Illness/Sickness: Axolotl Bleeding

[CJ1981]

A surprisingly long time! Alot depends on the individual so there is no hard and fast rule I'm sorry. Looking at your picture he (or she, there I go with my assumptions again!) doesn't look dangerously skinny just skinny so I wouldn't freak too much just yet.

 

[wolfsong442]

I like to assume it's a boy. I don't think it's big enough yet to sex, and when I got them, I was hoping they'd both be boys.

The albino axolotl went downhill much quicker though. He died within a week of not eating, so I was just worried. Can worms get 'old'? I don't know if it's an issue, but I've had these worms for a month or more. They're still alive, but I don't know.

I'll just get the frozen bloodworms tomorrow and hope I can get him to eat them. How do I feed frozen bloodworms? From what I understand you thaw them out in tank water in a separate container and squirt them onto a feeding plate. I don't have a feeding plate though.

 

[CJ1981]

If they are still alive they're probably ok. Are you feeding the worms? if so what on.

To feed frozen blood worms leave them to defrost on a small dish or in a bit of aquarium water. Once defrosted rinse them well, again with aquarium water, basically just suck them up in a turkey baster, tip put the remaining water away, squirt the worms back into the dish, squirt some fresh aquarium water over them and repeat a couple of times. As you have your little one in a tub with no substrate you don't need to worry too much about a feeding dish. They become more relevant when you have substrate.

Just a tip, mine only ever ate blood worms when I literally squirted them on their heads

 

[CJ1981]

Adding hot water is never recommended!!!
Hot water runs through copper pipes & often contains traces of copper - copper is very toxic to axolotls.

My advice would be go & buy a couple of buckets with lids so you can leave it sit to acclimatize before adding to your tank / container.

The container he's in need 100% water change urgently - NO HOT WATER ADDED!

Scrub out the small container every second day thoroughly with salt/Bicarb mix. Rinse well.






<3 >o_o< <3

In the UK cold water usually runs through copper pipes too, or lead if you have an older property.

 

[FX1C]

In the UK cold water usually runs through copper pipes too, or lead if you have an older property.

The heated water more easily leaches the copper from the pipes.

Quoting from the web....
How can I reduce my exposure to copper?
Copper works its way into the water by dissolving from copper pipes in the household plumbing. The longer the water has stood idle in the pipes, the more copper it is likely to have absorbed. (Newer homes with copper pipes may be more likely to have a problem. Over time, a coating forms on the inside of the pipes and can insulate the water from the copper in the pipes. In newer homes, this coating has not yet had a chance to develop.) Thus, anytime the water has not been used for more than six hours-overnight, for example, or during the day when people have been gone to work or school-it should be cleared from the pipes before being used for drinking or cooking.

This can be achieved by letting the cold water faucet run until you can feel the water getting colder-usually 30 to 60 seconds. This must be done before taking drinking water from any faucet in the house.

In addition, hot water dissolves copper more quickly than cold water; as a result, water to be used for drinking or cooking should not be drawn from the hot water tap. If you need hot water for cooking or drinking, take water from the cold tap and heat it. It is especially important not to use the hot water for making baby formula.




<3 >o_o< <3

 

[wolfsong442]

I try to feed him worms every day. I'll cut them up into little bits, then I use these giant tweezers I bought off the internet especially designed to feed reptiles and amphibians.

Sometimes I got the feeling it was hard for him, because when he'd snap at the food and not get it because I have to hold the tweezers tight to keep the food from just falling out, he'd give up. Now he isn't even snapping at them.

Okay. I'll try squirting the worms on his head. I got him to eat a worm the other day by dropping it on his head, but he spit it right back out.

 

[CJ1981]

The heated water more easily leaches the copper from the pipes.

Quoting from the web....
How can I reduce my exposure to copper?
Copper works its way into the water by dissolving from copper pipes in the household plumbing. The longer the water has stood idle in the pipes, the more copper it is likely to have absorbed. (Newer homes with copper pipes may be more likely to have a problem. Over time, a coating forms on the inside of the pipes and can insulate the water from the copper in the pipes. In newer homes, this coating has not yet had a chance to develop.) Thus, anytime the water has not been used for more than six hours-overnight, for example, or during the day when people have been gone to work or school-it should be cleared from the pipes before being used for drinking or cooking.

