Illness/Sickness: Axolotl stopped eating

[mexicola]

Hello everyone, I have a 3 year old axolotl named Bronco that I love very much.
He seems fine, he swims around his tank, surfaces for the occasional gulp of air, likes to chill out among the rocks and fake plant decorations of his "home" and he doesn't look like he's lost weight. Now, the problem is, he hasn't been eating in over a month! I know that because I count the worms/pieces of snail/other items of food I put in the tank and they just lay there untouched until I fish them out and throw them away. Obviously he stopped pooping too. I checked the water levels and everything seems fine. Being August, it's hot outside, but I keep his water cold with ice bottles and I constantly check the thermometer to make sure the water temperature doesn't rise too much. He's never done this in the past two summers I've had him.
What can it be? And, more importantly, what is he surviving on? Could it be that he eats the occasional mosquito that falls into the tank? I've tried giving him all his favorite food, changing his diet, everything really, but he just won't eat!
Should I worry or will his appetite come back once the weather gets a bit colder? What do you suggest I do?
Thank you so much for your help, I'm very concerned!

 

[Quentari]

Hmm... he hasn't lost any weight? has your ice cooled the water down lower than normal? maybe he thinks it's too cold to eat. How bright is the area near his tank? sometimes keeping it darker or feeding him in the dark will help.

I wouldn't start panicking until he's lost a bit of weight, axies can last a while without food.

 

[abbeh15]

Any chance you could post a picture of Bronco? From the top and side would be helpful.

 

[mexicola]

Now that I've taken these pictures, I noticed that indeed he has lost a little bit of weight. He used to be a bit "fatter", does he look too skinny to you?
I don't think the water in his tank is too cool, the thermometer says it's around 17-18°C (62-64° F), which is what it's always been during the summer (in the winter it's colder).
He's in the living room, which is a pretty bright room, he's not directly in the sun, obviously, but yeah, it's only dark at night. Do you think that could be a problem? He's always been there, I've practically never moved his tank in 3 years!
Here are a few pictures of him. Thank you so much for your help!

 

[Sylerwin]

He doesn't seem skinny to me, though I've never seen gills like that.

 

[layna]

Yes i have to agree his gills dont look very healthy, do you have a filter and air stone ect set up?

 

[mexicola]

I have a very good filter, the water is super clear. I noticed his gills began to look more like that as he progressively stopped eating. Is he sick? Should I add an air stone?

 

[Petersgirl]

Air stones generally just agitate the surface of the water and prevent scum/bubbles from forming, and provide a bit more oxygen. It might be worth trying.

Can I just ask what your water parameters are? I'm a bit concerned his gills might have been altered by the water chemistry.

 

[xxianxx]

Your axolotl looks a bit pink, may just be the camera but the close up pic of the eyes shows a cloudy eye, this is indicative of ammonia burning and the poor gills can often be down to poor water quality though some axolotls look like that regardless. You need to check your water quality.

 

[mexicola]

As soon as I get back home (I'm at work now), I'll re-check all the parameters (they were fine last time I checked, a week ago) and let you know exactly what they are. I've always used the same water for the past 3 years. Nothing has changed really, but his decreased appetite. I'll also try the air stone, if you think it'll help. So should I use both the air stone and the filter?
He's always been this pink, actually he used to be even more pink when he was younger! The gills that look "tangled" (the ones on the bottom) have always been like that, while the top ones started to look like that as he stopped eating.
Thank you and I'll get back to you with the water parameters asap!

 

[mexicola]

I realized my test strips don't test for ammonia, but the other results are as follows:
Cl2 - 0
pH - 8
KH - 15°d
GH - 16°d
NO3 - 50
NO2 - 1

according to the test's instructions, all of these level are fine. Do you notice anything wrong?
I tried giving him bloodworms (his favorite "baby food") and he still didn't eat them.
I don't know what to do anymore. The fact is that he seems absolutely fine! What can it be?

 

[xxianxx]

Ammonia levels need to be checked, they are more dangerous than the nitrate and nitrite levels. Your nitrate level is the max it should be , I would do an immediate water change to get it below 20ppm.

