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Illness/Sickness: Sick axie, not sure what to do anymore

jazzlawes

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I have 2 very cute young axies living together in a 20 gallon tank. My water parameters have always been okay and for a long time (I've had them since november) they were both doing okay. I used to have sand as a substrate but since the younger one (kankri) took a liking to swallowing it, I removed all of it and have since used very large river rocks.

The problem here is that about a month ago Kankri started floating on top of the tank and refused to eat anything I tried giving to him, and he used to be an avid eater. So I began reading and decided that I should put him in the fridge as told, which I did. I have changed the water every day and every one week tried to let the water rise up (by taking him out of the fridge) and then feed him but he refused to eat still. I took him out of the fridge again today and noticed that he started opening and closing his mouth repeatedly for a couple of seconds and then goes back to floating.

I really don't know what to do anymore, my other axie has never had any sort of health problem and is still happily living on my big tank, but kankri just doesn't get better and there are NO amphibian/reptile vets in my country. I can't stand seeing him like this anymore :(
 

Petersgirl

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Hello jazzlawes, it sounds to me like your axolotl has air in his tummy - him opening his mouth (sometimes called a 'yawn') is usually an attempt to dispel air.
This guy has the same problem: How To Stop Axolotl From Floating On The Top Of The Water! - YouTube

He suggests only using a little water to stop the axxie from floating. This might help a bit as I read you've been gradually adding more water. Another odd piece of advice I read was this:

Q. My axolotl keeps floating and can’t seem to reach the bottom, is he sick?
A. Your axolotl probably just has wind. Axolotls regularly gulp air from the surface in poorly oxygenated water and also while surface feeding so it can easily enter their digestive system. It usually rectifies itself in a few hours. Stubborn floating is probably due to constipation. Fast the axolotl for a couple of days and then feed peas and/or broccoli (which they love anyway). A 20-25% water change can’t hurt either. If your axolotl is in extreme distress or floating is a chronic problem, a gentle massage should do the trick. It is important to keep splashing water on your axolotl while it is floating. The exposed parts at the water’s surface can dry up and leave the animal open to all kinds of fungal and bacterial infections.

I have no idea if this will work - it's from Aquarium Oddities. I have never heard of feeding peas or broccoli and don't know if they can digest it. Also, be careful with gentle massaging as they don't like to be touched and their skin is delicate. If you do, make sure your hands are absolutely clean and ensure you wash all soap or handcream off before you touch his skin as it may make him ill.

Axolotl.org also has these suggestions for floating or impaction (you say your axxie swallowed a lot of sand, in which case he needs to pass that sand):


  1. This is a common result of the axolotl being kept at too high a temperature (over 24 or 25 °C / 77 °F). Often it's caused by a bacterial problem. If you're really lucky, cooling it down to a more reasonable temperature (somewhere between 14 °C (57 °F) and 22 °C (72 °F), or at most, 25oC ( 77F) will let it recover and it should begin to eat again. If this doesn't work after a few days, it may be worth keeping the Axolotl at a temperature between 5 and 10 °C (41-50 °F) which can aid the Axolotl's recovery. Below about 12 °C, you won't need to feed the Axolotl. Keep it this way for a 10-14 days and then slowly warm it back to a more normal temperature (14 °C / 57 °F to 22 °C / 72 °F) and then try feeding it again. If this doesn't work, the axolotl may need antibiotic treatment (see the Health Page).
  2. Often, some stress will lead to a small bacterial infection in the gut. This would lead to a gas build up, and the floating. It is possible that the axolotl swallowed a large amount of air into its digestive system too. Warm temperatures (over 20 °C / 68 °F) don't help. Anything over 25 °C / 77 °F is far too warm for axolotls - just in case you didn't know.

    As to how to solve the problem, axolotls find it stressful when they can't touch the bottom. I suggest you lower the water level so that the axolotl is touching the bottom, but still submerged. The fact that it can touch the bottom should help to relieve the stress and hence help it to recover. If you keep it at temperatures over 20 °C / 68 °F it will probably make it harder for the axolotl's gut to keep up with any bacterial activity, so try and keep it cooler. As long as it eats, that's a good sign. Sometimes it is possible to massage the animal's abdomen to help it pass the gas, but it's hard to do without hurting and/or stressing the animal. It's safer to do what I've suggested and let the animal pass the gas on its own.

    The other possibility is that the axolotl swallowed some gravel (in your case, sand, which isn't quite as bad but he may have swallowed a lot) . If that's the case, have a look at question 29.

    Question 29 said: Usually axolotls will pass gravel (or sand) without problems. To be sure of this, put the axolotl on its own in a bare bottomed tank for a week or two. However, occasionally gravel can get lodged in the gut and the animal doesn't pass it as soon as it should. In this case, there's not a lot you can do. Isolate it as before in a bare bottomed tank. It may be a good idea to keep it in water that is in the early teens Celsius / late 50s early 60s F. This will help reduce bacterial activity so there will be minimal gas build up beyond the blockage (otherwise the axolotl will float and they tend not to like that - it just stresses them further). To reduce the stress from floating, it's helpful to reduce the level of water so that the axolotl, although floating, can touch the bottom, so it won't struggle and stress itself unnecessarily. Usually the blockage will clear itself after a week or two. If it doesn't start to pass the gravel after 2 weeks, the only other idea I have heard of is in Peter W. Scott's book "Axolotls". He suggests that one attempts to force-feed the axolotl with the blockage some mineral oil (I think by that he means castor oil, the kind they give to people). In my own opinion though, that could do a lot more harm than good because axolotls are very soft bodied animals and you could easily crush its jaw or other parts of its body by trying to force feed it. Well fed axolotls can usually go without eating for up to 3 weeks and suffer no long term effects, provided the water temperature isn't over 60F.
    Is the axolotl still trying to eat? If it is, that's a good sign. It may do some good to feed it a little to see if this helps clear the blockage.

    Sorry for all the blocks of text but they all contain some info that may be useful. I think he may have swallowed lots of sand and he needs to pass it. Does his bottom sometimes float too?
 

jazzlawes

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thanks for your answer! But the sand was removed almost 2 months ago and since being in the fridge he hasn't passed any sand or anything and he isn't swollen at all. The main problem is that he refuses to eat, I even tried opening his mouth carefully and placing the food inside his mouth but he just spat everything out :(
 

Petersgirl

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No problem. Have you tried something new or have you tried feeding him his old favourites? Sometimes a new food can break a hunger strike.
Also, is he floating at the back end? What temp roughly was he in in his old tank? How long has he been in the fridge and refusing food? If he has been well fed and has eaten well up until now, he can survive up to 3 weeks on hunger strike.
 

jazzlawes

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he has been in the fridge for 34 days now, he is floating on his side and I have tried feeding him his favourites before. Also the tank in which my other axie is has a temp of between 17 and 19ºC always.
 

Petersgirl

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Hmmm...odd. Can you try feeding him something new? For example, a defrosted prawn or some cricket? He may respond to that. 34 days is a long time to be out of action though.

I have heard that sometimes floating on the side can be a sign of a bacterial infection. See the bacterial and fungal infection part here for details: Axolotls - Health & Diseases
 
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