Illness/Sickness: Axolotl not moving after feeding!

Xoli

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Hi,
I've stated before that I am new to Axolotls, so everything is a mystery to me still. But right now I am really freaking out. I fed my Xoli some live bloodworms today and I think he took to many at once. He has been very lethargic since, but now he's just laying on his tummy flat, his little arms and legs just splayed to the sides. I am guessing this is not normal (though I hope he's just trying to relax and digest??) Should I be worried, should I fridge!?
 
My suggestion: post a pic. I think it's way too early to think of fridging since it's only been one day. How's his tail? is the tip curling into a "J"? Also, how many inches in length is your 'lotl? I'm currently feeding my 3.5" lotl's 1x a day, and sometimes they won't eat for me. I leave live blackworms with them and they'll snack at their own pace. When they're 8+ inches I think people usually feed every 2-3 days. Depending on size, gills are also a stress indicator. When they're young though, they commonly have them tipped forward, but when they're older it's a sure sign of stress.

From what it sounds like I wouldn't be too concerned as it has only been 1 day. See how he is tomorrow, and try to post a photo :) If he took too much in, he'd likely spit it out right away. If not, he'll throw them up later. I've never heard of impaction due to bloodworms so I think you're fine - he could just be full :)

Also: what temp is the tank at? Cooler temperatures in their temp range = slower metabolism = less movement
 
Thanks Ashley,
You're right, he's fine :D. I hope I wont be too much of a nuisance, but I can't ever really tell what's normal and what's not. He's 2 inches in length now, and I've had him for 2 weeks now, I have been feeding him frozen blood worms since I got him but found an aquarium shop that sells live blood worms, and he really likes them. I just drop them (using a baster) into a small terracotta plate for him to find, but today he was waiting for them and just sucked a ball of them into his mouth. Then he stayed still and eventually lay flat on his stomach, not moving at all. But after a few hours he pooped and then started walking about. Now he's searching nooks and crannies for more worms. Yesterday at this time, he was much more active, swimming around and going up to the glass, but right now he's just quietly digging between the river rocks (they're bigger than he is).
Since I've had him he has never refused food, though he sometimes had trouble finding the frozen worms, placing them in a plate has pretty much resolved that. I don't know how much to feed him, I thought half a cube of frozen worms 1x a day seemed reasonable, but was wondering if that was too much.
As for the stress levels, I haven't been able to figure out if he's completely happy. He sometimes has his tail slightly curved to one side, but not ALWAYS. His gills are a bit pale, and I posted a question about that yesterday (still no reply).

Oh man, I am writing so much, thank you for helping out, I really love this forum, I would be beyond lost right now. I'm hoping to learn every tip and fact to make sure Xoli has a great life!
 
The laying on belly with legs splayed is them in axolotl siesta mode after pigging out - totally normal - especially if followed soon after by a big poop :eek:
They are also prone to rear end float & handstands before pooping as well.

It's understandable to be a nervous anxious panicky parent - it means you care :D I myself was exactly the same & still am to a point - I still do daily foot & gill checks as well as constantly watching their antics & worrying when someone's foot is sitting on someone else's mouth or a gill brushes past another's mouth *laughs*

The gills are lighter when the lotls are resting & tend to get a little redder when eating or active. If they don't seem to get redder test the water parameters & check your temperature - if those are all
ok then there shouldn't be anything to worry about & as he grows they will become more noticeable.



<3 >o_o< <3
 
a happy axoltol does pretty much nothing.

over activity can be a sign of stress.
 
When my axies were around the 2" mark I fed the 6 of them 1 shared frozen bloodworm cube a day, split into 2 meals. It sounds like quite a bit of food, but every axie is different - if s/he's eating it all and not throwing it up, and pooping fine I wouldn't worry :) Also, you're blood worm cubes may be smaller than the ones I was feeding ( I noticed 2 sizes of cubes when I bought mine).

If his tail is only slightly curved, my guess is that's just a coincidence. Sounds like you have a happy, gluttonous axie! ;)

I understood what's going on because I'm exactly like that axie - after I eat supper I hate moving - I just want to sit and digest, haha! ;)
 
It's strange, Xoli's been much mellower since "the incident":p. I hope that means he/she's content. It does seem I might be overfeeding, but Xoli is always digging around the tank, I'm assuming, for worms. I'll cut back, but is there a way to tell how much is enough/too much?

Xoli's gills have never been the fiery red I've seen on others, they're pinkish at most even when active or eating. I read somewhere that soft water can cause anemia of some sort (supposedly causing pale gills) and that adding salts to the tank could help with that. But I guess I'll wait till Xoli's a bit bigger to be concerned.

I have been checking his water twice a week and there's no ammonia, nitrites or nitrates. When we learned about the temp the tank water was at 72 degrees, so I spliced some computer fans and now it stays at 66 degrees (a bit colder at night).

When we got Xoli we were told they low maintenance pets, that they didn't even need a filter. We were never told about water parameters but I learned about that a day after the purchase. I didn't cycle his tank properly and that still makes me nervous. We did know about conditioning the water thankfully.

Here's a pic of Xoli on his/her sponge filter this morning.
 

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Xoli's still very little. They may redden as s/he gets a little older. Also, s/he looks to me like a lighter colour, which tends to mean pink or dark pink gills.

All axxies nose for food, even after they've just been fed. Think Labrador dogs but a water version :p Toothless spends about 2/3 of her time snuffling through sand in case she's missed a bit! It doesn't mean you're not feeding enough. I very rarely read about people overfeeding their axxies - the only way to tell is if they simply won't eat or if they spit most of their meal out (and then don't eat it again) or they bring it back up again later (or, when older, if they're really chunky, but healthy axxies tend to be chubby looking anyways :)) Sometimes axxies simply won't eat - like dogs, they sometimes just have 'off days,' but obviously if they don't eat for two or three days at a time then there is a concern (sometimes fixed simply by offering something new). It sounds to me like you're feeding schedule is working though! ;)
 
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