yr old lived on Axolotl pellets from our local pet shop for 3yrs. Now we feed the three of them pellets, beef heart n shrimp, a frozen square called "axy food" and occasionally blood worms. The girls prefer pellets and my big guy LOVES his frozen axy squares! All are purchased from local pet shop.

If he doesn't show improvement in a couple of weeks or gets worse maybe seek out vet opinion. One of local universities here in Perth has specialists in small pets.

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

No need to be rude, I was just trying to rule out a common issue that some people tend to overlook.
This is a discussion forum so everyone is entitled to offer their opinions and advice.

Skudo09 · May 23, 2016

Denaye said:
Ffs everyone is straight to water parameters! It's not always the answer people!

Tom is say he is constipated. It will pass eventually in its own but there may have been something in the biscuits alrhough I think it is highly unlikely.

My 4yr old female recently went nearly 6 weeks without eating. Turns out she was just sulking. That said someone (I have 3 axy's) recently did a MASSIVE ****! I've never seen anything like it and I had no idea anyone was constipated! !

I've heard you can try feeding mushy peas but I never actually tried it. I've also heard and tried that garlic is liked so we sautéed some worms in garlic but it didn't help. Eventually she just passed the problem and returned to normal.

I'd keep up the water changes, keep up offering food even leave it in tank for 20 mins then take out if not eaten.

My 4yr old lived on Axolotl pellets from our local pet shop for 3yrs. Now we feed the three of them pellets, beef heart n shrimp, a frozen square called "axy food" and occasionally blood worms. The girls prefer pellets and my big guy LOVES his frozen axy squares! All are purchased from local pet shop.

If he doesn't show improvement in a couple of weeks or gets worse maybe seek out vet opinion. One of local universities here in Perth has specialists in small pets.

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

There is no need for rudeness. Water quality is so high on the list of questions because many health issues are caused from water quality issues. Also, water quality is so important as well because optimum water conditions will provide the best environment to reduce stress, prevent illness and aid in the healing process. Water quality is always valid regardless of the cause of illness.

Peas can be good for fish but I don't know if they have the same effects for axolotls. It may be ok. However earthworms are good for constipation and more suited to axolotls. I'd be careful with garlic as it is toxic to some animals. This may not be true for axolotls but I would be cautious just in case.

Search

Search

Sick or stressed?

Tom Highum

New member

SammyTheLotus

New member

Tom Highum

New member

SammyTheLotus

New member

Tom Highum

New member

Tom Highum

New member

SammyTheLotus

New member

Denaye

New member

SammyTheLotus

New member

Skudo09

Active member

Settings Notifications

Options