Axolotl swimming frantically

[Brittanymurphy8630]

My axololt has been sick for a month now. She hasn't pooped in three weeks and won't eat. I took her to the vet twice. They scanned her belly and said she looks great except she has a belly full of food. I was advised to fridge her and was given some antibiotics bc they also believe she has an infection. She was also having reddening of the skin all over her body. She also is swimming frantically in her tank. All day and night. Her tank parameters are perfect too. The temperature is perfect at 60-64 degrees and ammonia is at 0ppm, nitrates 10ppm and nitrites 0ppm. She has been in the fridge for two weeks now and no poops. She will take food and then spit it back out immediately. She is just pacing in the tub in the fridge. I'm so so so worried about her. I'm on the second day of antibiotics. Her reddening of the skin has seemed to go down but she still isn't pooping and not interested in food. I just don't know what to do with her and I want the best for her. She just turned one years old. She is a golden albino and looks very healthy actually. Her gills look great and color looks great. She just won't calm down. I posted a video of what she was doing in her tank before I took her to the vet. Just swimming back and forth allnight and all night. I took her out of the tank and have her tubbed now in the fridge like the vet told me to do. She seems to be happier in the cooler temperatures eventhough she is still pacing in the fridge she isn't swimming as frantically. Any advice would be great. I am doing what the vet advised. I have a great exotic vet here in my town. So I do trust my vet. I'm just so anxious. I love my little Calypso.

 

[wolfen]

how long has she been getting "chunky", or has she always been so.
from the videos the pacing doesn't seem panicked or erratic more like she is searching and being inquisitive.
also looking at the video she looks gravid which could also explain the increased activity, might be something to look into.
if she has only just started anti-biotics they you might need to wait until the course has been run before any significant changes.

 

[Brittanymurphy8630]

how long has she been getting "chunky", or has she always been so.
from the videos the pacing doesn't seem panicked or erratic more like she is searching and being inquisitive.
also looking at the video she looks gravid which could also explain the increased activity, might be something to look into.
if she has only just started anti-biotics they you might need to wait until the course has been run before any significant changes.

So when I took her to the vet they sedated her and did a scan of her belly. We thought maybe she was gravid with eggs bit there weren't any. Only food in the belly. Everything looked great inside. So she is just full. I have over fed her not knowing that her metabolism has slowed so much when they hit that one year mark. I'm a first time owner. I feel really guilty feeding her too much and now know when I should feed her and how often. So that is why she looks so big. Prior to her getting sick I had put her on a diet bc the vet had suggested it. So I wad feeding her every three days. But I am going to continue the antibiotics as directed. I just hope she goes poop soon. I never thought I'd be so welcoming of shit before lol but hey here I am. The vet said she could see "rolls" on my little Calypso. I was so embarrassed . Anyways the vet and I are both just puzzled as to why she is swimming back and forth like that. She will not stop. It's like when a lion paces in their cage. So weird bc usually when axolotls get constipated they don't move and she is doing the opposite. We cannot put our finger on why she is doing this. Even an axotic vet a prestigious school doesn't know why and she is smart as hell it's baffling.

 

[wolfen]

even the most knowledgeable people get thing wrong, have bad days etc..
the only reason we know things is because it has happened before and too other people, don't cut yourself up about it.
it is a bit strange as she isn't thrashing, suddenly accelerating, just a casual swim around, it is something my axolotls do but only at night once it is dark and the lights go off, during the day they are normally resting.
I know it sounds strange but have you tried having lights on during the day,

 

[Autistic Catholic]

This doesn't look frantic at all. Is the frantic part only at higher temperatures? Might be she just prefers colder temperatures and gets irritated when the temperature is higher. It just looks like she wants to explore the area. She doesn't look stressed. Overfed and chonky but otherwise healthy. Is she a golden albino?

 

[Brittanymurphy8630]

This doesn't look frantic at all. Is the frantic part only at higher temperatures? Might be she just prefers colder temperatures and gets irritated when the temperature is higher. It just looks like she wants to explore the area. She doesn't look stressed. Overfed and chonky but otherwise healthy. Is she a golden albino?

Yes she is a golden albino. Maybe frantically isn't the right word but she swims all night and all day when I put her in her tank. Her little legs were sooooo swollen I've never seen a frog leg swell in my life. It's weird behavior none the less and it's worrisome. She looks healthy besides the none stop swimming is the problem and the not pooping. I'm just so worried about her. Not like her to act like this.

 

[Brittanymurphy8630]

even the most knowledgeable people get thing wrong, have bad days etc..
the only reason we know things is because it has happened before and too other people, don't cut yourself up about it.
it is a bit strange as she isn't thrashing, suddenly accelerating, just a casual swim around, it is something my axolotls do but only at night once it is dark and the lights go off, during the day they are normally resting.
I know it sounds strange but have you tried having lights on during the day,

She is in my room. We keep the lights to a bare minimum for her. She is so spoiled. My husband gets mad bc I cater to her lol but she is my daughter ok. She stays out of the hide pretty much all day and interacts with me all the time. She is really different than other axolotls I've seen. So I've tried the lights on and off. Nothing seems to help. I've tried to lower her temperatures in the tank too and it doesn't seem to help. The more room she has the more swimming she does.

 

[Autistic Catholic]

The leg swelling is probably a bacterial infection. Keep doing what the vet said as it seems like she's improving in that. The colder temperatures should also help her constipation. Other than that, the constant swimming could just be her thinking it's night or it may be her personality.

Also look into this article and maybe look into Ph, oxygen levels, filter flow, etc. These could also contribute to greater activity.

How Active Should An Axolotl Be ?

Axolotls are most active at dusk and during the night While their favorite activity during the day is just chilling in their hide or in a dark corner of the

famillypet.com

 

[Brittanymurphy8630]

The leg swelling is probably a bacterial infection. Keep doing what the vet said as it seems like she's improving in that. The colder temperatures should also help her constipation. Other than that, the constant swimming could just be her thinking it's night or it may be her personality.

Also look into this article and maybe look into Ph, oxygen levels, filter flow, etc. These could also contribute to greater activity.

How Active Should An Axolotl Be ?

Axolotls are most active at dusk and during the night While their favorite activity during the day is just chilling in their hide or in a dark corner of the

famillypet.com

Thankyou for this article. I think maybe my ph might be too high. I'm going to work on that. I don't know if that's what is causing this swimming though but I will adjust it. I hope she will poop soon. I've never been so excited for a in my entire life. But here I am.