 

[mexicola]

do you mean a complete water change or just 50%? With regular water from the tap? Should I add some distilled water to it?
I'll get a tester for ammonia as soon as I can. Thank you!

 

[Petersgirl]

I would do 50-75% Mexicola, you don't want to crash your cycle. That should get it down to safe levels.

Axxies hunger strike for all kinds of reasons - warmer temperatures, feeling poorly, feeling stressed, or simply, sometimes, because they don't feel like eating. I would only start being concerned if he still shows no interest in food a week from now - a well fed axxie can survive up to three weeks without food but all the same it's a good idea to keep trying.

Could you try blackworms?

 

[mexicola]

I'll do the water change first thing in the morning.
The problem is, he hasn't eaten in what is close to a month or so by now! That's why I'm really worried. He swims around and to the top, moves its gills at a regular pace, looks pretty healthy overall, he just doesn't eat anything! How is that possible?
Are blackworms the same as bloodworms? Because I've tried that but no luck!

 

[mexicola]

I just tested the level of ammonia in the water and it's 0.01, practically nothing, so I don't think that's the problem.
I also just noticed a very weird thing though. As I was passing by his tank, I noticed that Bronco was doing something with his mouth, it looked as if he was trying to cough something out, like he was gagging or something. I was afraid he was gonna choke! (although I have no idea on what, since there's no gravel in his tank and I had just fished out all the uneaten worms). These spasms lasted for about 10 seconds or so and then he just burped two bubbles of air.
Could it be that he's not eating because there's something stuck in his throat? How can I find out?
Or, second theory,it seems like he has a lot of air in his stomach that he needs to pass out. Apart from the burping, I sometimes find him with his head on the bottom and his "butt" floating towards the top! So could this be the reason why he's not eating? How can I help him pass out the air?
Thank you!

 

[Petersgirl]

Blackworms are small like bloodworms, but they're a different type of worm. They're meant to be nigh on irresistible!

I didn't realise he hadn't eaten for a month - sorry for not reading your post correctly! That is odd. I would be worried he was either impacted or constipated - a few other users have mentioned that 'head jerking' movement. It may be trapped wind or alternatively something stuck in his stomach - if his bottom floats towards the top of the tank (away from his body) he has something he's struggling to pass (it may be wind or a blockage of some kind).

When my axolotl had wind my father suggested I use frozen peas. Now, axolotls can't digest vegetables and I know they're not part of their staple diet, but this did work for me and didn't do my axolotl any harm. Take frozen garden peas and microwave them for a good 30 seconds or so to ensure they're cooked, then leave to cool (or run under the cold tap to get them colder quicker). Feed 1-2 when they are cool enough if the axolotl will take them and it should help to clear the wind - be aware that this isn't something I found on here, this is something I was recommended to do by a family member that seemed to work for me.

If the blockage is something else then he will need to see a vet, I'm afraid. I don't know of any reliable treatment for removing blockages, but I suspect something in his gut is preventing him from eating or wanting to eat. Did he ever have contact with sand or anything smaller than his mouth at any point in his life?

If there is a chance he has a blocked gut then he may need to be fridged and a vet contacted. It does seem odd that he hasn't eaten in a month and yet hasn't lost any noticeable weight.

 

[mexicola]

I'll try the peas, thanks for the help, at this point I'll take anything because I'm really at a loss here.
He hasn't been pooping for a month either, something that I took as a consequence of the fact he's not eating. He's lost a little bit of weight, but it's barely noticeable, being that he hasn't touched anything in so long, I thought it would show a little bit more!
He has never, ever in his life come in contact with sand, gravel or anything that's smaller than his mouth. I've never used any of those things in the tank, so unless something fell into it without me knowing (which seems implausible, but I can't exclude anything), there's no way he could've ever ingested something other than food that was meant for him.
At this point I'm afraid it really might be some kind of blockage in his stomach, either just air or maybe just waste matter that for some reason he can't expel! Do you think I should put him in the fridge? Would that help him in that sense? Is there a way to find out if he really has ingested something that's stuck in his stomach now? Thank you so much!