Illness/Sickness: Axolotl with a twitch?

My Female axolotl developed a twitch about a fortnight ago, that disappeared two days later. However over the last weekend it has returned sporadically, it looks like she has tourettes! I can't understand whats happened to her, I have tested the water's pH, Carbonate, General Hardness, Nitrite, Nitrate and chlorine and all are well within the healthy parameters. The tank was hot at 24°C when the problem first occured due to a hot spell however I gradually cooled it by using fans, ice bottles and water changes where possible. The tank is currently fluxuating between about 19°C after a water change / at night and creeps up to about 21°C throughout the day and she is showing none of the symptoms of heat stress. I have ploughed through google searches of all the axolotl illnesses and symptoms I can find and she shows none that I can recognise, she has also by no means lost her appetite and is otherwise behaving normally. When the "seizures" occur she appears very stressed, curling the end of her tail around and tilting her gills forwards. Her pigment changes from pale pink to an almost red colour. The seizures can last for days or minutes and seem to have no correlation to any of the factors I have described, nor do they seem triggered by changes in light intensity or due to being startled. I am very careful when introducing new plants or ornaments to the tank and sterilise items with boiling water where possible. I feed her on Earthworm pellets and never live food so although I have considered a parasitic infection I cannot think how it would have been introduced and there is no visible evidence to suggest this. I really don't know whats wrong with her so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and I will be happy to provide more information if necessary, I just want to see her well again.

YouTube - DSCI0046 - Here is a link to a video I managed to get of one of these seizures as I dont know how to effectively describe the problem. This is one of the more mild episodes.

Just after the second twitch your axolotl seems to flick his gill on its own so it touches where he twists his body in his twitches so he might be in pain or be irritated there.

If he was flicking it to breath he would of flicked both and the other didnt look as if it moved at all or this could just be a smaller twitch.

I will continue trawling the net for anything i can find.

I think I have found something of the same symptoms.

http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-beginner-newt-salamander-axolotl-help-topics/f48-axolotls-ambystoma-mexicanum/f57-axolotl-free-all/44829-twitching.html

The people here think its parasites or something in the water is causing skin irritation.

Have you put anything in the tank because pretty much all products for fish will irritate axolotl skin.

Also is there any special stuff in your filter meant for fish? There's a few things that you put in the filter for fish to be healthier that can be irritating and stressful for axolotls.

Edit: Did you test for ammonia?

"Just after the second twitch your axolotl seems to flick his gill on its own so it touches where he twists his body in his twitches so he might be in pain or be irritated there."

I didn't notice this myself however any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated! I did wonder if she had injured her gills or had a parasite there because the first episode was followed by her using her back leg to almost scratch at the area you mentioned, yet I saw no evidence to support this. As I say I still have little idea whats causing it, my only other thoughts seem unlikely although I had considered the possibility that she may have hit her head or injured herself during one of her weird and wonderful escapades. I'll continue to study her and the video for any more clues I can gather. Thank you for your help!

Hopefully someone who's seen this will pop up.
To me it looks liking a feeding mannerism gone bad. Something stuck in it's mouth or throat..... maybe a wound of some kind?

May i ask what are "Earthworm pellets"?

Are they pellets that taste like earthworms?

Are they solid or squishy?

How big are they?

When I originally tried to solve this problem I did look at this post myself actually. I cant say for sure but I think it unlikely it is parasitic. I haven't ever fed live food that could introduce a parasite and have only the one axolotl in my tank (no fellow axolotls or other aquatic creature). As I stated originally I carefully sterilize items before introducing them to the tank and no new items had been introduced to the tank prior to the seizures begining. I add no chemicals what so ever to my tank, I leave water overnight before adding it so I dont require dechlorinator as I know axolotls have very sensitive skin. There is nothing added to the water or the filter and I havent made any changes to her diet or anything I add to the tank since I first had her. I conducted tests for all the parameters I stated originally and assume (I may be right or wrong) that as all of these came back as safe that ammonia is unlikely to be the problem. This is even more unlikely given recent water changes is it not? I can't be sure ofc.

I would suspect that this is parasite related and treat it as such. I recently had a similar situation with my little gold. He would flick his gills, scratch them on one side, and sometimes take off sporadically around the tank immediately following. I gave him a salt bath and seemingly it all cleared up.

