Axolotl won't eat

[Joanna210]

Hello there,

I have two axolotls. The oldest one is almost 2 years now. Since 2 months now she has stopped eating big or hard things, like earth worms and pellets. She still excepted softer and smaller things like soaked tubifex blocks and bloodworms, but not much of it and many times she puked out whatever got into her stomach. Now she stopped eating altogether. She had become skinny and I'm worried about her health. I know is not constipation because she pooped back when she was still eating a bit. Water perimeters are fine too and she doesn't look stressed. My other axolotl is in perfect health. I'd like some advise on what do or look out for.

Looking forward to some advice,
Kind regards,
joanna210

 

[TatoTesla]

I'm sorry to hear about your axolotl! I just have a few questions.. How long have you had both of your axolotls? And are they housed together?

The main reason why axolotls refuse to eat food is because they are stressed. You say she doesn't look stressed, but a common sign of a stressed axolotl is a skinny one. Reptiles and amphibians don't usually show their stress outwardly like mammals, so the only way to tell if it's stressed is if it has changed it's behavior in anyway (e.g. not eating). Since your parameters are fine and your other axie is healthy, there must be something affecting only the other one. Is there strong water movement in the tank? Have you noticed any aggression between the two of them?

There's also the chance that she is suffering from some kind of bacterial infection or parasite. If you notice anything unusual about the way she looks (i.e. deteriorated gills, signs of fungi, etc.), that might be a good thing to add. If she is too skinny, you might want to consider force feeding or bringing her to a vet.