Bleeding mouth?

steff · Apr 4, 2005

help! i'm a newbie and just got my first axolotl 2 days ago! i've been feeding her one earthworm abt 3 times a day and today i've just noticed that her mouth seems to be bleeding... or its at least raw? she looks like she's wearing lipstick! (cute!) but she's still very active and swimming around happily and eating... so i was just wondering, if its a wound, how best do i treat it? and how best do i prevent it happening? i read somewhere that using melafix is good? cos i got tons of that stuff for my tropical fishes... thanks guys! =0)

claire · Apr 4, 2005

im not sure how to make your axies mouth better...sorry.but you should feed your axie only every other day and you can feed all the worms in one go. but if your axie gets full then it will usually regurgitate the worm back up.

good luck with your axie and hope she gets better!

.

sharn · Apr 5, 2005

id try salt baths. they help with most skin wounds. look up on salt baths in this forum to tell you how much to put. make sure you use the tank water though so theres no temp change! good luck. yeah i reccomend feeding every other day. i hope she gets better too. good luck

steff · Apr 5, 2005

thanks guys for the support! =0)
as of today i shall feed her every other day!
i'm gonna try the melafix first... cos it works wonders with my bettas and their ripped tails! i'll underdose it slightly... if it doesn't get better then i'll try a salt bath... right now i'm too scared to try it!

joan · Apr 5, 2005

Salt baths are much safer than using chemicals like melafix. I suggest that you read this article: http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/sores.shtml and this article http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/salt.shtml

claire · Apr 5, 2005

i agree with joan. use salt baths at first but make sure it is aquarium salt or uniodized salt. if this does not help or cure the sore then resort to the chemicals.

good luck and keep us posted!

(Message edited by clairey_beary on April 05, 2005)

peter · Apr 6, 2005

hi Steff.

save yourself a lot of heartache and go straight to salt baths.
see the below link.
http://www.axolotl.org/faq.htm
this link has a wealth of info on it so keep it handy.
go to point number 43 re: salt baths.
i'm sure the salt baths saved my 4 ax's when they had overwhelming fungal infections, one got so bad that he had a section of his mouth erode and you could see into his throat through his red bleeding mouth.
i tried Melafix and Pimafix and personally i found them to be of no value to my ax's.
i salt bathed 2 to 3 times per day for about 10 days.

i suggest the earlier you start, the better for both of you.

also, i've found that adding a 'calculated' amount of salt to your tank water is beneficial to them.
see the link for further info.

peter

steff · Apr 6, 2005

okies okies!
i'll give in to the salt baths! LOL!
if i kill her, i blame all of you!
kidding kidding...!!
no way i'm gonna kill her! she's too adorable! =0)

cynthia · Apr 6, 2005

Steff - Just some precautions:
When you salt bath use water from the axolotls tank. Mix the salt in well and make sure it is all dissolved before you put the axolotl in.
Measure the salt carefully and do not use extra. Time the salt bath so you do not keep the axolotl in the salt bath more than 10 min. Salt can burn the axolotls gills and skin. As long as you follow the instructions your axolotl should be just fine.

Good luck on your mission.

Oh I just wanted to say that it wasn't feeding your axolotl everyday that made its mouth sore. Is there anything in your tank that it could of swam into and hurt its self? Axolotls "spaz" out and swim into things pretty hard sometimes.

steff · Apr 7, 2005

in the tank is:
- piece of driftwood
- a sponge filter
- an airstone
- a little glass bowl that i use to drop in the bloodworms so they don't get all over the place
- floating plants

i'm guessing she must have scraped herself on the driftwood??

cynthia · Apr 7, 2005

steff - How is her scrape looking? Does it look like it is healing or is it getting white and fuzzy?

brendan · Apr 7, 2005

I agree with you steff, Maybe ur axie could of knocked her mouth on the peice of driftwood?

I know i had an ornament in my tank that i thought to be safe (as no sharp edges and seemed harmless)until i woke up one morning to see a little piece of Lolly's tail off. Which i found inside the ornament. I immedieately took it out and none of my axies have had any other injuries.

steff · Apr 8, 2005

seems to still be a bit raw... not as red as it was though! and no white fuzzy stuff!! i'm guessing thats good, right?! LOL!
is it still safe to keep the driftwood there though? she enjoys it heaps- swimming under it, lying on top of it, etc etc... =0)

cynthia · Apr 8, 2005

Yes, you do not want white or fuzzy.

If the driftwood has dangerous edges I would remove it or try to file them off. If not I would leave it in the tank.

Did you try a salt bath yet?

steff · Apr 10, 2005

yeah i tried the salt bath and her mouth seems a bit better now! i think i might give it another go again though if it doesn't clear up within the week... how often can i give her salt baths? i'm scared i might overload her with salt!

joan · Apr 10, 2005

As long as you're using the correct concentrations and time limit, twice a day is adequate at preventing fungus. Sounds like you're doing everything right. Remember too, that axolotls are masters at healing themselves.

cynthia · Apr 10, 2005

steff - glad you gave the salt bath a try. I am glad the wound is looking better. As Joan said you can salt bath 2 times a day.

steff · Apr 11, 2005

thanks for all the support guys!
its completely gone!
wow... that healed in no time at all!! =0)
thanks again guys!

cynthia · Apr 11, 2005

Glad to hear it Steff

Bleeding mouth?

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