This is what worked for me, however, others may suggest to just fridge her for a day or two. I leave that decision up to you. If you attempt the salt bath and she has the symptoms again, I'd suggest progressing to the fridge. Salt bath and Fridging procedures.

Good luck with your little beauty!

Edit: In regards to leaving the water out overnight, please verify through your water company that chlorine is what is being used. If your water company uses chloramines - these will not evaporate. Also, if there are any metals present in your water system, only a dechlorinator will remove these as well. Ammonia can be present in tap water - It exists in mine for example.

I appreciate you taking all these precautions but nothing replaces the nutritional value of live nightcrawlers in an axolotl's diet. You can raise these yourself or get them from a local bait shop if you don't trust your own yard. Take care.

Shannon may i ask how to make your links not be a web address but instead text which is hyperlinked please?

And how did you get the axolotl in your avatars gills so big!

He/She looks beautiful.

I dont think the seizures are caused due to feeding however I agree that these twitches look identical to when she snaps to the side for her food. However the seizures occur with no relation to when she is fed and appear to happen completely randomly. The earthworm pellets are provided from the supplier of my axolotl, they are about 5mm long and are hard but become very soft when introduced to the water, they contain meat and animal derivatives, fish derivatives, cereals, derivatives of vegetable origin, oils and fats and minerals as well as antioxidants and vitamins C,B1 and A.

How long has your axolotl been eating these pellets?

Thanks for all your suggestions. I really cannot understand how a parasite could have been introduced into her tank, yet it is the only explanation that seems to crop up wherever I look. Its the complete randomness of these seizures which baffles me aka the two week gap between episodes. I am just really reluctant to put her in the fridge as I worry I'll do her more harm but if this continues I think it needs to be tried. I have had my water tested by an aquatics specialist who found no problem with it and have had no problems for the past year, but once again I appreciate your advice as I cannot be 100% certain. However I dont like feeding live food due to the risk of introducing parasites into the tank (ironic I know) and believe that the pellets are keeping my axolotl at a good weight and in good health without the associated risks of live food. Thank you once again, I will look into nightcrawlers but am reluctant to use them.

@Drew - Thank you but I don't want to hijack this thread so I will PM you about the hyperlink.

@EmJ - I don't think the seizures are related to food either. The parasite could have been introduced when your temp jumped to 24 as they exist in the environment despite our best efforts. Do you know the actual percentage of protein vs. fat in the pellets you are using? You could raise your own worms - they are pretty easy and the parasite worry would be at a minimum. An earthworm is about 62% protein if I remember correctly. Here is a link about nutritional values - Food Values

She has been eating these pellets as long as I have had her, and the aquatics specialist I bought her from also fed her on these pellets.

I find the best food for axolotl is earthworms from the garden as long as there are no pesticides or chemicals used you are safe.

My axolotls have been living for over a year fine on worms.

The pellets contain:
43% Protein
3% Fat
3% Fibre

"The Indiana University Axolotl Colony, when it still existed, fed its axolotls with high protein and vitamin fortified pellets designed for salmon (5 mm diameter for adults, 3 mm for younger axolotls). "

I believe the pellets to be a good food supply for her and therefore think I shall continue to feed them, as she has always had them and loves them. They also minimise problems with parasites and keeping the tank clean. If the behaviour continues I think a trip to the fridge will be required, a 24 hour spell to ***** the results and minimise stress? Thank you all for your suggestions thus far. Any further advice would be appreciated. Just to update the behaviour hasn't occured since yesterday evening so I shall continue to monitor the situation.

EmJ said:

"The Indiana University Axolotl Colony, when it still existed, fed its axolotls with high protein and vitamin fortified pellets designed for salmon (5 mm diameter for adults, 3 mm for younger axolotls). "

Click to expand...

Are you feeding Salmon Pellets? Some use them successfully... but Earthworms are better and there is no tangible risk of parasites. YMMV
One thing, if you feed pellets be sure to remove uneaten food and little bits of pellet they spit out while eating. Those things foul the water quickly.

EmJ said:

"The Indiana University Axolotl Colony, when it still existed

Click to expand...

They all died from pelletitus.




Just kidding!

They are very similar nutritionally to the salmon pellets yes. I drop the pellets directly to her so that none gets left at the bottom to foul the water. I use an aquarium vacuum to remove any small bits of waste left over from feeding.