Sick mudpuppy????

Hi, I'm new to the site and I have a urgent question about my mud puppy. I got him in April and he had a rough go at life before someone gave him to me. He has a small cut on his chin and that doesn't seem to be getting any better, but now he also has some weird opaque spots of slimy fungus on his face??? Maybe??? I'll try to get a picture but he only comes out after I put food in or if I happen to walk into his room at the right tome.
He is eating really well though, and I was thinking if he was sick he wouldn't eat???

I'm in the process of preparing a larger tank to move him to because I think he'll be happier, but I dont want to move him if he needs treatment.

I will try to get pictures up asap!!!!
Please please please help, I love him very much ))

Thank you
LMN

I've only got experience with axolotls but I imagine fixes will be pretty similar with mudpuppies so I can try and help. I'll wait for pictures but what temperatures is he kept at? And do you have the water parameters?

Hello, thank you so much for replying!!!
I'm at work currently so I cant get a picture yet but I can kind of answer the water question.

Last I checked everything about the water seemed normal (according to fresh water fish standards, I used one of those test strips) except the nitrates. I have been having issues with those. In order to deal with that though I have recently bought a 40gallon tank (a girl I know with a few axolotls said that might help).

I dont currently have a thermometer in the tank, but he is in the coldest place in my house which is the basement. Its seems cool??? I can get a temperature tonight.

I'm starting to think I need to do a salt bath... I really dont want to though, but from all I have read it is looking like the right move.

I did just find an article about cool treatments, but I need to read it.

Thank you again for your help!
LMN

Here is the photo! Or at least I attempted to add a photo! There seems to be less than yesterday, but the bit on the tip of his nose will not go away. possibly molting????

Hopefully you can see the picture, I got him to come out with some food!!! hungry little creature.

Another question, do you see any issue of feeding him rosy red minnows? A girl at a specialty fish store said rosy reds release some kind of waste and it starts with a TH, but she didn't know the word... She just said it is harmful. Would guppies be a better alternative? I am looking to breed my own feeder fish for him, he responds much better to minnows than worms.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
LMN

lmn1278 said:

Here is the photo! Or at least I attempted to add a photo! There seems to be less than yesterday, but the bit on the tip of his nose will not go away. possibly molting????



Hopefully you can see the picture, I got him to come out with some food!!! hungry little creature.



Another question, do you see any issue of feeding him rosy red minnows? A girl at a specialty fish store said rosy reds release some kind of waste and it starts with a TH, but she didn't know the word... She just said it is harmful. Would guppies be a better alternative? I am looking to breed my own feeder fish for him, he responds much better to minnows than worms.



Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

LMN

Click to expand...

Rosys and goldfish feeders are bad. Guppies are okay as long as you quarantine them for 30 days before feeding to your axie to be sure they aren’t ill. Your guy looks terribly stressed with how extreme his gills are curled in. Do NOT do a salt bath! Those should really only be done for fungal infections. He’s stressed. Do a large water change ASAP. I’m going to say it’s a quality issue. Treat with Prime tap water conditioner. Also, I hate to be “that guy,” but you are keeping him on small gravel stones.... ?

GemCityAxolotls said:

Rosys and goldfish feeders are bad. Guppies are okay as long as you quarantine them for 30 days before feeding to your axie to be sure they aren’t ill. Your guy looks terribly stressed with how extreme his gills are curled in. Do NOT do a salt bath! Those should really only be done for fungal infections. He’s stressed. Do a large water change ASAP. I’m going to say it’s a quality issue. Treat with Prime tap water conditioner. Also, I hate to be “that guy,” but you are keeping him on small gravel stones.... ?

Click to expand...

Thank you for the info!!! And you are not being "that guy", you are helping me out!

He is not an axolotl and there is not a lot of information on what kind of substrate mudpuppies need. (Any information I find about mudpuppies, the people say to feed them goldfish, which I know is wrong. I also tried to find some scientific papers, but had no luck)

I guess since he uses negative pressure to feed I was worried about him ingesting sand. I did have him with no substrate right when I received him, but his water became murky even with daily cleaning of waste. I am going to try to move him to a 40 gallon as soon as I get the water cycled, but I need to find a table that can support the weight before I make any major moves.

What substrate would you suggest and would you recommend I go back to feeding him worms? He does each worms, but even when I cut them into pieces he sometimes spits them out. Night crawlers or red worms???

Hope to hear from you again soon!
Thank you
LMN

And about his gills. Sometimes they are really fluffy, especially when he is hunting minnows (like in the attached picture). Other times they are kind of curly (like the previously posted picture). I do agree with the idea that he is probably stressed (due to the substrate and cage size), but is it possible that the differences in gill appearance are due to whether or not he is active or not active? if there is no need for an increase in oxygen then why fluff up the gills? I don't know, I may be thinking too much about my classes at school.

I honestly have no clue. I have tried to research the changing appearance of mud puppy gills, but have found nothing...

Also taking suggestions on how I should set up his new tank! Its 40 gallons so lots of space for the cutie!

Thank you
LMN