Photo: Injured Axie! Please Help

[blackstar]

I came home today from running a few errands to see that my axolotl had a huge chunk of skin dangling as he crawled around the tank. One of the trees (piece of driftwood) was also knocked over, which had never been knocked over before. (He is the only axolotl in the tank, no fish.)
Basically, it looks like something cut deep into the underside of his jaw but the chunk of skin is still hanging on. It's very red now with visible broken blood vessels. However his gills were not red or curled to indicate stress so I'm guessing it happened a while before I actually got home. I suspect he got upset and swam frantically around his tank (I've seen him do this sometimes for seemingly no reason? I stock it with ghost shrimp for him to eat and it could have been that one excited him or something.) and ran into one of the tree's branches and cut himself.

What I need to know now is how to care for him, if there's anything I should be worried about, how he will heal, and how I can feed him. I tried feeding him some bloodworms earlier and he ate a little, barely opening his mouth, but I suspect it would be very painful for him to open his mouth very wide.

There are also no chemicals in my tank, it's been cycled for almost a year, crystal clear water, plenty of plants, kept at 60-64 degrees F, etc. I think the tank parameters should keep him comfortable but I am still really worried. He can regenerate this part of missing flesh, right? I assume the dangling chunk tissue will shed naturally as he heals.

 

[HayleyK]

Given good water parameters it should heal on it's own. "Crystal clear" water does not mean perfect water conditions. What are your ammonia, nitrites and nitrates? Frantically thrashing around the tank is usually from being spooked or bad water quality so if he is doing it for reason I would be a little worried. Also keep an eye out for fungus. You can add Indian almond leaves to the tank.

Keep offering food and if it is difficult for him to eat perhaps a trip to the vets.

 

[blackstar]

Thank you for your reply.
What will Indian almond leaves do? And where would I even go about getting something like that?

I'm not sure the levels, I'll have to do a water test in the morning though I've never had an issue with water quality before because I'm never adding anything to the tank and I clean it/do water changes regularly.
What kind of fungus should I watch out for (what would it look like?) and how can I decrease the chances of it developing fungus? That's what I'm most worried about honestly. What should I do if he does develop a fungus?
And any idea how long you think it could take to heal? I have no clue but I'm going to guess quite a few months since the gash looks so deep...

 

[HayleyK]

Indian almond leaves will release tannins (the brown-yellow color that comes out of tea) which is mildy anti fungal and heals soothe and heal the skin. It will turn your water brown but that's okay and will eventually be removed with water changes. You can buy them off ebay or a reputable aquarium/fish shop. If you can not find any you can use regular black tea.

Do you add dechlorinator? It's not the fact of the matter of adding chemicals - if there's not even beneficial bacteria the ammonia, nitrites and nitrates can spike. This can be caused by overload of ammonia source e.g left over food and poop causes ammonia source that the bacteria can not break down in time. Not enough water volume change/not as frequent, changing the filter media, substrate etc. or completely killing off the bacteria by washing it in untreated water.

Fungus looks like a white /fluffy cottony mass. Since she does have an open wound I would give her tea baths (1 cup of tea per 10L of treated water). If that does not work very well you can do salt baths but be mindful that salt in a cut is never fun, and won't be on an open axolotl wound too!

How quickly it takes to heal depends on their general health and water quality.

 

[blackstar]

I don't use dechlorinator because I use very heavily filtered water (what we drink from.)

By tea bath do you mean putting him in a bowl with the indian almond tea leaves? I've also got some colloidal silver that acts as anti-fungal and anti-bacterial, I could put him in a bath with a small amount of that to clean the wound (it's not painful on wounds at all.)
Update: He has barely moved since yesterday though and I feel worried about the stress of moving him to a large bowl for a bath.
When I present him with food he takes little bites rather than the big ones he's used to, but after that he won't attempt to eat anymore. It's like he forgets that it's painful to eat, so after one bit he is done and moves his head away from any food I hold in front of him. As of now I am just trying to feed him little pieces of worm and bloodworms in increments.
Thanks, I will diligently watch for fungus.

 

[HayleyK]

Heavily filtered and dechlorinated water is not the same. I still have to dechlorinate my water even though my water is still filtered and safe to drink.

You can add it straight to the tank, or in a tub/container that way it is more concentrated (obv. not more than 1 cup per 10L).

I would be against using colloidal silver as it is used for humans and I know it is absorbed very quickly. Axolotls absorb much more quickly since their skin is pretty permeable. Just stick to tea baths now.

 

[villasenor]

ICE HIM
As in put him in the fridge
That way, its metabolism is slowed/halted, it can flush out its body, and regenerate itself much faster!


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[mewsie]

ICE HIM
As in put him in the fridge
That way, its metabolism is slowed/halted, it can flush out its body, and regenerate itself much faster!

Please be careful using terms like 'Ice him'.
Remember that low temperatures also slow down the healing process.



Blackstar, Hayley is right that filtered and dechlorinated waters are not necessarily the same. You should always be using dechlorinator unless you know that your filter is removing chlorine and chloramines if your water contains them.

Never use ANY treatments unless you know they are safe and the correct dosage. I'm afraid I do not have an answer for you regarding colloidal silver and it's use with axolotls. I have heard of a silver-derivative cream being used on newts, but I could not tell you what it was or it's dose, or suitability for axolotls. Perhaps another member can help here.

Until then I suggest you be vigilant with water conditions and pay extremely close attention to your axolotls wound.

Any signs of worsening, fluffy or white fungus appearing, or distress in the animal, you should come back here with details and we can suggest further action.

Catappa or almond leaves are an excellent suggestion. All of my axolotl tanks have one in. They provide something similar to a mild tea bath.

Keep your axolotl calm. Removing him and messing about with various baths and treatments can often stress them out.

Cut up the earthworms into small chunks to make it easier for him to eat while he has a sore mouth. If he is still struggling with that, try defrosted bloodworm cubes but remember that uneaten food in a tank can foul the water quickly and you REALLY don't want that if your axie has a wound.

Beyond that, as i say, keep us updated with any changes and it's worth asking around for vets that wound see an axolotl now. You may never need to use their services, but it's a very good idea to be prepared.

And try and reorganise the tank to avoid any sharp edges or falling contents. I obsessively nudge at anything I put in the tanks to make sure they are very stable and aren't going to fall over. Axolotls sometimes pound around the tank and launch themselves under things in a tizz if something startles them - it's amazing what they can knock over if they barrel into it hard enough!