Illness/Sickness: Advice for sick axie would be welcome please

[debhoo]

Hi

we have a seven year old axie, about 6 weeks ago he went off his food, we tried daily feeds etc but he took the food and then spat it out, his frilly bits on his gills deterioated to near bare, water has been tested at pet shop for everything and all levels are fine, nothing new introduced to tank same base of large smooth stones with a good filter system appropriate to tank size, temperature may have been higher than normal due to summer, 2 weeks ago we popped him in the fridge as he started floating and gulping at the surface for air and was very distressed circling around and bashing against the walls of the tank, we did a week of 2 x day salt baths then 3 days daily salt baths as per instructions on the site, put him back in tank after letting him warm up, still floating and gulping so we put him back in fridge, he looks a little swollen with back legs up a little whilst in shallow water in fridge, hasnt eaten for 4 weeks, only did one tiny poo whilst in fridge 2 weeks ago, i really dont know what to do, vets are 50 miles away so not good for travelling, how long can he be kept in the fridge not eating? can he breathe in his tank without the frilly gill bit on his gills ( they do seem to be sprouting a little since being in the fridge)

any advice would be welcome,

thanks
deb

 

[PatchworkClocks]

Sounds like he's constipated, for one. Do you know what the pet shop used to check the water parameters with? That doesn't sound quite right for his gills to be falling apart if the stats came back normal... His gills are deteriorating because there isn't enough oxygen in the water, so he's resorted to gulping air from the surface. Get an air stone or a tank bubbler if you can. Do you know how high the temperature got during summer? Colder water has more oxygen than warm water, so that may also be why. For now, keep trying to feed him. Try feeding him with waxworms, minnows, or salmon pellets. Those are all a bit higher in fat content, which will help grease up his system so he can release whatever may be stuck in his bowels. Don't do anymore fridging or salt baths. Salt baths are only used when fungus is apparent, and fridging should really only be used as a very last resort. Keep him in a cooler area with ice bottles in the water.

 

[Bellabelloo]

Hi

Could you add some photo's of your axolotl and maybe the tank too? Photo's can be very helpful identifying possible problems.

What do you normally feed him?

 

[debhoo]

Thanks for the replies

he is now back in his tank and i have added some oxygenating tablets, there are oxygenating plants in to, ive also taken the lid off the tank for now, will get an airstone tomorrow, pets are us tested for ph, ammonia, oxygen, chlorine and nitrates-all were ok, he still isnt interested in eating , im going to try the minnows although he hasnt had them before, usually has liver, brine shrimp, bloodworms and heart, he has never liked pellets, he is looking fairly comfy but floating around tank top near the plants still taking gulps air fairly regularly, tank is around 17-20 degrees, i honestly dont know what it may have reached over the summer but his tank is in the coolest part of the house away from windows, its been the same set up since we had him and hes been ok until now,

does it usually take a little while after they have been in the fridge until they eat again?

thanks,
deb

 

[mewsie]

Hey Deb,

It could well have been that the temp in the tank shot up, it has been pretty warm this summer.

I know that oxygen saturation is better in cool water - may be that the gulping for air was due to warm water.

Might be a suck-eggs type question but are you correctly dechlorinating your water before it goes in the tank? Chlorine and associated gubbins they put in the water could have irritated or damaged his gills and skin.

Photos are one of the most helpful pieces of information you can give us at this point. Some of the tank as a whole and some of your axie.

Re: food, the best, all round nutritionally balanced food for axolotls is earthworms from a safe source (no pesticides etc). Although the variety your axies is getting is good - earthworms should be his staple diet.

On the note of an airstone - it's worth grabbing a little clamp to bring the flow down, full flow could be quite stressful for your axie - a nice trickle is enough

 

[debhoo]

Thanks

yes i always use the water safe treatment before its added , never fed earthworms so i will have a go, should hopefully get some pics to post up , i'm wondering if he may be older than i think as i've just been reading about skin pigmentation increasing as they age and he has quite a lot of white skin pigments now (he always had some but now he has a lot more especially on his head), he is a dark spotty type, quite feisty to,
its fingers crossed as i dont like seeing him this way

deb

 

[Bellabelloo]

With regards to the minnows, these should be quarantined for a good month before you offer them to your axolotl.
Do try some live earthworms, hopefully them wriggling around will tempt him to eat I feed mine worms that are about 2-3 inches long, if bigger you may need to cut them smaller.

 

[xxianxx]

The floating is probably a response to the high temps we had over the summer. Why were you salt bathing ? Was there any fungus ? The axolotl will beable to breathe fine with no frilly bits on the gills, it will gulp air if necessary.

 

[debhoo]

thanks for the replies, he is looking a little bit brighter today,less floating and has some live bloodworms and feeder shrimp in the teank now that he has started to look a little interested in, i havent seen him eat yet though but will try hand feeding again tomorrow as he refused to feed from me today,

deb

 

[PatchworkClocks]

Do you feed him with tongs or do you actually feed him from your hand? I know of some axolotls that are afraid of tongs, and even some that are afraid of their owner's hands. If you're feeding by hand, try tongs or a food dish, or vice versa.