Axel won't eat :(

[rachellag]

Axel (yes, that's his name), hasn't eaten for 5 days now. I got him three weeks ago, and he's been eating every other day since (frozen whole fish). Now he has stopped and is looking thin, almost shriveled looking around the rib area, and doesn't move around as much as he used to. I am quite concerned. My other axolotl which I got at the same time, is happily eating and active, so I would expect the water quality (professionally checked every week) and diet to be suitable. What do I do with little Axel? I can't imagine any vets around my area being experienced with axolotls.

 

[Jennewt]

It may be necessary to separate Axel from the other(s). And try other foods.

Sorry this post went unanswered for 1 week. Please reply (so we know you didn't give up and go away) if you would like further assistance.

 

[Darkmaverick]

I would recommend you try other food types. Frozen white fish is definitely not suitable as a main staple for your axies. Try earthworms and blackworms. See if their appetite improves.

 

[rachellag]

I was a bit disappointed when no one answered. It has now been 4 weeks, and all I've managed to get him to eat is a bit of prawn once. I will try the worms next. I am quite worried. I also discovered that the nitrite levels in the tank are quite high, and even with 50% water changes every other day, I am struggling to get the tank cycling. The other axolotl in there is eating consistently, but his gills started losing their feathers, so I stopped feeding him for a week to see if I could lower the nitrite levels. They have lowered a bit, but are still quite high. I just added another filter in case the one I had wasn't doing the trick. So now the question is, is my little Axolotol not eating because the water isn't right, or is there another problem? I did see him trying to cough something up weeks ago, but haven't seen that since. Oh dear!

 

[Darkmaverick]

Yes water quality problems can lead to inappetance. It is a good strategy to regularly test your water and perform small regular water changes to manage this problem. Ensure that uneaten food and detritus are promptly removed. Also check that the temperature and water currents are not excessive.

 

[rachellag]

The saga continues. I bought earthworms and he has no interest whatsoever. I now noticed that his leg looks injured and from underneath it looks as if there is internal bleeding along his elbow joint. I don't think the other one bit him, as he is much bigger, and probably would have taken his arm clear off if he did. Not sure what happened. Not sure what to do from here. It has been a month now on next to no food. He still swims around (though not as much as he used to) and looks alright, a bit on the small side. I am concerned he is going to starve. Should I put him in the fridge? It doesn't seem like a nice place to live, but if it is the only choice....

 

[Greatwtehunter]

Can you describe your feeding routine; i.e. how long do you leave the food in there, do you walk away, stuff like that. Also, has the nitrite issue resolved itself?

 

[rachellag]

Long story. When I got the two of them (around 8 weeks ago), they were fed every other day and both ate happily. One stopped eating about four weeks ago, the other has continued to eat. They are hand fed, and no food is left behind in the tank. The big one eats immediately, little Axel refuses to eat, doesn't even attempt. I usually try persistently for a minute or so, from holding it idle to wiggling it. I've tried whole fish, prawns and now earthworms. I've reduced the feedings to twice a week, never leaving food in the tank. I have the water checked once a week at the aquarium. Last week my nitrite levels were lower than the week before but still high. I've added another filter since, and changed half the tank water so will have to see during the weekend if it made a difference.

 

[Greatwtehunter]

I would try putting Axel in another container and leaving some worm pieces in there with him for an hour or two. It also may be time to start fridging him to slow down his metabolism until you can figure out what's causing the appetite loss.

 

[dipsydoodle]

I also think you need to leave food in longer (in a smaller tank).

Wiggling food for about a minute probably wouldn't do much; sometimes my newts aren't interested for a few minutes; I normally hand feed them a bit and then leave some in the tank (in a food bowl) for a while (just in case) and normally 95% of what I put in is eaten.

 

[rachellag]

Do you feed the axolotl when fridging them? If so, how much and how often?

 

[Greatwtehunter]

Axolotls will still eat when fridged just not as much nor as often.

 

[rachellag]

It has now been a week with Axel in the fridge. I am changing the water every night with dechlorinated, fridge temp water (5-7 degrees). I've offered him small pieces of whole fish, earthworms and bits of raw prawn, yet he still won't eat. It has been at least 6+ weeks that he hasn't eaten, though his size hasn't really diminished in the past few weeks like it did initially. Any help please. I am worried he'll starve to death. On a positive note, his gills which were rather stumpy when I got him have started growing back.

 

[rachellag]

Here are some pics I took of him. If you can see, when he turns his body to the left there seems to be a protrusion from his side. Need to worry or just paranoia setting in?

 

[Darkmaverick]

Persist with offering food. Try blackworms as well. Don't worry too much about it not eating as much. The fact the size remains quite similar is simply because the energy and nutrition expenditure has diminished considerably as well. This is to be expected and is normal.

Your axie is on the mend. Regenerated gills indicate that the body is healing.

The protrusion could be impacted material in the gut. Have you seen its size or position change? Sometimes they will be passed out in due course. Best to just monitor for now. With some impaction, the gut may be 'blocked' such that ingested food cannot be properly digested. Some axies will go inappetant because it knows anything it consumes could end up decomposing in the gut instead. Monitor the 'protrusion' for another week or two and observe if it shifts position. If it does, there is a good chance it will be passed out.

 

[rachellag]

Can I leave the live blackworms in the tank with him in the fridge overnight? As they are live, I assume you don't have the complications that arise from decomposing uneaten food, or is this the wrong assumption?

 

[Darkmaverick]

Yeps you can leave a small clump of blackworms in the tub with the axie.

 

[rachellag]

Persist with offering food. Try blackworms as well. Don't worry too much about it not eating as much. The fact the size remains quite similar is simply because the energy and nutrition expenditure has diminished considerably as well. This is to be expected and is normal.

Your axie is on the mend. Regenerated gills indicate that the body is healing.

The protrusion could be impacted material in the gut. Have you seen its size or position change? Sometimes they will be passed out in due course. Best to just monitor for now. With some impaction, the gut may be 'blocked' such that ingested food cannot be properly digested. Some axies will go inappetant because it knows anything it consumes could end up decomposing in the gut instead. Monitor the 'protrusion' for another week or two and observe if it shifts position. If it does, there is a good chance it will be passed out.

It has now been a month with Axel in the fridge and though the protrusion in his side is not as apparent, he still has seemingly no appetite. I leave some bloodworms in the tub with him overnight, and though I think he may eat one or two, they are all usually there the next morning. What to do now? Persist with the fridging? Take him out and see if the increased temp helps stimulate his appetite? There has been a bit of what I think to be poo in the tub (cream mucus looking matter), but perhaps I am foolish in expecting a piece of gravel to be sitting there (which is what I think he may have eaten in the first place) when I open the tub every night. He looks healthy but won't eat. What could possibly be wrong????

 

[Darkmaverick]

Yes the light brown mucus like material could be poo. The intestines still constantly shed cells so even an inappetant axie would always have something to pass out.

if the axie looks healthy otherwise, it is ok to transfer it back to your main tank if you can keep the tank cool. The higher temperature would stimulate appetite.

There may not be gravel impaction, so i would not be specially looking out for passed out gravel. Instead i would be focussed on if the axie is healing/regenerating well.

Did you try live blackworms or just frozen bloodworms. I find that the vast majority of axies really love live blackworms and it should be able to tempt most axies into eating some.

 

[callina]

Hi,

I don´t know if it´s available in australia, but if you can get some freshwater shrimps (gammarus pulex) (alive not frosted), that would be an attempt to stimulate his appetite.

-Tina-