Axolotl poop

[Joebro12]

Heyo my axolotl isn't having solid poop. Well it kinda is solid but it looks almost translucent and fuzzy and gets stuck in his backside and I have no clue what this could mean. He eats night crawlers but his previous owner used to feed him frozen shrimp and he's 4.5 inches long and I've had him for a week now. He's pooped twice since then, both poops being nearly identical.

 

[AMurry24537]

Heyo my axolotl isn't having solid poop. Well it kinda is solid but it looks almost translucent and fuzzy and gets stuck in his backside and I have no clue what this could mean. He eats night crawlers but his previous owner used to feed him frozen shrimp and he's 4.5 inches long and I've had him for a week now. He's pooped twice since then, both poops being nearly identical.

Sorry to hear about that! I know a few other people on this site have had similar issues, so I sent messages to a couple to see what they had figured out as a final diagnosis, but one of the things discussed often in the threads was some kind of parasite. They also recommend taking it to a vetrinarian asap to try to get it figured out for sure. I'll let you know if anyone responds to the messages I sent!

 

[AMurry24537]

Okay, so I did some further searching and a few threads suggest that issues like this may alternatively be related to a temperature spike or simply laying spermetaphores. What temperature do you have your aquarium at? How old is your axolotl? Do you know the gender yet? One potential treatment that seems to come up frequently is almond leaves.

 

[Joebro12]

Yes, my axolotl is approximately 4.5 inches in length and I don't know the exact age however I would estimate it to be around 4-6 months. Temperature ever-so slowly fluctuates between 68° F and 62° F, and I cycle frozen water bottles every 4 hours. I'm working on getting it a good chiller to take the stress of myself, and the axolotl is a male.

 

[AMurry24537]

Yes, my axolotl is approximately 4.5 inches in length and I don't know the exact age however I would estimate it to be around 4-6 months. Temperature ever-so slowly fluctuates between 68° F and 62° F, and I cycle frozen water bottles every 4 hours. I'm working on getting it a good chiller to take the stress of myself, and the axolotl is a male.

Hmm, okay...everything sounds all right from that, so I would suggest looking up some pictures of axolotl spermetaphores to see if that's what you're dealing with. The almond leaf thing could be worth a try a least, but if what's above doesn't seem to resolve the problem, I would really recommend seeing a vet, especially since a complete lack of normal poop for an axolotl of that size/age is a bit unusual. How much and how often are you feeding him nightcrawlers?

 

[Joebro12]

So I did look up spermataphores, and they look nearly identical, aside from that white spec at the top of the spermatophore, I'd assume its because there are no eggs in it. I've never seen the white spec because I've never seen this thing fully detached and "layed" or "dropped" from his backside, I've never seen him "lay" this thing because both times I've seen it I had to leave for work. Both times when I came home I couldn't find either of them. Theres a good chance, if it is a spermatophore, it's inside his little hideout which is almost void of all light. If it is inside of there, and it is a spermatophore, I'll find it when I do the next water change in about 2 days. I don't like messing with his little home unless I'm doing a water change. He isn't showing any signs of stress or discomfort and he's eating perfectly fine, soo.. this is a very strange thing lol. And I feed him tiny pieces of nivht crawlers every 2 to 3 days as usual but I was thinking about switching to red wrigglers cause they're easier.

 

[AMurry24537]

So I did look up spermataphores, and they look nearly identical, aside from that white spec at the top of the spermatophore, I'd assume its because there are no eggs in it. I've never seen the white spec because I've never seen this thing fully detached and "layed" or "dropped" from his backside, I've never seen him "lay" this thing because both times I've seen it I had to leave for work. Both times when I came home I couldn't find either of them. Theres a good chance, if it is a spermatophore, it's inside his little hideout which is almost void of all light. If it is inside of there, and it is a spermatophore, I'll find it when I do the next water change in about 2 days. I don't like messing with his little home unless I'm doing a water change. He isn't showing any signs of stress or discomfort and he's eating perfectly fine, soo.. this is a very strange thing lol. And I feed him tiny pieces of nivht crawlers every 2 to 3 days as usual but I was thinking about switching to red wrigglers cause they're easier.

Keep us updated! Also, there's a chance you may want to at least consider upping his food a bit. At that age, he's still a juvenile. Younger axolotls eat more often than mature ones because they're still growing. Since he hasn't pooped a normal poop at all yet, it could be a sign he needs more food. The amount of food is subjective to each axolotl, of course, so as long as his weight is okay. Ideally, the widest part of his body should be about the same width as the widest part of the head (not including the gills).

 

[Joebro12]

Hmm, okay...everything sounds all right from that, so I would suggest looking up some pictures of axolotl spermetaphores to see if that's what you're dealing with. The almond leaf thing could be worth a try a least, but if what's above doesn't seem to resolve the problem, I would really recommend seeing a vet, especially since a complete lack of normal poop for an axolotl of that size/age is a bit unusual. How much and how often are you feeding him nightcrawlers?

Hmm, okay...everything sounds all right from that, so I would suggest looking up some pictures of axolotl spermetaphores to see if that's what you're dealing with. The almond leaf thing could be worth a try a least, but if what's above doesn't seem to resolve the problem, I would really recommend seeing a vet, especially since a complete lack of normal poop for an axolotl of that size/age is a bit unusual. How much and how often are you feeding him

Keep us updated! Also, there's a chance you may want to at least consider upping his food a bit. At that age, he's still a juvenile. Younger axolotls eat more often than mature ones because they're still growing. Since he hasn't pooped a normal poop at all yet, it could be a sign he needs more food. The amount of food is subjective to each axolotl, of course, so as long as his weight is okay. Ideally, the widest part of his body should be about the same width as the widest part of the head (not including the gills).

Hey wanted to give you an update, he pooped. And it was massive bruh at first I didn't know what it was cause I'm pretty sure its not supposed to be as big as it was but when I touched it it just poofed. I knew something was up cause his gills were at like a 90° angle but he's chill now. I upped his food as you suggested, I'm now feeding him every 2 days until he refuses the food and is full. I also started doing more frequent small water changes and he seems to be as happy as could be for now.

 

[AMurry24537]

Hey wanted to give you an update, he pooped. And it was massive bruh at first I didn't know what it was cause I'm pretty sure its not supposed to be as big as it was but when I touched it it just poofed. I knew something was up cause his gills were at like a 90° angle but he's chill now. I upped his food as you suggested, I'm now feeding him every 2 days until he refuses the food and is full. I also started doing more frequent small water changes and he seems to be as happy as could be for now.

Glad to hear it! And yeah, it can be pretty huge when they've held it in for a while! Just be sure to always clean it up right away, keep any eye on his weight, and you should be okay