atrophied gills ans swollen abdomen

[Mariedefloirac]

I adopted three axolotls named Chichi, Stella, and Krokmou, who are shown in the three photos. Chichi has gills that seem atrophied. Is this normal? Will it heal? Stella and Krokmou have quite swollen abdomens. Is this normal? What should I do?

 

[wolfen]

the gills will grow back over time provided water conditions are good (axolotls tend to regress their gills to protect themselves from harmful water conditions)
if your axolotls are female there is a chance they are gravid otherwise the bloating can be cause by anything from water absorption to bacterial or organ issues.

 

[Mariedefloirac]

Thank you for your reply.

These females have never been in contact with males, so if they are pregnant, it must be from unfertilized eggs. All three are kept in the same water conditions; only one has had atrophied gills since before their adoption in September, and the other two have always had bloated bellies. I had my water tested for nitrites, and it is fine.

 

[wolfen]

axolotls can become gravid without a male and will reabsorb the eggs, if the bloating has been ongoing for a while then other causes need to be looked into.
ammonia levels tend to be the main cause for gill regression although elevated nitrates could also cause regression, due to the toxicity of nitrites even at a low level other signs would be noticed before gill regression.
has there been any change in the appetite of your bloated axolotls? what are they fed and how often? what is the waters ph, kh, gh?