Illness/Sickness: Cloaca repeatedly swelling and not eating

Okay, yes, Sphynx has had a swollen cloaca before. However, is it normal to be recurring? Sphynx is a 16 mo. old wildtype male. His cloaca swells to the point it elevates his legs and then returns to normal size within 24 hours. This has been going on since my first post. He does not seem bothered by this and up until 9 days ago was eating normally. Since then, he has only eaten a few pellets on two occasions. He refuses everything else and even turns the other way if I approach him with anything on the forceps (my method for feeding him live/frozen). I have tried to feed him shrimp, scallops, earthworms, red wigglers, and frozen bloodworms. He has also become shy and reclusive, very unlike him who usually explores the entire perimeter of his (120cm long) tank every morning.

I had an ammonia issue (.25) that has been resolved, it is now 0. Since I got the ammonia to 0, his tankmate, Nefertiti (16 mo. old golden albino female), is eating everything in sight and is active. She acts like she can't get enough to eat but her weight is normal (body is the width of her head). Their temp hangs around 18, nitrates 10, nitrites 0. Nothing has been changed in their tank other than the ammonia level.

What to do about Sphynx? Is the cloaca swelling a concern? What can I do to get my guy eating again?

Thanks in advance to all who respond.

I´d guess it´s normal sexual development. The cloaca swells temporarily when spermatophores are being produced. The changes can be surprisingly fast and in a matter of minutes it can go from heavily swollen to almost deflated.
Some males stop eating temporarily when in breeding condition, so that may be the cause of his loss of appetite.

A picture would certainly help.

Also, neither shrimp(marine species) nor scallops are suitable food for your axolotls. I would recommend to not offer them anymore.

Thanks Azhael. When should I become concerned?

The shrimp and scallops were offered to entice a feeding response and are not staples in their diets. The duo are fed earthworms, pellets, and red wigglers (if no earthworms avail).

They were exhibiting mating behaviors 2 weeks ago, but nothing since then other than his swelling.

So, what can I do for him? He needs to eat, how do I get him back to his normal self?

As long as he has a good wody weight i would not worry. My older T.dobrogicus male usually stops eating during the colder period when he is in breeding mode, and he might not eat for 3-4 weeks. No ill effects.

I can´t really tell by the picture, it shows up too dark in this computer, but maybe the cloaca is too swollen? Have you ruled out prolapse? Just to eliminate the possibility.

Sorry about the dark photo. Could it be a prolapse if it goes back down on its own?

He has returned to normal size again as of now. There is no discoloration - no redness. He is out a little more this afternoon which enabled me to get the pic but he only took one pellet - subsequently spat out all others after that one. ??

How long have you owned Sphynx?

Hi Bellabelloo,

I have had Sphynx and Nefertiti for a little over a month now. What do you think his issue is?

I am not sure to be honest, it may be as Azhael suggests a sign of his maturity. I was wondering if he may be trying to pass something, would you know what the substrate was that the previous owner kept him on?

She had them on sand. I am considering changing to that myself. He has eaten a few pellets today but wants nothing to do with earthworms or the wigglers. Have any of yours ever had this swelling issue?

Not that I have noticed. I only keep males now, so I am not sure if that makes any difference.

Thanks, Bella and Azhael for your input. Guess if I don't hear otherwise, I will keep him under observation and hope this passes quickly, whatever it is. Hopefully axolotl puberty does not last as long as the human form!

If anyone has any different ideas, please feel free to post! Thank you!

Hi Dragonlady,

I agree. His cloaca looks like mating and during the breeding session males often don´t eat. But there´s nothing to worry about. Axies can live without food for many weeks and if he get´s hungry, he will eat. I´m quite sure, Sphinx is feeling good.

LG Tina

Thanks, Callina. I will keep an eye on him, thanks for your input!

Have you noticed any spermatophores in the tank?
My males cloaca went very swollen and seemed to seperate to either side recently only for a short while.
But there was a lot of spermatophores around at the same time.
10 mins later he looked normal again.

He's dropped about 8-9 overnight last night.

Mel

Hi Mel,
I have been looking but have not seen any, but I have large pond rocks in my tank that may make it hard for me to see them. I read somewhere that he could have the swelling before he is capable of dropping the spermatophores, right? He does return to normal size so something must be happening.

He is being more active today so hopefully, something positive is happening. Does yours stop eating during this time too? Sphynx is not looking skinny but his appetite is nearly non-existent. Thanks for your input!

To be honest mine rarely eat.
They are just over one and i feed them probably once a week.
And they seem to be on the slightly chubby side of healthy.
The male dropping all the man stuff is slightly thinner than the other two, but i dont think he would refuse food if offered.

Does it look like the cloaca opens up outwards to either side?

It was the first time i caught him in action and i panicked thinking it was a prolapse!

Mel

Actually, I have a post about that opening that's 3 weeks old now. It scared me half to death! - That's why I posted! I never saw any "man stuff" then either. I did see what appeared to be two strings (?!?) hanging from the opening then but have not seen that since. I was not here to observe him all day today so I don't know if he had the swelling or not. Right now he is "normal" and is out and about (more so than he has been for over a week!) Nefertiti, his female tankmate, is quite chunky and eats everything in sight! However, she has not laid any eggs so far. As long as this is a normal occurrence and his appetite is within the norm too, I'm happy - eggs are not a goal and had actually asked for 2 males, but my gold was later determined to be a female by Callina so it is what it is!

Thanks, Mel - I welcome any and all input so I can provide my guys the best of the best!

Based on your description i´d say you have absolutely nothing to worry about. Keep an eye on him just in case, but as long as he maintains a decent weight and is active, it´s just a matter of time that he gets his appetite back. Once he does, make sure to offer good nutritious worms so that he gets what he needs.

Thank you again, Azhael! I do feel better about this situation and will be watching him closely. I will happily feed him as many worms as he wants once he starts eating again!

I became so concerned about his not eating because his previous owner had told me that he was a voracious eater. He has eaten pretty well for me until about 10 days ago, but all this makes sense since he is "in the mood."

Thanks everyone for your help!