Does my baby axie look healthy ?

snowbutton · Jul 1, 2016

He is about two inches long, only got him last week, he has not eaten most of the bloodworms I am feeding him because hes probably nervous still. I saw him poop twice though, and he looks a little skinny.

I am going to post some photos here

snowbutton · Jul 1, 2016

Re: Does my baby axe look healthy ?

here -

Donna001 · Jul 3, 2016

Re: Does my baby axe look healthy ?

From the current pictures he does look a little thin, but I'm not experienced with very young axolotls, so perhaps one of the more experienced keepers will be able to give you better advice.
In the mean time it would be very helpful if you could post your water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, temperature) and a photo from directly above your axolotl, looking down on him. This will give a better view of his body shape.

snowbutton · Jul 3, 2016

Re: Does my baby axe look healthy ?

Donna001 said:
From the current pictures he does look a little thin, but I'm not experienced with very young axolotls, so perhaps one of the more experienced keepers will be able to give you better advice.
In the mean time it would be very helpful if you could post your water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, temperature) and a photo from directly above your axolotl, looking down on him. This will give a better view of his body shape.

pH - 7.6 ( yes i know this is a little high )
ammonia - 0.25 ppm
nitrite - 0 ppm
nitrAte - 0 ppm

I have also moved him into a container so i can keep a closer eye on him and his eating, and he does seem to eat normally now that he is not in a humongous tank. But my only problem is that the temperature tends to drop very quickly, it gets down to 14 C, so I am constantly adding warmer water and replacing the old water.

snowbutton · Jul 3, 2016

Re: Does my baby axe look healthy ?

here -

Donna001 · Jul 4, 2016

Re: Does my baby axe look healthy ?

Firstly, your pH is fine. I have attached a link which includes information on pH and notes that a pH of 7.4 - 7.6 is probably ideal.
Axolotls - Requirements & Water Conditions in Captivity

Secondly, from your results I would say that your tank is not cycled. This is essential for the health of your axolotl as it allows the growth of beneficial bacterial on your filter which deals with the toxic waste products. I have attached some links dealing with cycling, and I would suggest that you keep your axolotl in the container with daily water changes using dechlorinated water while your tank cycles.
Caudata Culture Articles - Cycling
FISHLESS CYCLING - HOW TO DO IT | Think Fish Tropical Aquarium Forum

Thirdly, as I mentioned before I am not experienced with very young axolotls, so I spent a bit of time looking at pictures of other youngsters for comparison. Again, please see attached link.
Silly Axolotls
Although the general rule for axolotls is that they should have a body as wide as their head, this is not true for very young axolotls. Although your little one does seem slim, I'd suggest that as long as he is eating and pooping regularly then he is probably fine, and will start to fill out as he grows.

Lastly, your axolotl will be fine at 14C, so it would be best to keep him at that temperature, rather than trying to warm the water, as the fluctuating temperature may be a little stressful.
Axolotls - Housing in Captivity

I hope that one of the more experienced keepers will comment to either confirm all of this, or provide you with more specific information on your little one.

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to ask. We've all been through tank cycling, worrying about our axolotls, etc. so you are in good company on this forum.

Best of luck and please keep us posted on your progress. :happy:

snowbutton · Jul 4, 2016

Re: Does my baby axe look healthy ?

Donna001 said:
Firstly, your pH is fine. I have attached a link which includes information on pH and notes that a pH of 7.4 - 7.6 is probably ideal.
Axolotls - Requirements & Water Conditions in Captivity

Secondly, from your results I would say that your tank is not cycled. This is essential for the health of your axolotl as it allows the growth of beneficial bacterial on your filter which deals with the toxic waste products. I have attached some links dealing with cycling, and I would suggest that you keep your axolotl in the container with daily water changes using dechlorinated water while your tank cycles.
Caudata Culture Articles - Cycling
FISHLESS CYCLING - HOW TO DO IT | Think Fish Tropical Aquarium Forum

Thirdly, as I mentioned before I am not experienced with very young axolotls, so I spent a bit of time looking at pictures of other youngsters for comparison. Again, please see attached link.
Silly Axolotls
Although the general rule for axolotls is that they should have a body as wide as their head, this is not true for very young axolotls. Although your little one does seem slim, I'd suggest that as long as he is eating and pooping regularly then he is probably fine, and will start to fill out as he grows.

Lastly, your axolotl will be fine at 14C, so it would be best to keep him at that temperature, rather than trying to warm the water, as the fluctuating temperature may be a little stressful.
Axolotls - Housing in Captivity

I hope that one of the more experienced keepers will comment to either confirm all of this, or provide you with more specific information on your little one.

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to ask. We've all been through tank cycling, worrying about our axolotls, etc. so you are in good company on this forum.

Best of luck and please keep us posted on your progress. :happy:

Thank you for your help, the only thing i must say is that i moved him into the container so that i could finish cycling my tank, so the test results are going to be a little weird

Donna001 · Jul 4, 2016

Re: Does my baby axe look healthy ?

You were a step ahead of me by moving your axolotl to a container to finish cycling. Good idea.
I hope that the links and information offered some reassurance on the size/shape of your little one, who is also utterly adorable. I think my gang of mature males and older juveniles are fantastic, but there is something so ridiculously cute about the really young ones. :happy:

LoriML · Jul 5, 2016

Re: Does my baby axe look healthy ?

Correct, he is on the thin side, but very young ones can get thin so be sure to offer plenty of food. It shouldn't be hard to fatten him up as long as his overall health is good.

Elise · Jul 5, 2016

Re: Does my baby axe look healthy ?

He's more than a little thin. The inappetance is probably due to the ammonia levels. Keeping him in a tub with daily water changes is a sound idea. Stop trying to raise the water temperature as 14C is perfectly fine. Temperature swings can be a stressor.

I would also look into something more nutritionally balanced than bloodworms, especially if you're trying to put on weight. Frozen bloodworms are mostly water based, whereas chopped up earthworms or live blackworms can be used as a more appropriate staple food at his size.

LoriML · Jul 6, 2016

How's your little fella doing today?

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