Illness/Sickness: Bloat/gas??? help needed!

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karena

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Hey guys i would like help if possible. :(

my lil axie is about 5 months old at about 4 inches. iv had him for about 6 weeks or more. until yesterday both of them were doing great.
my lil one freckles was sick and threw up his food from the night before but assumed he ate too much.

i was assuming he has bloat too but just most newbies I'm not sure whether to fridge him.
he is struggling to stay at the bottom and floating on his side, i thought i saw an air bubble but not sure, he is in with another axie but the other seems fine.
the temperature is normal and he is still eating when he can manage to stay at the bottom of the tank but will take it from me by hand.

any advice would be much appreciated. im just a very worried axie parent lol.
 
Here are a few questions, so hopefully we can find out what is going on.
Could you add a photo of your axolotl so we can see ?
How warm is your tank?
What do you feed your axolotl, and how often?
What are your readings for ammonia, nitrate and nitrite?
 
thanks for replying, im really worried.
the temp is now bout 19-20 degrees, i think at one point went up to about 23 over the last few days but with the water bottle trick im reducing it.
readings are nil and ph is 7.7
they are being fed blood worms daily.
i will try and upload a pic as soon as i can x
 
just fed him separately and he was eating fine apart from not being able to stay upright.
he is just fighting to stay at the bottom of the tank. i just looks like a big air bubble on his side and its keeping him afloat.
shall i fridge him or is he still too young at 5-6 months and 4 inches? his tail is a lil curved but gills aren't forward facing. he probably exhausted x
 
Any luck with the photo's? A photo can be really useful in helping to identify the problem. Could you could add one of your axolotl and his tank set up?

If your axolotl is still floating, I would put him in a shallow container with enough water to cover him. Keep him some where cool.

I do appreciate that you are worried about your little guy, but please keep updating this post, rather than starting new ones.
 
thank you, just didnt know what to do, ill try and upload a pic today. my home is quite warm and i worry about keeping the small container cool.
just wanted some advice.
yesterday morning he seemed alot better but as the day went on he seemed to deteriorate.
 
this is the only photo i could get while at work, his stomach is swollen on one side and its like theres bubbles in his belly. sorry for the poor quality
 

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I had the same problem with one of my axxies when they were around that age. A huge sort of 'bubble' in his stomach that kept him from going to the bottom of the tank. There were points where it got so bad that he was upside down floating for like a week! Heartbreaking to see as his siblings were doing so well at that point.

I spent a long time nursing him separately in a small shallow water plastic container - water changes once, maybe twice a day with very cold water & aquasafe. Made sure he had enough to eat (his staple back then was frozen bloodworm) and tried to stress him as little as possible. Used ice packs to keep the water extra-cool.

Anyway, just wanted to share the story of mine because he lived, although I really thought he wouldn't survive because it looked so bad at times. Maybe try what I did? Make sure it gets enough to eat (so, so important I find for axolotls prone to air bubbles). I really hope you can help your axolotl, it's really beautiful! :happy:
 
Lady Axolotl said:
I had the same problem with one of my axxies when they were around that age. A huge sort of 'bubble' in his stomach that kept him from going to the bottom of the tank. There were points where it got so bad that he was upside down floating for like a week! Heartbreaking to see as his siblings were doing so well at that point.

I spent a long time nursing him separately in a small shallow water plastic container - water changes once, maybe twice a day with very cold water & aquasafe. Made sure he had enough to eat (his staple back then was frozen bloodworm) and tried to stress him as little as possible. Used ice packs to keep the water extra-cool.

Anyway, just wanted to share the story of mine because he lived, although I really thought he wouldn't survive because it looked so bad at times. Maybe try what I did? Make sure it gets enough to eat (so, so important I find for axolotls prone to air bubbles). I really hope you can help your axolotl, it's really beautiful! :happy:
Click to expand...
thank you so much for the reassurance. i wake up every morning expecting to find him dead.
im going to be in most of the weekend so mayb ill try that for as long as i can. mayb ill give him a little earth worm as a treat.
is he too small or young to fridge, he is only about 4 inches or so and about 5-6 months old.
 
Hi Karena, how is he now? Just wanted to add to what lady axolotl said. I raised eight little ones from eggs and had the exact same issue with one of them. At first I fridged him and after a day or two he'd be fine. Back in the tank, the next day floating. It went on like this for a week or so. In the end I put him in a large storage box with some floating weed and every time he started to float I lowered the water level until he could comfortably touch the bottom. As soon as I was sure he'd stopped floating, water levels back up. This went on for well over a month and then suddenly stopped. He has now joined his siblings and is perfectly fine.
 
he is actually alot better, i was soooo worried. he started to float a little the other day but i suppose he may just be prone to air bubbles as you say.
ive increased his food intake slightly and that seems to have helped. maybe he passed it through while pooping. he did float a little the other day but didnt seem to struggle as much to get to the bottom of the tank.

i didnt put him him the fridge i just kept the temp as low as i could manage and fed him separetly as often as i could to make sure he could reach the food.

on a positive note he seems to be less wary of me and almost swam into my hand so i could tranfer him. quite cute actually. ill try and add more photo's of my boys if i can.
i will keep you up to date.
 
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