Gills shrunk, blue.

my axolotl's gills have shrunk and look like they are falling apart, the bits where the gills join his head are blue. also, he's looking very pale and keeps trying to get out of the tank, and he's been floating/swimming up the top of the tank all day, with the top of his head just out of the water. what do i do?

Take him out of the tank and put into a plastic container of fresh dechlorinated water. Change his container completely each day with dechlorinated water. Depending on your room temperature, if above 22deg celcius, may be necessary to put him in the fridge (as long as it isn't lower than 5degrees celcius).

When putting in fridge, make sure:

You cover his container with a lid, and wrap in a towel/tea towel/dish cloth to stop the temperature spikes and light when the door opens.

You keep a bottle of dechlorinated water in the fridge beside his container - this is so you can do complete daily water changes each day.

Offer food at waterchange times - but he may not necessarily eat, as metabolism slows down in the fridge.

Regarding your tank:

Have u tested the water for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates?

If u don't have a test kit, get the water tested at your local petshop/aquarium;

as it may be a water quality issue (ie: high ammonia/nitrite levels)

It may also be metamorphing however make sure that you do monitor the water quality to ensure that this isn't the problem. If the water quality is all okay, move the animal to shallower water and provide it with a place to get out of the water if necessary.

Ed

is your axie showing other signs of morphing? such as tail shrinkage and bulgier eyes?.

i took a water sample to the pet shop today, and the people said that it was fine... they think it might be a blockage, but i don't have gravel and the pellets i feed it are apparently meant to be digestible and so wouldn't give him constipation... could he have swallowed a snail?
... anyway, would it be best just to leave him be? i don't really want to put it in the fridge, i'll probably end up hurting him trying to get him out of the tank...

no, he's tail and eyes look normal, i think...

would you be able to post a pic?