Illness/Sickness: Don't know

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gacksgirl

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:eek:hi i have 2 axolotl's (pink and prince)
i got prince about 2 weeks after pink
they have been together for like 2 months with no issues
but now pink is losing weight and is really skinny and has gone darker in color
and will only eat every few days i dont know what is wrong with him??????
can anyone help me
 
Re: Dont know

In order to answer your question we need to know:

Water Temperature:
Water Parameters:
Tank size:
Substrate:
Hides etc:
Has it been cycled:
How big are the axolotls:
A picture of the axies and the tank:
Axolotls diet:


You can copy and paste and put your answers in. This will help us figure out whats up with Pink :)

Blaze
 
Re: Dont know

Water Temperature: 17 degree
Water Parameters: 7.4 ph
Tank size: 60x30x40cm
Substrate: lrg rock
Hides etc: log plants
Has it been cycled: yes
How big are the axolotls: approx 15 cm
Axolotls diet: bloodworms,raw lean red meat,protine pellets (pink wont eat these)

prince is in the second photo he eats fine and is active

pink is really skinny and will only eat every few days
 

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Re: Dont know

I can spot the problem immedietly!

You will need to take both axolotls out and fridge them whilst you change that gravel to either a barebottomed tank or to childrens play sand rom Bunnings. I would say the reason that Pinks not eating is because hes so full of that gravel that they have accidentally gulped up.

Also whilst they are recovering in the fridge you should try offering a nice big juicy earthworm which you can get from your garden if it's pesticide free.

You will notice that in their container in the fridge they will be passing little pieces of gravel. These need to be removed immedietly.

Also looking at that tank, it looks a bit on the small side, maybe I am looking at it wrong?

Goodluck, let us know if you have any other questions,

Blaze :)
 
Re: Dont know

Yes that is a 60litre tank only really suitable for one axolotl.
 
Re: Dont know

I thought so Tom!

Would be good if you could upgrade to a 3foot.



Blaze
 
Re: Dont know

how do i go about fridgeing them is there a recomended container size?
 
Re: Dont know

well thats what i will do the tank is now bear bottomed only have a few really large rocks to hold down the plants as price likes to hide in them the rock are approx 6cm round so they cant get them in their mouth i hope they like there holiday in the fridge how long should i keep myboys there ?>
\
 
Re: Dont know

Good to hear someone taking on the advice and acting on it :)

They should be in there until they have passed the majority of the gravel then you can put them back in.

Your doing great!

Blaze
 
Re: Dont know

both my boys are now on holiday in my fridge and the tank is getting a make over im going to start it from scratch and mount the plants using sucktion caps so i can get rid of all rocks bar a few for prince to play with but thr rocks will be 2x bigger than his head

wish me luck
 
Re: Dont know

great to hear...........good luck.........make sure you post some photos of the finished project
 
Re: Dont know

I understand the allure of a bare bottomed tank due to the ease of keeping it clean.. but you won't get any cool footprints like Ted gets with Gomez! :D
 
Re: Dont know

I find Fred enjoys sand, even if it's just for his routine truffling.

He seems to walk around blowing the top coat of sand away looking for hidden worms, alot like pigs do for truffles.

It leaves cool blow / feet trails in the sand, which is also good for identifying where your axie likes to hang out.
 
Re: Dont know

I don't see where you have any parameter listing except for pH. Do you know what your parameters are for ammonia, nitrites, and/or nitrates? These other levels are very important as axolotls are very susceptible to ammonia. Pink may very well be feeling the effects of some level being off as well as having the gravel problem.

Thank you for getting rid of that gravel as Blaze recommended! Hope your guys do well on their holiday, but you may want to drop back on the use of the lean meat and increase the earthworms. If Pink is reluctant, you can try soaking the worm first to remove slime and cutting it into smaller pieces. If you are not already, you should be offering them food daily while in the fridge.

What type of protein pellets are you using?

Also, sand may be preferable to bare bottom as some axolotls don't like the slippery feel of a bare floor. They really are silly animals! I have one who digs out a corner just to lay in the hole! I fill it in and he digs it out again - same corner every time!

Best of luck and please keep us posted!
 
as im new to owning any pet im not sure how to check the other levels i found when i had the rocks in the tank both my boys would opt to climb on and around the large flat rocks but if they seem to dislike the bear bottom i will put sand in the tank pink refuses to eat anyhing but red meat he just walks away from it or spits it out and the protine pellets are axolotl discs i got from the pet shop pink has already passed 3 rocks prince has not passed any but he hand feeds and likes to climb plants pink ate yesterday and today and is looking a bit better he is even trying to headbutt my hand again wich he use to do when he is well so i am hopefull he is getting better

i have also added a second airator to the tank and now have a better filter system
i was thinking of putting prince back in the tank today as he has passed lots of poo and no rocks and then pink tomorrow

i am slightly worried that my 3 yr old will getinto the fridge to play with pink

i will post pics soon as my batterys im camara are flat
 
:pok guys first of all thank you to everyone who has helped me with my baby i give you all a thousand thanks .

pink is doing extreamly well he is eating again and looking way better he has even been moving the rocks in the tank into the corner.

prince is still being himself but not so happy that he cant move the palnts now hehe
as promised i will put up some photos of the finished project
but for some reason my computer wont upload them so i will try again tomorrow

AND AGAIN THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HELPING ME it may seem weird but i love these little guys so much and they are so good to talk to when im feeling down i dont know what i would of done with out your help xoxoxoxoox
 
aww so good to hear such a success story!! really made my night :)

Don't worry I spend 20mins with Sunny a day just talking to him!


Yes, pictures, we are a bit picture greedy here :)
 
gacksgirl said:
as im new to owning any pet im not sure how to check the other levels
Click to expand...

Hi,

The other levels - ammonia, nitrite/nitrate - are checked using the same sort of tests as what you use for pH. Make sure to use the drop type tests as the test strip type are not accurate. These tests are available online or should be at most pet shops. You can also get a Master Freshwater Test Kit that will have all these tests but can be a bit pricey. I have had axolotls to stop eating once when there was a 2 degree change in their tank and another when the ammonia level was only .25! So keeping track of all is pretty important. If something changes in their behavior, it can usually be traced back to a parameter being off somewhere.

So glad to hear everyone is doing better and of course as Blaze said, we love pictures out here! :D

@Blaze, only 20 minutes?! Mac and I have forsaken our families for our axolotls as we have chairs and snacks set up in front of ours! lol - take care! :p
 
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