Axolotl injures tail pretty bad

kiyokoandniko

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Hello everyone. I have two axolotls. One leucistic and one black melanoid. The baby has injured her tail pretty badly, it is hanging on by a string. I have no idea how this happened. I do not have anything in her enclosure that could injure her. What special care will she need ? I do not have any vets here that specialize in axolotls.
 
Posting a picture would be helpful!
If you keep animals together, they will frequently cannibalize or attempt to do so :( that may be what's happening here. Another potential cause is interactions with filter intakes or even interactions with the tank lid; juveniles can "hop" a surprising distance into the air when restless, and if they manage to get an extremity stuck in the gap between tank and lid this can cause major injury. (For this reason, you must ALWAYS lid your tanks.)

Axolotl are pro regenerators, however, their tail is arguably more important to their mobility than their limbs, and they are not as good at spinal cord regeneration as the rest.
If you can keep her on her own, in very good water conditions, with adequate food, and keep a stern eye out for signs of infection, she may recover. It's hard to say without a picture of the extent of damage how large the risk of complications is.
Good signs are the formation of a blastema/blastema-like regenerative surface along the wound (it will appear to have "sealed off", like there's a layer of gummy stuff over it) because this means normal regeneration has activated; it may take as much as a week to see for an extensive injury since there's so much surface to cover. If you have access to holtfreyer's solution or the ingredients to make it properly, it may help prevent infection; please look to a more experienced guide for how to do this, because I'm mostly parroting what I've been told on the topic.
 
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