Axolotl stopped eating

[GlowingFauxPas]

Hi, my little guy (a few months old) stopped eating a few weeks ago. I was feeding him worms and pellet, and he suddenly lost interest. I've tried bloodworms and brine shrimp, and he sometimes eats a tiny bit (one bloodworm or so) but usually still doesn't eat. I monitor the water parameters and temperature (below 70F, ammonia and nitrite at 0, nitrate below 40) and his tankmate eats fine. Any ideas?

 

[GlowingFauxPas]

He's stopped eating completely, and is growing skinnier by the week. Any ideas?

 

[SuburbanGirl]

He could be stressed. Maybe take him out and put him in a tub on the counter with a tea towel over it. I find that after about a day like that they will usually start eating again.

 

[keiko]

Is there anything else wrong with him?
Can you remember when he last pooped? Is there anything in the tank he might have swallowed? Constipation is often the reason for not eating.
How is his behavior, anything different than before? Stress could be a factor.
You could try getting some feeder fish that might get him to instinctively snap at them, but those need to be quarantined first.

 

[GlowingFauxPas]

Answers in no particular order:

There's nothing in the tank he could have swallowed that I know of. He ate 2 bloodworms around a week ago and then he pooped from that. He's never been particular good at eating for as long as I could remember, but he stopped eating completely.
He's missing an arm, his tankmate bit it off before I separated them, but the problem started way before that. His tankmate was growing a lot faster than him because he stopped eating.
If wriggling worm chunks don't cause him to snap at them, there's no reason to assume he'd snap at fish.
I've put him in a dark cold place for a day and it didn't do anything.
His behavior isn't any different from before he stopped eating.

 

[Boomsloth]

He was probably stressed from the tank mate. A day isn't that long for him to start recovering from stress. Separate him and keep offering food and he should take something eventually but be patient. Keep him cool and like others said keep it darker. A plastic shoebox container works great.

 

[GlowingFauxPas]

Oh they've been separated a week already. I'll try covering his tank to make it dark.

 

[Boomsloth]

How long do you leave the food in? I have an extra dumb axolotl that takes painfully long to eat so I leave live worms over night with him and most are gone by the morning.

 

[HitmanSougo13]

If you are still trying...worms don't necessarily give off smell but shrimp and fish will so while they make like wriggly food, some do realize there is food from smell.

I have fed mine pieces of cut raw shrimp to them when they are very sick, it is probably not the most nutritious thing but it is to fill their bellies.

 

[GlowingFauxPas]

I've tried everything suggested and he's only eating enough to keep himself alive. He's so skinny, it's terrible. If anyone would like to adopt him because they think they can nurse him back to health, send me a PM. I'll ship.

 

[Overmind]

I'm new to this forum, but not new to amphibians, fish, and reptiles. Do you have a vet near you that deals with axolotls? If not, is there a reputable pet shop that has such knowledge? If so, ask the pet shop's owner what vet they use. If they cannot help you, try the zoo. This may sound strange, but they likely have staff with extensive knowledge of amphibians, and they would also have access to a vet who knows their stuff. Please do not seek medical advice on the Internet. You will find conflicting information and if you harm your pet, no one can be held accountable.

As for the tank mate, axolotls don't need tank mates, and it is generally best to keep them separate. Feeding accidents happen, where they snap at each other instead of their food. Also, each axolotl has his/her own unique personality. Some are just trouble makers and like to start fights. Safety is top priority, so while I will not give medical advice, I WILL strongly urge you to not put axolotls in the same tank. Experts will argue, but the undeniable fact is that an axolotl will not attack himself. Axolotls can be extremely vicious towards each other with no warning or provocation. You will avoid a whole slew of problems just by not housing them together.

Best of luck to you and your axolotl. May I ask his/her name?

 

[Elise]

Experts will argue, but the undeniable fact is that an axolotl will not attack himself.

You give axoltols too much credit.
There have been a few posts on here sharing stories of isolated axoltols having bite injuries on their tails. Most likely from mistaking themselves for food.
(a first hand account)

Axolotls can be extremely vicious towards each other with no warning or provocation. You will avoid a whole slew of problems just by not housing them together.

As long as the axoltols are of similar size and are properly fed, I wouldn't expect to see any issues. Nothing resembling aggression anyway. In fact, it's often argued that axoltols can be somewhat social. Perhaps the most realistic problem of housing more than one axolotl together would be the possibility of them breeding.

 

[keiko]

I agree with Elise. I had three axolotls together in one tank, 2 females and 1 male. After some time the male got a little too exited and started dropping spermatophores a bit too often so I had to add a divider and separate him from the females. Now he clearly misses being close to the girls and they are often next to the divider as close to each other as possible. Even the bigger female seems to miss the male that she grew up with even though she has a friend with her. I have never seen any of them try to snap at each other, not even while looking for food next to each others legs. On the other hand I have seen one of them try to snap at her own tail when she was smaller (yea she's an idiot, but adorable anyways).