Axolotl losing toes

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bhollow

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hello!! I'm running out of ideas on what to do for my axolotl. For the past week or so I've had her tubbed on and off because she seems stressed and is losing her toes every time I put her in the tank but I can't determine why. I've cleaned the sponges, tested the water multiple times, got a second opinion at the LFS about my water parameters. They're all good my current water parameters at ammonia: 0ppm nitrite: 0ppm and nitrates: 10ppm. The nitrates used to be higher (highest I showed was 50ppm?) but i've did multiple water changes til now trying to fix the water. When I got a second opinion at the LFS they notated the alkalinity was a bit low so I was wondering if this is related to "old tank syndrome" or is more of a "red leg" type thing? She's eating fine and is significantly less stressed when I tub her. I just can't figure out what to do about her tank. Her toes have like routinely started disintegrating, first one hand, then the other one and now all three limbs are missing toes and her last limb that has been unaffected til now is starting to look concerning. and it's ONLY her toes I have not seen any damage on her gills or body yet.
If you have any advice on what to do I'd appreciate it!
 

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wolfen said:
losing toes is normally a bacterial issue, may need to see a vet to find out which bacteria is causing the issue, also because antibiotics will be need a vet will be necessary.
when you do tub her use glass or ceramic so as not to make the issue worse.
info on toe loss/rot that matches the symptoms https://ambystoma.uky.edu/genetic-stock-center/newsletters/Older_archive/Issues-1-12/archive/Issue 9/12alico forbes.pdf
Click to expand...
okay thank you for the advice. so the only thing i can do is tub her and find a vet?
 
because it is likely bacterial antibiotics are going to be needed to stop the spread, also if you have any substrate it may need to be removed and boiled off to stop re-occurrences.
worse case would be having to sterilise and recycle tank although your vet would be able to better advise depending on bacteria found.
 
Also, you'll want to get a vet appointment ASAP because the faster you can start administering the antibiotics, the better chance you'll have of saving her life. Wolfen's advice about the substrate and the sterilization of the tank is also a good precautionary idea if necessary as it sounds like it may have come from the tank.

Hope she gets better soon. She looks beautiful otherwise!
 
I was able to get a exotic vet consultation and she recommended keeping her water at 40F-60F for a bit for healing and she should be good. she didn't seem to think antibiotics would ever be really necessary. i'm not sure how i feel about it but i'm gonna work on making her water colder to see how she does.
 
Colder temperatures will slow bacterial growth rate but I'm not sure if I trust that opinion either...
You might try tubbing her in water within that temp range for a while with a min. dosage of methylene blue.

Methylene blue is the only anti-bacterial agent that I know of which is safe for amphibians but use min. dosage.

I'd only recommend if what the vet says DOESN'T lead to improvement though.
 
Autistic Catholic said:
Colder temperatures will slow bacterial growth rate but I'm not sure if I trust that opinion either...
You might try tubbing her in water within that temp range for a while with a min. dosage of methylene blue.

Methylene blue is the only anti-bacterial agent that I know of which is safe for amphibians but use min. dosage.

I'd only recommend if what the vet says DOESN'T lead to improvement though.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice! I'll keep it in mind. I asked her what she recommended if her condition doesnt improve and she recommended fridging or salt baths but only if it gets worse. So far I'm just getting her water to the temp range recommended and I'm probably gonna remove the sand from her tank this weekend.
 
I work in food so all I can tell you is that scientifically speaking, only heat actually kills bacteria - cool temperatures just slow the growth. Hence, why I'm skeptical.

Though salt baths can be anti-bacterial too. Hopefully, she'll improve. :)
 
Autistic Catholic said:
I work in food so all I can tell you is that scientifically speaking, only heat actually kills bacteria - cool temperatures just slow the growth. Hence, why I'm skeptical.

Though salt baths can be anti-bacterial too. Hopefully, she'll improve. :)
Click to expand...
yeah that's true! she also figures that maybe the bacterial infection was caused by stress from when we had a heat wave. i kept her tank as cool as i could but it makes sense she might have been stressed still i just didn't think that would be related since that was several months ago at this point but apparently it could be? i'm not sure! she seems more energetic with the cooler water so far at least.
 
Likely. tropical fish are more susceptible to bacterial infections because bacteria flourishes at warmer temps and stress can weaken the immune system leading to susceptibility. Keeping her stress-free will aid her immune system so the vet is actually onto something which is why they're the expert and not I. So it's likely improving her happiness will help her fight the infection naturally.
 
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