Re: help my axolotl is flaotng weridly and
Hi georgieabc,
There is not enough information to help with diagnosis and it would be risky to jump to conclusions. Would you be able to take a few photos of your axie and post it up here? Include a full body shot from the side, the gills up close, her floating behaviour and around her cloaca (bum) area.
Provide some general history of the axie. What do you feed the axie? What are the water parameters, temperature and currents? What do you use as substrate? Did you introduce anything new to the tank lately? Do you have other animals sharing the tank?
The things you are describing can be anything relatively mild and benign like constipation to more serious cases like impaction, cloaca prolapse or bloat.
Sorry i couldn't advise on the vet practice. You may like to call and enquire if they are familiar with axolotls.
Meanwhile, i recommend you fridge your axie while arranging to bring it to the vet. My recommendation is for you to fridge your axolotl during this period. Fridging your axie will destress it, boost its immune system and render harmful pathogens (both bacterial and fungal) less viable.
- Set your fridge to about 4-5 degree celsius.
- Put your axie in a container large enough to allow it to stretch its limbs and tail comfortably.
- Fill with fresh dechlorinated water enough to submerge it but not allowing it to float.
- Cover with a lid. You can use a perforated lid or netting to prevent it jumping out.
- Use a tea towel to cover it to keep the environment dark.
- Perform 100% water changes daily with clean dechlorinated water.
- You can pre prepare bottles of water in the fridge.
- Continue to offer a variety of nutritious food daily. Try live wriggly food like blackworms, bloodworms, earthworms. You can also try the usual pellet, offer treats of shrimp and fish etc. Otherwise you can also blend everything in a food processor and then roll the resultant mash into a pea sized ball to try offer your axie. Remove uneaten food within 20 min.
Cheers
