mookoo
New member
Hi all,
(for clarification, I refer to my axolotl as a 'he,' but have never* properly sexed him).
I've had my axolotl for about a year, and outside of a so-so start, and the occasional infection (the white fungal stuff, I believe, treated with salt baths), he's seemed pretty good. Just recently, he's had another bout with the infection, followed with some strange bloating (like, he ballooned, enough that I noticed).
The next day (yesterday), I came home and he had a giant "sack"-like bubble, with blood pooling inside it, sticking out of his genitals or anus. it looked like he was passing it (but in my reading it seems that's not the case), and it obviously looked uncomfortable for him (he was leaning to the side, etc). At some point in the evening, i noticed it was bleeding (blood on the sand). I tried to move him to a more sterile container with dechlorinated water, at which point the 'sack' fully ruptured and the water turned bloody.
I kind of panicked, put him back in the tank, and then later put him back in the container (with new water again, obviously). I put him in the fridge overnight, and he is still alive. The prolapse (if that's what it is) is still there, but obviously shriveled up compared to the monstrous size it originally was. (i'll link the photos below).
For reference, he lives in a 20g tank, with a sponge air filter (i fear this is the cause of his earlier infections, poorer filtration from sponge filter, instead of his previous stronger over-tank filter), sand, and a little moss ball. I have a feel the sand cause the problem, but I don't know. Also, he eats 'nightcrawler' worms, about 4-5 a week, but I have fed him since about thursday or friday (and obviously won't feed him until/if his issues are addressed).
My awful question is... what should I do at this point? I have an appointment with a vet tomorrow, but the consultation alone is $100. Obviously I can't ask internet strangers who can't look at my axolotl up close to make a decision for me, but I want to know if anyone else had something similar happen to them. I found one other thread on here with a similar story, but the "prolapse" did not appear to have blood in it, and they said their axolotl died soon after (can't remember if it was days or hours later).
Sorry for the crappy first post, I wish I'd introduced myself on better terms when I made this account months ago.
photos:
here is the axolotl when i found him:
https://i.imgur.com/qT4CzDX.jpg
here he is in the fridge, about 10 hours later:
https://i.imgur.com/dtBwLTI.jpg
(for clarification, I refer to my axolotl as a 'he,' but have never* properly sexed him).
I've had my axolotl for about a year, and outside of a so-so start, and the occasional infection (the white fungal stuff, I believe, treated with salt baths), he's seemed pretty good. Just recently, he's had another bout with the infection, followed with some strange bloating (like, he ballooned, enough that I noticed).
The next day (yesterday), I came home and he had a giant "sack"-like bubble, with blood pooling inside it, sticking out of his genitals or anus. it looked like he was passing it (but in my reading it seems that's not the case), and it obviously looked uncomfortable for him (he was leaning to the side, etc). At some point in the evening, i noticed it was bleeding (blood on the sand). I tried to move him to a more sterile container with dechlorinated water, at which point the 'sack' fully ruptured and the water turned bloody.
I kind of panicked, put him back in the tank, and then later put him back in the container (with new water again, obviously). I put him in the fridge overnight, and he is still alive. The prolapse (if that's what it is) is still there, but obviously shriveled up compared to the monstrous size it originally was. (i'll link the photos below).
For reference, he lives in a 20g tank, with a sponge air filter (i fear this is the cause of his earlier infections, poorer filtration from sponge filter, instead of his previous stronger over-tank filter), sand, and a little moss ball. I have a feel the sand cause the problem, but I don't know. Also, he eats 'nightcrawler' worms, about 4-5 a week, but I have fed him since about thursday or friday (and obviously won't feed him until/if his issues are addressed).
My awful question is... what should I do at this point? I have an appointment with a vet tomorrow, but the consultation alone is $100. Obviously I can't ask internet strangers who can't look at my axolotl up close to make a decision for me, but I want to know if anyone else had something similar happen to them. I found one other thread on here with a similar story, but the "prolapse" did not appear to have blood in it, and they said their axolotl died soon after (can't remember if it was days or hours later).
Sorry for the crappy first post, I wish I'd introduced myself on better terms when I made this account months ago.
photos:
here is the axolotl when i found him:
https://i.imgur.com/qT4CzDX.jpg
here he is in the fridge, about 10 hours later:
https://i.imgur.com/dtBwLTI.jpg
Last edited:
