Please help!!! worried :(

I bought a beautiful axolotl (wildtype, "Charlie") a couple of months ago, and all has been going reasonably well, considering the people at the pet shop had differing advice concerning food etc. So we have been feeding him/ her beefheart. I have since read on the website it is not the best food to be feeding but it is a pretty isolated town so I'm doing my best trying to hunt down alternatives at the moment.

We are concerned about him, as he has what seems to be a lump on the side of his tummy. At first we thought I was just feeding him too much and he was fat so I cut back and only feed him every couple of days, but it has not made a difference and I have noticed it seems to be more on one side. He has had the lump for a few weeks now.

Other than that he is still feeding and swims around seemingly happily enough. He is active and alert, when I go near the tank he swims towards me and follows my finger up to the top and all around. I love him dearly and am very worried

The other thing is we did have small gravel on the bottom of the tank, not realising they swallow their food the way they do. Is it possible this could be a piece of gravel lodged in there?

Any ideas?

Thanks so much
Rachel

Hi Rach

If you have gravel, them yes, it is plausable that your axie may have scoffed some - best thing you can do is pop your axie in the fridge until the obstruction has passed - because he will be in a small tub, you will be able to keep track of exactly what's going in and coming out of him. Details on how to fridge can be found here : http://www.caudata.org/axolotl-sanctuary/Fridging.shtml

Whilst your axie is in the fridge, I would advise clearing all the gravel out the tank and replacing with sand or having a bare bottomed tank - basically, if it's smaller than your lotl's head, but not small enough to pass through your his system easily (such as sand), then it is a potental risk.

Zoe x

Hi Rachel,

Beefheart should only really be fed as an occasional treat. It is not an appropriate staple diet for axolotls and can lead to serious health problems further down the track.

Earthworms are best, as they contain all the nutrition an axolotl needs in one wriggling package - and better yet - they can be FREE! You may use earthworms from your garden if you are very certain that the worms have not been exposed to any chemical fertilizers or pesticides.

Would you be able to post a photo of the lump?

I would fridge the axolotl in the mean time.

A guide to fridging: http://www.caudata.org/axolotl-sanctuary/Fridging.shtml

If the axolotl is impacted, the fridge will help the axolotl pass the stone. If it is something more sinister, the fridge will relax the axolotl until you can ascertain what the lump is.

I would definately remove the gravel, and replace with either sand, or a bare bottom tank. Bare bottom tanks are the easiest to keep clean - and if you have a look through the galleries - you'll see that a tank can look quite beautiful without a substrate. If you prefer the natural look however, then sand is the best way to go, as when ingested it is passed easily.

Hehehe, sorry Jacqie my love, I stole that one with only seconds in it - can I claim the crown? x

big a little a said:

Hehehe, sorry Jacqie my love, I stole that one with only seconds in it - can I claim the crown? x

Click to expand...

You're younger and faster .

Hi guys, thanks so much for replying, really appreciate it!!
I have been eagerly waiting

I have just taken some photos, being night time though they are a bit dodgy, I was worried taking too many with the flash on though. But as you can tell he loves the attention. Sorry, I guess it is not a lump in the true sense of the word, just as if he is bloated but only on one side. It is also as if you can see a dark organ on that side, through the skin (but not on the normal side).

I did try to feed him live blood worms a few times, but he just totally ignored them. I don't think he's much of a hunter!

But I will definitely try to find some earthworms to feed him. I saw someone mentioned they were sold at Bunnings, would it be safe to buy from there ie they would not have been exposed to chemicals? Can they be bought frozen do you know?

I don't have an exact temp guage on my fridge so I will get one tomorrow before I put him in... Bit nervous about doing it!!!!! feel so mean.... It was the first couple of days I had him that I saw he sucked in gravel and spat it out, as I fed him near the bottom. But ever since then I always feed him by hand near the top of the water, well away from the gravel, above the area where I only have large rocks. But I have been worried about him swallowing a piece.

Is it possible he would be like this from the beefheart alone? That is what they were feeding him in the shop as well so he must have been on it for a while. Poor little thing.

PS I have no idea if he is really a boy, may be a girl.

Hi Aussie Rach,

Those gravel as seen in your photos definitely aint suitable. Follow Zoe's and Jacquie's suggestion for fridging. Meanwhile you can work on the tank to remove those gravel.

Based on the photos alone, i can't really see anything wrong with the axie, perhaps its the angle of the shots.

Cheers.

Hello there,
I can't see the swelling, just a general roundness. This could be due to impaction, bloat, he being a she, or just a greedy axie!

Speaking of gender, from the pictures he looks like a she! How old/long is he? Then perhaps it will be possible to determine the gender.

I believe the earthworms bought in Bunnings will be safe to feed your axie, I've read other people doing the same. They are sold live and wriggly I think, just how your axolotl likes them! If you drop them in front of his nose, he should take a snap at them.

If you fridge your axie, be aware that he will eat very little while in there. This is normal and safe, the fridge slows their metabolism.

Thanks, I definitely will remove the gravel. At certain angles he/ she can look fine but at times when he swims towards the top he looks really rounded. See the pet shop owner told me to just see how his appetite went, so see if he wants to eat every day, and if he eats he eats. So I was feeding him a whole beef heart cube a day at one stage. Then I cut back because I noticed he was looking fat. But now it seems only on one side (which made me think it may be a gravel lump).

Anyway, I will follow your advice and put him in the fridge when I get the temp guage, how long would you recommend? Do they get distressed from this? or just feel chilled out? (haha)

Also as a side note, I have been wanting to get a friend, do they prefer company? I know only to put another axie in with him.

I'm not sure of age, probably measures around 20 cm in length from head to tail. I cannot see the bulge underneath as I can see in the photos of the boys on the site.

The fridge will chill them out, literally and metaphorically!

The length of time suggested to help an axie to pass an impaction is 3 weeks. But if you're not sure he is impacted then you can just leave him there while you sort his tank out and see if he passes any gravel.

Is he showing signs of constipation? Floating, rear end rising higher than the head, have you noticed any faeces in the tank?

With regard getting him a friend I would certainly wait to see if Charlie has any health problems and get them sorted first. You will need at least a two and a half foot tank for two axies. The new one would need to be the same or similar size to Charlie and quarantined in a seperate tank for 30 days.

Axolotls don't 'need' other tank mates, they are quite happy on their own. It is us who fall in love with the axolotl that want more!

It sounds like Charlie is a girl, I think 20cm is adult size, I'm not too sure of working lengths out in cm!

Thanks Kerry,

I just wonder if she gets lonely :happy:. 20cm is approx 7-8 inches.

I haven't generally noticed faeces, and never see her pooing the way you see goldfish. And when I transferred her from the smaller tank, it seemed like the dirtiness was from bloodworms I tried to feed her that she wasn't interested in. But the one she is in now is quite a big tank, almost 3 ft. She doesn't float or have her rear end higher than her head.

thanks for your help, I better get to bed now. Will let you know how she goes!!

Bye for now

Hi AussieRach,

Don't worry about loneliness, whilst axolotls don't seem to mind tank mates they are also solitary creatures who apart from breeding are happy to lead solitary lives.