Hello I need help with axolotl

[Aaliyah Sutton]

Um so I'm not too sure what's wrong with my axolotl I've got a picture in my album on this website not sure if you can see it or not ( sorry I don't know how to upload the picture on here) but basically my juvenile axolotl has got likes these lines on his belly not really sure how to describe it to be honest ... um to me it looks like bones like he's looks super skinny to me ..please can you just check out my photo and see if he okay or he looks unhealthy .. I'm really sorry I'm just getting really really worried it's making me super sad!

[Donna]

Hi there.
I've had a look at the picture and the lines on the side of the stomach are normal in a mature axolotl.
Just to check that everything is ok, please let us know how long you've had your axolotl, the water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, temperature), and general behaviour, especially with food. You've mentioned that your axie only eats 2 small worms a day and you think it is skinny - the lines on the side of the body are not the equivalent of ribs sticking out on a skinny animal. If you look at your axie from the top, the general rule is that the stomach should be as wide as the head.
If you can post some more pics, of your axie from the top looking down, and of the general set up, we should be able to offer some reassurance that everything is fine, or offer some advice on how to make things better.
To attach pictures to your response scroll down below the "submit reply" button to the additional options. Click on "manage attachments" and you will be able to choose the files that you want to attach.
Good luck and I hope that we hear from you soon.

[Aaliyah Sutton]

Thank you for reply!! I've had my axolotl for 3 weeks. The axolotl in the photo so hard to feed he doesn't search for the food I have to literally drop it in front of his face and hope he eats it .. I'm too scared to hand feed them. it takes like half an hour to 45 mins to feed them. I take them out everyday and feed them in a tub so I know how much they've eaten. And I don't understand ammonia nitrite stuff you are talking about what is that?

[Donna]

Please see the information in the link which describes the nitrogen cycle.
Caudata Culture Articles - Cycling
It is very important that your tank is cycled so that it has enough bacteria to be able to deal with the axolotl waste. During the cycle you will need to monitor ammonia, nitrite and nitrate to be able to tell where you are in the cycle, and ensure that the levels of toxins (ammonia and nitrite) are no at levels high enough to harm your axolotls.
As you already have your axolotls you will be cycling your tank with them in, so I have attached another link which should provide further details on this.
https://forums.thinkfish.co.uk/fisht...-how-to-do-it/
I hope that helps to explain the situation. It is possible that one of your axolotls is more sensitive to toxins and is reacting to being in a tank which has not completed its cycle. This isn't a huge problem, although it might be worth considering taking your axolotls out of the tank and keeping them in smaller containers with 100% daily dechlorinated water changes rather than leaving them in the tank while it cycles.
Please let us know if you have any questions as we are more than happy to help.