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Question: Re-feeding a skinny axolotl

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greentea

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I noticed that my axolotl had been systematically been getting thinner, until last weekend where I realised that she was hideously underweight. I had up to that point been feeding her small earthworms every few days. I have since changed her diet to frozen bloodworm cubes which she LOVES but I am wondering whether my attempts to fatten her up again might be dangerous:
I gave her two cubes on Sunday, 1 on Monday and 1 today. Is that too much too quickly? And how often should I be feeding her anyway?
I also have another question, is it bad if she swallows the cube while still frozen?

Thanks in advance for your help!!
mel
 
blueberlin

blueberlin

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Hi Mel,

If your axolotl is getting thinner and thinner, you may want to take her to a vet to rule out any kind of bacterial infection or organ troubles. If she has some sort of disease, you might have difficulty resolving the problem without medications.

I don't think it's harmful if an axolotl accidentally swallows a cube once. In general, though, it is best first to defrost the food and rinse it very briefly with freshwater to get rid of any gunk in the ice water.

Good luck to you,

-Eva
 
Kerry1968

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I believe for putting weight on an axie, earthworms are better. They are certainly more nutritionally complete than bloodworms.
 
Darkmaverick

Darkmaverick

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Ask your vet to test a sample of fresh axie poo for parasites. It is called a faecal floatation test. Intestinal worms can cause gradual weight loss despite the axie feeding properly. They are very easy to treat and would have quite good results after.
 
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greentea

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Thanks so much for your responses
I'm wondering, is there any way to find out if she has parasites, etc, without going to the vet? At the moment, vet fees are way outside my budget :(
 
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