Poodlay
New member
Hello! Looking for some advice regarding a weird lump on my axolotl.
Before anyone asks, water temp is high 60s (F) cooled with frozen bottles and parameters are normal. He's been living in the same aquarium since I got him, so I don't think the lump is related to his tank. The only other critters living in there are some tiny snails that hitchhiked on some plants from the pet store- but those have been breeding and living in there since before I got my axolotl.
He's about six months old and a couple months ago I noticed he had a tiny white pimple-looking thing on his tail. It's some weeks later now and the bump has grown considerably larger- it looks to be a little bigger than a pea, now.
I think maybe he thrashed around a little bit a while ago and injured that spot somehow and his body's just gone a little confused with trying to regenerate his injury?
Should I just leave it alone? It doesn't seem to bother him at all or hurt him, although his tail sits tilted to the side a bit when he's idle now. Whenever I poke at it with the chopstick or touch him he just treats it as if I were touching any other part of his tail. I've felt it and it's not hard or anything- it just feels kind of squishy like the rest of him. There are even veins and stuff I can see growing through it.
If it is a case of regeneration gone awry, I've read of other people's axolotls growing extra arms or gills and owners just kind of... snipping the extras off...? I really would rather not have to do this for obvious reasons.
I know people will probably just tell me, "take him to the vet", but I figured I'd try a nice, free alternative first. I live on Oahu in Hawaii and the only exotic vets I know of are crazy expensive.
Also, a little unrelated, but can anybody tell if this is a boylotl? It sure seems like he's got boy-bits, but I wanted to be sure because I was going to introduce him to a tank with another boy axolotl and I don't want to be an axolotl grandma.
Thanks all,
-Poodlay
Before anyone asks, water temp is high 60s (F) cooled with frozen bottles and parameters are normal. He's been living in the same aquarium since I got him, so I don't think the lump is related to his tank. The only other critters living in there are some tiny snails that hitchhiked on some plants from the pet store- but those have been breeding and living in there since before I got my axolotl.
He's about six months old and a couple months ago I noticed he had a tiny white pimple-looking thing on his tail. It's some weeks later now and the bump has grown considerably larger- it looks to be a little bigger than a pea, now.
I think maybe he thrashed around a little bit a while ago and injured that spot somehow and his body's just gone a little confused with trying to regenerate his injury?
Should I just leave it alone? It doesn't seem to bother him at all or hurt him, although his tail sits tilted to the side a bit when he's idle now. Whenever I poke at it with the chopstick or touch him he just treats it as if I were touching any other part of his tail. I've felt it and it's not hard or anything- it just feels kind of squishy like the rest of him. There are even veins and stuff I can see growing through it.
If it is a case of regeneration gone awry, I've read of other people's axolotls growing extra arms or gills and owners just kind of... snipping the extras off...? I really would rather not have to do this for obvious reasons.
I know people will probably just tell me, "take him to the vet", but I figured I'd try a nice, free alternative first. I live on Oahu in Hawaii and the only exotic vets I know of are crazy expensive.
Also, a little unrelated, but can anybody tell if this is a boylotl? It sure seems like he's got boy-bits, but I wanted to be sure because I was going to introduce him to a tank with another boy axolotl and I don't want to be an axolotl grandma.
Thanks all,
-Poodlay