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Illness/Sickness: Very ill and skinny Axolotl

AxieMum

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My leucistic axolotl is very ill. He hasn't been eating well for a long time and now his previously pink gills have gone a grey/blue colour. I think I can also see his arteries at the top of his head (little blue lines). He does eat a very small amount when I hold it in front of his face, but nothing close to what the others eat and he is very very skinny. Apart from that I can't really see anything else wrong from him. I have attached a picture of him compared to his golden albino Brother, they used to be exactly the same size as eachother.... :(
 

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Bellabelloo

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He does look rather slim. What do you feed them and how often? Is it possible that the other axolotl are getting to the food first? I wonder if it might be worth separating him from the others for a while, maybe offer earthworms daily and see how he gets on.
 

AxieMum

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I feed them bloodworm and cockles, I have also just bought some Daphnia and Brine shrimp although I haven't tried this yet. I hand feed each of them as I find when I just drop food in they miss it! I feed them about one block of frozen food each, or 2-3 cockles, every other day. The others gobble it out of my hand but he just turns away. I'll try earthworms, but he used to be just as greedy as the others :-(
 

Chirple

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They do not look like full adults ? Have you tried feeding them both daily ? The golden looks pretty skinny, too, from what I can see, I would try to fatten them both up a bit.

I would suggest to try earthworms, too. Or blackworms. I think my axolotl is a similar size and eats quite a lot every day. :)

How long have you had them ? Do you know what they were being fed when you got them ? Do you know your tank temperature / water conditions ?

You could also try carnivore / massivore pellets by Hikari.
 

AxieMum

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I've had them both about 7 months. I haven't tried feeding them daily as I was told not to, but I will try now! They were being fed cockles when I got them. I've tried feeding Romeo every day but he won't take food at all now. I'm afraid I don't know the water parameters as my testing kit got lost when I moved house, but the parameters were fine when I last checked; I also don't know the temperature other than it is very cold! They're out of the sunlight and the current temperature outside is around -1 (30F), so the water can't be much warmer than 10-15 degrees.
I will buy some worms and a testing kit today; I always thought they were a little on the small side; my other axolotls are also small but seem otherwise healthy; is it something that I'm doing that keeps them so small?
 

My Lottie

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Hi there...:happy: Try them on earthworms, as your other reply said... and daily ... also you can try feeding axie pellets from a small dish (I got a little reptile dish about 4 x 3" (11x9cm) from the pet shop ! Looks like a rock and fits in really well !!.... Have sent you some pics...:p Best of luck :happy:
 

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jinian

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He does seem thin, and it's worrisome that he's not eating. My axolotl seems less interested in food now that his water is colder, but he still eats a little every day or two, and he took a whole worm yesterday. In your place I'd try a few different foods to pique his interest, and offer them twice a day. Lots of axies really like live food, so that might help.

I've always fed my juvenile as much as he wanted to eat, one or even twice a day, and he's been a healthy weight, regenerated limbs, and grown nicely. What I hear people saying is to feed them only every 2-3 days once they're fully grown. Maybe yours are healthy but don't have a lot of energy to grow quickly because they're fed less?
 

Chirple

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I've been thinking about cockles as axolotl food, and I'm still not sure about them. They're a salt-water clam and not something an axolotl would normally have in its diet - like beef heart.

Without knowing more about them and their nutritional value vs. axolotl needs, I would say that perhaps fine as a treat, but I have doubts as to them being a staple diet for axolotls.

I think earthworms or blackworms are a safer bet, and wiggly live food is going to attract their attention.
 

AxieMum

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Oh, I like the rock-looking dish! My axies have never been smart enough to eat something that's not hand fed though, the moment it touches the ground they won't touch it!!


Where do I get axolotl pellets?
 

Grete

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I've been thinking about cockles as axolotl food, and I'm still not sure about them. They're a salt-water clam and not something an axolotl would normally have in its diet - like beef heart.

Without knowing more about them and their nutritional value vs. axolotl needs, I would say that perhaps fine as a treat, but I have doubts as to them being a staple diet for axolotls.

I think earthworms or blackworms are a safer bet, and wiggly live food is going to attract their attention.

I was thinking the same thing. It's not as though axolotl's are saltwater amphibians, their digestive tract probably wouldn't be use to the chemical makeup of clams. When one of my females was looking skinny, I fridged her & hand/forcep fed her dew worms. She bounced back in no time.
 

PAWS

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Hi,

I can only say what worked for me. Earthworms! I feed mine some direct from hand / forceps and some just left on the bottom that they can munch when they feel comfortable. Somewhere on the forum there is a list of foods and nutritional values and earthworms comes out top all round food by far.

I'll try and find it tomorrow when I get back from work (unless someone beats me to the link - please feel free).

So I do earthworms for 85% of feeding, then vary with prawn, chicken breast, pellet, bloodworm or other "treats" to avoid the "same old, same old". Its just possible he /she has got bored and needs a change. (I'm luck - i have kids who like to participate in the ritual!)

Please do let us know how you get on!

PS - one last thing - how are the oxygen levels? I read somewhere that poor oxygen levels can lead to capillaries showing up under the skin and lower appetites (body working harder just to process oxygen) - just a thought as the other axi looks a tiny bit light
 

My Lottie

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Hi Axies mum...:cool: Pellets you get from the pet shop, and they are specifically for Axies !! :p I started Lottie on them by just dropping onto her nose, then I put maybe 6-7 in her dish, and you can see by the pic, she literally "shovels" them up !... and NO mess !!;) (she was 4yr old when she learnt!!)
If they dont eat them in 2 days...remove them and start again. Believe me... the axies will find the pellets in the dish, as they spend "Secret" time scouting their tank, when you're NOT looking !!:D :ha:

Paws (previous post) has given you a great selection of food choices, but also a tiny sliver off your beef ( 1/2 a worm size), they will love once in a while! ;) Watch your fingers...... I often put the second 1/2 of a worm I have fed, in the dish, and that diasppears too !
Cheers, Lottie's mum:happy:
 

AxieMum

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Thanks for the help everyone, but Romeo sadly passed away yesterday; I am heartbroken. I got worms and axolotl pellets and I couldn't get him to eat anything. Then yesterday he started having little fits and at the end of each fit he'd end up sideways on the bottom of the tank. I put him in the fridge in a last ditch attempt to save him but he's now upside down on the bottom with his mouth open. :-(

Thank you for all your efforts, hopefully Romeo will be the last fatality/
 
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