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Illness/Sickness: Leg Injury Help

Loz

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My Axolotl's leg had blood spots on it and was swollen so I put him straight into his own tank and was changing the water everyday as I'd read on here. He has now developed the white fluffy fungus so I have just given him his first salt bath removing the loose fungus with a cotton bud. After that I could see that all of the skin was gone from around the leg and it looks like the bone is completly exposed. He is using it quite well but I'm worried that I am not doing everything I can for him.
 

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Donna001

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The leg problem may be a symptom of a bacterial infection.
Axolotls - Health & Diseases
Do you have a vet that could check your axolotls?
Herp Veterinarians

Please could you post information regarding your water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, temperature, etc.) plus some more pictures of your axolotl. As much information as possible will help the very experienced axolotl keepers (I'm relatively new to this) to offer the best advice. In the mean time, if you are very worried find a vet to consult.

Please keep us updated on progress.
:happy:
 

Loz

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Hi Donna water is great he injured it in the tank before fungus. No vets experienced here and I have followed one of the vets advice on here so I'm pretty sure I'm going the right way for the fungus. Hoping he'll regrow skin around the leg :)
 

Donna001

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Hi Loz.
It's amazing the healing and regenerative abilities these little fellas have. With good water, care and attention it's often only a matter of time before things start to get better.
:happy:
 

Loz

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Well I'm water changing him everyday in his own tank salt treating him and I must admit he's swimming round more. I took him straight out when I saw he was struggling to swim to the bottom, I didn't want him to stress and I'm keeping him in the dark for peace
 

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Are you giving the salt baths in a separate container or in the tank? Is your tank cycled and can you post the exact readings of the parameters?
 

Loz

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He isn't in the tank, he's in a separate container and I am changing the water every day using ipa water conditioner. While I'm changing water he has a 12 min salt bath not table but aquarium salts then back in his fresh water. Tank is fine with others in. He hurt his leg so I took him out, his fungus started in the new water that is why I think the fungus came after he hurt his leg. I will give him second salt bath 12 hours after first and continue for three more days. I have a nitrate testing kit as that was what the guy in pet shop told me I needed although he knew nothing about Axolotls. I check it twice a week and it's perfect, also syphon it every other day doing a top up using api. They are fed worms and love them
 

Canecorsonewt

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You should get api master test kit. It pays for it's self in less than a month. If your tank isn't cycled. But you should have ammonia, nitrite, nitrate. Ph can be very helpful to.
 

Loz

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My tank has been in use for 5 years fish were healthy but I wanted Axols so my pet shop took them, he said the water was perfect after a check so the guys went straight in and the other four are thriving and eating worms quite happily. Oh and test kit purchased
 
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Loz

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I have given him his second salt bath and can now see that he has skin on his lower part of his leg and right at the top but between that it is only bone nothing else except for nerves which I cannot see, they must be there as he still has movement in his leg. Is this little guy in pain and should I expect him to eat thanks
 

AxolotlChris

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The gills of your Axolotl are shrunken which is often caused by poor water quality, which in turn could allow the bad fungal infection.

Post the exact test results for Ammonia, Nitrite, NitrAte, and PH.

Post the temperature of your tank water.


Salt baths are highly irritating to the skin.

What guide are you using for doing salt baths?
 

Loz

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Hi I've just purchase the kit only got the nitrate which is perfect. Can send readings of the tank when test kit get's here but the others are fine and I have eggs in the tank already and only had them a week. Both Golden ones looked exactly like that when I got them, the others have massive gills really bushy. I read a thread from a vet on here. He has white woolly fluff on the leg and some on his face. The face is clear but the leg where the bone is has almost been bandaged by the stuff and I'm now wondering if this is something protecting the leg. I got aquarium salt with a ph buffer and do the baths twice a day following instructions to the letter for ten minutes plus changing his water everyday with api. Everywhere I read online says salt baths but not table salt. He is in his own tank as he was on the surface all the time as he couldn't swim to the bottom with the one leg. He is in quite shallow water so now spends his time on the bottom and is eating. Temp 54 Nitrate is 0mg/L. He also developed the fungus after I took him out of the tank because of him struggling in the deep water I believed he'd be better on his own away from the others in case of further injury as he has others in with him and the tank he is in now has a completly flat bottom, if he catches that leg in anything eg plants or rocks (all smooth) he would be in real trouble.
 

Bellabelloo

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It looks like your little axolotl has at some point been bitten by one of the tank mates. From your description he may well loose the leg, with good care and diet, it will regrow. Salt baths are good for treating fungus, which can develop after an injury. I have found regular untreated water to be very good at clearing fungus.

This little one is somewhat skinny, I would suggest daily feeding earthworm.

Please keep us updated on how he is doing :)
 

Loz

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Hi thanks for your advice he was on earth worms but he seemed to stop eating them so I put bloodworms in as well and he is eating that for now thank goodness. When you say untreated water what do you mean? I'll try anything. Will the bone just deteriate and fall off? I'm so worried that the little guy is in terrible pain but I believe he has every chance and won't give up. The other Gold one is skinny and hardly eats any compared to the other three. My black one eats for England, I swear lol I will keep you up to date. He's much better eating the bloodworms at the minute but he will be going on to earthworms again as soon as possible, I've got my own little compost box full of them :)
 

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They will need something more nutritious than just bloodworm. What earthworms were you feeding and how? You could try a different type of earthworm or try blanching the earthworm first (pour hot water over the worm for only a second and then immediately cold water to cool the worm). This will kill the worm and stop to excreting a foul tasting substance axolotls sometimes don't like. Bloodworm is better than nothing but is not nutritious enough as a staple diet. If you can get them to eat earthworms again, this would be much better.
 

Loz

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Thanks Skuda I got the worms off eBay especially for feeding lizards etc plus my friend has a compost heap so got red worms from that, I will do that with the water because I want him to get back on worms. Just going to give him his salt bath now
 

Bellabelloo

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Just run water from the tap into a container and add the axolotl. Leave in the water for 10 minutes and then remove.

Quote from :- Axolotls - Health & Diseases

If your tap water has chloramine, this can be
used as a treatment for fungal problems. Bathe the wounds or immerse the animal in the water for a few minutes each day, as you would with a salt bath.
 

Loz

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Hi Julia thanks for that yes it has chorine in it but is it as effective as the salt baths if I bath him in that for ten minutes or do you mean to just keep him in that all the time for now. I thought it would affect his gills :)
 

Bellabelloo

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I personally would say yes it is as good as salt baths. I have used this method a few times and found that the axolotl/ newt suffered less overall damage.
Use like doing a salt bath for maybe 10 minutes, however I have left my animals sometimes longer as I believe chlorine dissipates quite quickly.
 

Loz

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Thanks Julia that sounds like a better idea I did worry using the salts. The last couple of days he's been floating but today he's been on the bottom and swimming a bit but not eating. His leg is still pure bone however. Do you think it will come off or grow the skin back. He can still move it so I take it his nerves are intact. I'm just worried that he's in pain. We're told here to give the water 24 hours to dissipate the chemicals in it and there is a lot. I am putting the list of what is in my water so you can see before I use it. I cannot seem to post it in a reply. I know we have hard water here :)
 
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