Animalperson100
New member
Hello lovely axolotl folk.
My wild type, Lightbulb, is having a rough week. He's a female (I called him he before I could tell and it stuck) living in a bare-bottom 10 gallon aquarium and is about 2.5 years old. I usually do 20% water changes weekly and feed him every 2-3 days. I'll admit I've made a couple mistakes leading up to this, but right now I just want my buddy to be happy and healthy again.
Before everything went bad, a little over a week ago (last Saturday) I was doing some yard work for my neighbor and found a wonderful earthworm. The yard I was working in was in a wooded neighborhood with absolutely no pesticides or anything sprayed so, since my worm supply is running low and I wasn't planning on getting new worms until I moved back to school (with my axolotl of course), I seized the opportunity for a more nutritious meal compared to pellets.
The next day (Sunday) I was checking on my dubia roach colony which I've been trying to get rid of. These are my roaches, not from a pet store, and eat mostly vegetable scraps and timothy hay. My praying mantis has been doing great job decreasing the numbers, but there was one adult female left. This is where the biggest mistake probably is. After a quick google search seeing if axolotls can eat dubias, I rinse off the roach and offer it to Lightbulb. Of course, with his massive appetite, the roach was soon gone.
Things started going south the next day (Monday). I didn't think much of it, as I did realize he was overfed and likely just chilling digesting. But he spent the entire day sorta hanging on the bottom of the tank. Late that night, I found the roach again, regurgitated and pretty much whole. I felt bad for making him go through that, but figure that after this, he'd come back to his usual lively self.
Tuesday he still spent the entire day at the bottom. He's normally the type of axolotl who likes to gulp air, float around, and walk around his aquarium now and then. He didn't do any of those things, instead just sat there flicking his gills. As he did regurgitate his last meal and normally eats every other day, I offered a single pellet. He spat it out.
Wednesday still the same behavior. I offer another pellet, and he begrudgingly eats it. Normally he happily gobbles down 3-5, but he only wanted one.
All day Thursday, same behavior. It was so out of character for him I decided something MUST be wrong, so that afternoon I popped him in the fridge.
Friday he pooped (or at least regurgitated what looks like poop), so I cleaned up after him.
Saturday same as Friday, little more poop I cleaned up. He seemed to be walking around his Tupperware in the fridge, which was reassuring. Still no interest in food.
Tomorrow (Monday) I have plans and won't be home until Tuesday afternoon. Hoping that being at a normal temperature and left alone until then will bring his appetite back, I transitioned him back to his tank. He started walking around and even did a little of his usual trips to the top for air, but still refused food. I noticed that there were a bit of fuzzies on his gills, and I gave him a 15 minute salt bath in case it is fungus which I'll repeat tomorrow before I leave and Tuesday when I return. It already looks mostly cleared up, so that's reassuring. He's still mostly just sitting there, though.
For reference, the tank is a fully cycled bare-bottom 10 gallon with a low power filter with a spray bar. The ammonia and nitrite are both 0, and the nitrate is about 40 or so and will likely lower due to more water changes. The temperature fluctuates slightly throughout the day/week, as our AC has been spotty. There is a fan on the tank however, so it stays within the 65-75 range approximately. I leave to go back to school on Friday, so that will involve an 100% water change but I've previously had no problems with the cycle with that since I keep all the decorations and filter.
I know axolotls become lazier as they get older, but this seems too sudden to be just that. I'm really concerned about him not eating, as he's the type that would probably eat daily if I let him. What should I do? Thanks for reading, I know its a long one and probably too much info. I appreciate the help!
My wild type, Lightbulb, is having a rough week. He's a female (I called him he before I could tell and it stuck) living in a bare-bottom 10 gallon aquarium and is about 2.5 years old. I usually do 20% water changes weekly and feed him every 2-3 days. I'll admit I've made a couple mistakes leading up to this, but right now I just want my buddy to be happy and healthy again.
Before everything went bad, a little over a week ago (last Saturday) I was doing some yard work for my neighbor and found a wonderful earthworm. The yard I was working in was in a wooded neighborhood with absolutely no pesticides or anything sprayed so, since my worm supply is running low and I wasn't planning on getting new worms until I moved back to school (with my axolotl of course), I seized the opportunity for a more nutritious meal compared to pellets.
The next day (Sunday) I was checking on my dubia roach colony which I've been trying to get rid of. These are my roaches, not from a pet store, and eat mostly vegetable scraps and timothy hay. My praying mantis has been doing great job decreasing the numbers, but there was one adult female left. This is where the biggest mistake probably is. After a quick google search seeing if axolotls can eat dubias, I rinse off the roach and offer it to Lightbulb. Of course, with his massive appetite, the roach was soon gone.
Things started going south the next day (Monday). I didn't think much of it, as I did realize he was overfed and likely just chilling digesting. But he spent the entire day sorta hanging on the bottom of the tank. Late that night, I found the roach again, regurgitated and pretty much whole. I felt bad for making him go through that, but figure that after this, he'd come back to his usual lively self.
Tuesday he still spent the entire day at the bottom. He's normally the type of axolotl who likes to gulp air, float around, and walk around his aquarium now and then. He didn't do any of those things, instead just sat there flicking his gills. As he did regurgitate his last meal and normally eats every other day, I offered a single pellet. He spat it out.
Wednesday still the same behavior. I offer another pellet, and he begrudgingly eats it. Normally he happily gobbles down 3-5, but he only wanted one.
All day Thursday, same behavior. It was so out of character for him I decided something MUST be wrong, so that afternoon I popped him in the fridge.
Friday he pooped (or at least regurgitated what looks like poop), so I cleaned up after him.
Saturday same as Friday, little more poop I cleaned up. He seemed to be walking around his Tupperware in the fridge, which was reassuring. Still no interest in food.
Tomorrow (Monday) I have plans and won't be home until Tuesday afternoon. Hoping that being at a normal temperature and left alone until then will bring his appetite back, I transitioned him back to his tank. He started walking around and even did a little of his usual trips to the top for air, but still refused food. I noticed that there were a bit of fuzzies on his gills, and I gave him a 15 minute salt bath in case it is fungus which I'll repeat tomorrow before I leave and Tuesday when I return. It already looks mostly cleared up, so that's reassuring. He's still mostly just sitting there, though.
For reference, the tank is a fully cycled bare-bottom 10 gallon with a low power filter with a spray bar. The ammonia and nitrite are both 0, and the nitrate is about 40 or so and will likely lower due to more water changes. The temperature fluctuates slightly throughout the day/week, as our AC has been spotty. There is a fan on the tank however, so it stays within the 65-75 range approximately. I leave to go back to school on Friday, so that will involve an 100% water change but I've previously had no problems with the cycle with that since I keep all the decorations and filter.
I know axolotls become lazier as they get older, but this seems too sudden to be just that. I'm really concerned about him not eating, as he's the type that would probably eat daily if I let him. What should I do? Thanks for reading, I know its a long one and probably too much info. I appreciate the help!
