Help :( Axolotl jumped out of tank - Serious looking injury!

Saturday morning i woke up to my mam shouting saying that one of my Axolotls was lying in the middle of the floor. I ran to her and gently cupped her and she moved! But she felt very sticky and was covered in fluff and hairs and such. We put her into a dish with dechlorinated water and she pretty much straight away was moving around and feathing her gills. We pulled the pieces of fluff and stuff off her that we could do safely and then we put her back into the tank as i recalled people saying that cool good water conditions were best for healing.
Her injuries were -
1. Skin peeling off (this has all gone now and i siphoned out the dead skin and fluff wich came off with it.)
2. A cut in the tail and burst vessels at the tip i think. (the cut is still there but its clear from fungus or anything like that, seems pretty clean. The vessels are improving, theyre less red.)

3. This is my biggest concern - She has a large oval shaped wound on her stomach, pressumably from falling 3 feet the the floor and crawling about 2 metres from the tank over wires, a towel and carpet.
The wound started of looking like a lighter patch of skin which i thought was from the peeling skin. However on Sunday morning it was a black/blue colour with a red rim which might be blood and then a white furry rim around that =/
This morning there is no black/blue but the area that was is not white and much furrier. I'm really concerned

I will post a picture of how it looked yesterday and i'll get a picture asap of her as she is now.



Other information that might help - She is eating fine, swimming alright and seems perfectly happy besides the wound. Her gills arn't front facing and her tail isn't curled. However it was completely curled inwards when we first put her into the dish - understandable i suppose. She stands upright with her legs stretched so that her stomach isnt against the gravel but that has calmed down now too, she seems comfortable to lie on her stomach.
Water conditions - 0 ammonia, 0 nitrates and very low nitrites (or vice versa i cant remember which is which, i just know that the one that is meant to have a little is fine) and the pH is 7.5 ish

Thank you very much for any help that anyone might give - im pretty upset and really don't want her to die.
xox

I think the pic is attatched now.

Sorry to hear your bad news & while I am sorry that I can't assist you in anyway with advice I do have one recommendation. Try & speak to Ray - aka "DarkMaverick". Apart from being a great authority on Axies, he is also a vet. If there is anyone that can get you the right advice I dare say it's Ray.

Try messaging him directly via his membership. Ray is on here almost every day & loves to assist.

Good luck

Thanks x

Hi

What a lucky find, the main thing to keep an eye out for is the appearance of any infection or fungus at the wound site, if your axolotl is not showing any other signs of stress and is eating then it would seem uou have a very lucky axolotl.

You may need to lower the level of water in the tank or get a mesh lid to prevent it doing this again.

If you are concerned about the wound you could fridge your axolotl and give it a Tea Bath

Could you post a photo?

It sounds like it may just be skin, keep a close eye on the wound and post any changes ortherwise fingers crossed it should just heal, after all it is a lucky one.

I cant seem to get a pic which shows it, but i'll keep trying for sure.

When i checked on her earlier the whole fluffy white piece had fallen off and was stuck in the filter, the wound now looks dark and it has white pieces forming over which i think are new skin. Fingers crossed and ill try my best to get a pic, its nasty looking

Thank you x

srwatton said:

turns out theres a small hole where the filter wire feeds through and she got out through that. We've know covered those and lowered the water just in case. Better safe then sorry.

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I had a coastal giant (neonate) get out the same way! Luckly my boss came to work that day (he wasn't supposed to and it was my day off) and found him on the floor. He's fine now, but its amazing how tricky these little guys can be!

Hope she is ok!!!

Skyfall said:

I had a coastal giant (neonate) get out the same way! Luckly my boss came to work that day (he wasn't supposed to and it was my day off) and found him on the floor. He's fine now, but its amazing how tricky these little guys can be!

Hope she is ok!!!

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They sure are lol, and its such a shock to find them on the floor!

Thanks =] Im hopeful right now x

Hi Sarah,

I received your message. The others have all provided sound advice. Fridging, optimal water parameters and nutrition are the panacea for many illnesses.

Based on the photo, the axie actually appears rather resilient and is feeding properly. That is a positive sign. I can see the wound on the abodominal region.

Axolotls have great regenerative abilities so that on its own gives a better prognosis. Any trauma or injuries to organs as a result of the fall can recover quite uneventfully provided you give it ample support through clean cool environment and good nutrition.

I suspect that the wound on the belly is essentially a bruise that involved the connective tissues in the region. The belly is the most dependent part of the axie's body. It hangs down when the axie is on all fours. Hence, blood pooling tends to occur quite dramatically from bruises sustained through this area. On the abdominal mid line, is a connective tissue called the linea alba. This tissue can split and give way when there is physical trauma. The skin is also stretched and 'torn' when the axie gets dessicated. The skin loses its integrity when the axie dries out. These account for why there seems to be a wedge shaped split/wound on the belly.

Most importantly, monitor that your axie is feeding and behaving normally without other signs of illness or stress. If there are signs of deterioration, you would need to make a vet appointment.

Cheers.

Hi I'm new to the forum but please excuse my laugh it is not in anyway meant toward the jump your axolotl took in fact I can relate! I am also glad to hear your guy is alright! It's been a good 3 years since I have housed an axolotl and I am looking to getting one back in the house as soon as I find someone with one that needs housing I just have to share my past experience with my favorite axie "Flip" that I had for about 10+ years. I used to pack the whole axolotl gang up in pet carrier containers to go camping in our travel trailer for the weekend with my family actually my mom was really sick of me packing up my critters and said I wish you liked dolls LOL so anyway I had them all packed and ready to go well I'd take the tops off sometimes I felt they got more oxygen...hey I was young and only had 1 book on them. So we went out to dinner and came back and I went to check on "Flip" I couldn't find him anywhere! I made my mom help me look and then my stepfather also I don't know what made us do it but we pulled the curtain in the bathroom only to find flip in the tub! by the damp drain! I'll tell you I have no idea how he got himself in there but he did and to this day I know they are smarter than we think. I hope my silly true story helps lighten the thread a bit. Flip took a day out of the water one other time also and your story sounds super familiar hair and all...I can't say it'll turn out ok but I can tell you they are very hardy in making recovery's in my experience and wish you the best!

Thank you very much Dark, i appreciate your reply alot =] Ill do what you've said.

Thanks again!! x

Well done Ray & good luck Sarah hope all goes well & your Axie has a speedy recovery.