Illness/Sickness: I think my axolotl is dying HELP!

today I saw my axolotl being bitten on the arm by her tankmate and she was not doing anything, she was just lying there. naturally thinking she was dead I went to take her out about an hour later and she started wriggling and swimming. I was pleased and left her then a few hours then I checked on her again and found her lying motionless on the tank floor. again I tried to take her out and she started moving again.

her arm is badly damaged now from her tankmate biting her, can anybody tell me what is wrong with her please.

Hello and poor you! I know how worried you must be now.

My guess as to what is wrong with her would be that she has a badly damaged arm and keeps being moved around.

First, it is normal for axolotls to lie around on the tank floor. That's what they do. In the evenings and early morning (sunrise, sunset) they become more active, and at night they often like to swim around. In the day, when you would be watching them, they usually just sit around, or even hide in their caves.

Second, your axolotl will heal. You don't need to do anything except give her a quiet place to mend, and watch for signs of infection. Do you have a few caves for her to hide?

Third, no matter how good your intentions are, touching and moving your axolotl is not going to help her. It scares her and if you touch her with your hands, you can damage the slime coat on her skin and even transfer little human ickies to her sensitive amphibian body. Best to keep the fiddling with her to an absolute, unavoidable minimum.

Lastly, what kind of animal is her tankmate?

-Eva

Thankyou for your reply, it was very helpful. I will avoid handling my axolotl and hopefully her arm will heal.

She has two tankmates which are both black axolotls

P.S she is an albino axolotl

Good deal. While you are waiting, you can read around the forum for help with watching for signs of infection. Use the search function and seach for words like "bite" - there is so much information available here, you will surely find great tips.

Good luck to you both,

-Eva

Hi Axieboy

One of the amazing things about axolotls is their ability to regenerate. You need to keep an eye on the wound to make sure it does not get infected.

Some keepers try fridging in situations like this as the colder temperature helps the axolotl destress.

Good Luck

Sorry to hear about this.

If your parinoid about a this happening again, you could simply use a tank divider.

Good luck