This can be achieved by letting the cold water faucet run until you can feel the water getting colder-usually 30 to 60 seconds. This must be done before taking drinking water from any faucet in the house.

In addition, hot water dissolves copper more quickly than cold water; as a result, water to be used for drinking or cooking should not be drawn from the hot water tap. If you need hot water for cooking or drinking, take water from the cold tap and heat it. It is especially important not to use the hot water for making baby formula.




<3 >o_o< <3

Am guessing the coating is limescale. Yucky either way

 

[CJ1981]

I try to feed him worms every day. I'll cut them up into little bits, then I use these giant tweezers I bought off the internet especially designed to feed reptiles and amphibians.

Sometimes I got the feeling it was hard for him, because when he'd snap at the food and not get it because I have to hold the tweezers tight to keep the food from just falling out, he'd give up. Now he isn't even snapping at them.

Okay. I'll try squirting the worms on his head. I got him to eat a worm the other day by dropping it on his head, but he spit it right back out.

Just keep perservering, he'll get there :blob:

 

[wolfsong442]

It makes me wonder that if I had been this diligent with the first one, he wouldn't have died.

The albino axolotl never looked as good as this guy though.

 

[CJ1981]

Don't beat yourself up, you've learnt from the experience and are on track to being an A star axie mama to a happy healthy lotl

 

[wolfsong442]

I squirted some blood worms in with him, and he isn't eating them. He snapped one or two up, but he doesn't look like he ate it. He might have.

Should I just leave the bloodworms in his container to see if he'll eat them, or clean the container out and try again later. I tried squirting them on his head and he just sat there >>

 

[CJ1981]

Clean the container and try again later.

He will eat when ready, a loss of appetite after alot of upheaveal is normal

 

[Mortimer]

My little guy won't eat sometimes unless the food is directly in front of his face...and held there. Practically touching his face. And then he just freezes for a minute before he sucks it all in. I dropped his food on his head once, and he just seemed oblivious and turned the other way....he's either got extremely bad vision or he's not the smartest.

Also, my worms don't last nearly a month. I'd be a little concerned about whether they're still good or not. I can tell when mine are ready to get rid of when they start getting paler.

 

[CJ1981]

.he's either got extremely bad vision or he's not the smartest.

Also, my worms don't last nearly a month. I'd be a little concerned about whether they're still good or not. I can tell when mine are ready to get rid of when they start getting paler.

Both!

If you feed worms they will last.

 

[wolfsong442]

I can buy him more worms over spring break.

But I just put a blood worm in front of his face and he took it.

He used to be a really voracious eater. Like, once, I pulled him out of the tank with the grip he had on the tongs. >>

One blood worm isn't enough though.

 

[wolfsong442]

Is there a strategy to make axolotls eat?

I can get him interested if I stick it in front of him and hold it and hold it and hold it.

Then he snaps at it once and swims away.

He used to come to the surface of the water for food. >>

edit: upon further consideration i came upon the point that he might be weak from not eating so it's probably best for me to be patient with him and try to get him to eat as many bloodworms as possible in this manner >>

 

[CJ1981]

Is there a strategy to make axolotls eat?

I can get him interested if I stick it in front of him and hold it and hold it and hold it.

Then he snaps at it once and swims away.

He used to come to the surface of the water for food. >>

edit: upon further consideration i came upon the point that he might be weak from not eating so it's probably best for me to be patient with him and try to get him to eat as many bloodworms as possible in this manner >>

They generally respond to movement so wiggle, wiggle and wiggle some more!

 

[wolfsong442]

I'm trying, I really am. I just can't seem to get him to eat and it's frustrating.

I just wish I has someone who lived close to me to help, because I'm just really freaking out because i can't get him to eat.

 

[snuggly time]

How long has it been now? Keep trying a couple of times a day. Hopefully he will be tempted eventually.

 

[wolfsong442]

four days ago i got him to eat one blood worm. the day after, i got him to eat another. he hasn't eaten anymore since. no matter how much i wiggle it in front of him, he isn't fazed. if i touch it to his nose too many times he just swims away, and he might eat it if i just sit there with it in front of him, but i don't have the patience to sit there all day waiting for him to take it.

i just don't understand what's wrong with him that he isn't eating. he's in clean, cool water. I've been changing the water every day. I just don't know. ;;