Photo: Axolotls With Severe Growth Defects

[NadeZ]

I recently took in two 3 year old axolotls and both are significantly stunted. They are both highly active, for axolotls, and do not nip each other other than the usual accidental jumps. I have noticed that they seem to like barging into each other when swimming, pushing one another along and upwards.
I am feeding them a couple of small earthworms each day, supplemented with as many pellets as they will accept in an attempt to stimulate growth and recovery but what else can I do? I am particularly concerned with the wildtype and the overall size of both of them (smaller than my 6 month old juveniles).

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1.
Description
Type: Albino
Age: 3 Years (according to previous owner)
Length: 15cm
Gills: Tiny with minimal frills
Front Right Leg: Stunted
Front Left Leg: Normal
Back Right Leg: Normal
Back Left Leg: Normal
Tail: Normal

Pictures

Albino Front


Albino Side


Albino Stunted Leg


Questions
a) Given the age of this axolotl, is there any chance that it will grow to a more normal adult size (20cm+)?
b) Will the stunted leg and gills reach normal size eventually?
c) Given the age of this axolotl, how quickly will the leg and gills recover (if at all)?

2.
Description
Type: Wildtype
Age: 3 Years (according to previous owner)
Length: 16cm
Gills: None
Front Right Leg: Stunted and 'foot' growing upside down with the palm facing up
Front Left Leg: Stunted with 3 fingers only
Back Right Leg: Normal
Back Left Leg: Normal in size but the 'foot' has only 4 toes and they are very different in length.
Tail: Rather shapeless with not much of a ridge and some signs of nipping.
Notes: This axolotl walks on the back of its front right foot with the palm facing up, it does not seem to mind but, combined with the other defects, is very sad to watch.

Pictures

Wildtype Front


Wildtype Side


Wildtype Leg and Gills


Questions
a) Given the age of this axolotl, is there any chance that it will grow to a more normal adult size (20cm+)?
b) Will the stunted limbs reach normal proportions eventually?
c) What can be done about the upside down foot?
d) How is this axolotl breathing and will its gills regenerate?
e) Given the age of this axolotl, how quickly will the limbs and gills recover (if at all)?

 

[Alkylhalide]

A: if the albino is 3years old it likely has reached full size, this is not the end of the world as long as you can rehabilitate it back to health a small axolotl isnt a bad thing(it means something seriously stunted it growth at a young age, which wouldnt be anything you did) i have a wild typethat is almost 4months old and only about 2" because I only found him 11days after hatching in my 50gallon and he was tinnyyy! But he is seriously stunted and I doubt he will get really big)

B: its hard to tell, if its still recovering from an injury then maybe, but maybe this is all that will grow and it wont reach normal size.

C: with the age of the axolotl, with good food, good water and a lot of tlc these two should recover within 6months-1year to as best of their ability, there is a lot that needs to be done to be fully rehabilitated and it will take a lot of time but at least you are not rehabilitating seriously skinny axolotls, they look well fed!

2

A: same as the first answer

B: they may but only time will tell but they may not

C: unfortunately nothing as this is how his leg regenerated after injury, axolotls can regenerate but it isnt always perfect. If you think it is making him suffer(which I doubt) a TRAINED vet can amputate it and hope it regrows back normal but with all the recovering it already needs to do I would not recommend even thinking about it as this would just add more stress and energy

D: the gills should regenerate over time, it is probably still breathing through what it has but worst case scenario axolotls also have lungs to breath as well.

E: same as last answer in number 1 with the albino

 

[auntiejude]

For both I don't think they will grow any more, but their gills should recover in time with proper TLC. There isn't much you can do about oddly-regrown limbs or a sad tailfin, but I think it all adds to the character of an axie if they have little 'quirks'.

Animlas are amazing at adapting to a 'disability' - they don't let it slow them down or restrict them. Have you ever seen the youtube video of the dog who lost both front legs? She learned to walk upright on her hind legs. Axies are great at adaptation, they will learn (or have probably already learned) to cope with impairment. One of mine has some very weird fingers but he walks fine.

 

[NadeZ]

A: if the albino is 3years old it likely has reached full size, this is not the end of the world as long as you can rehabilitate it back to health a small axolotl isnt a bad thing(it means something seriously stunted it growth at a young age, which wouldnt be anything you did) i have a wild typethat is almost 4months old and only about 2" because I only found him 11days after hatching in my 50gallon and he was tinnyyy! But he is seriously stunted and I doubt he will get really big)

B: its hard to tell, if its still recovering from an injury then maybe, but maybe this is all that will grow and it wont reach normal size.

C: with the age of the axolotl, with good food, good water and a lot of tlc these two should recover within 6months-1year to as best of their ability, there is a lot that needs to be done to be fully rehabilitated and it will take a lot of time but at least you are not rehabilitating seriously skinny axolotls, they look well fed!

2

A: same as the first answer

B: they may but only time will tell but they may not

C: unfortunately nothing as this is how his leg regenerated after injury, axolotls can regenerate but it isnt always perfect. If you think it is making him suffer(which I doubt) a TRAINED vet can amputate it and hope it regrows back normal but with all the recovering it already needs to do I would not recommend even thinking about it as this would just add more stress and energy

D: the gills should regenerate over time, it is probably still breathing through what it has but worst case scenario axolotls also have lungs to breath as well.

E: same as last answer in number 1 with the albino

Thank you for your reply. Will be interesting to say how they are a year from now. I too have seen juveniles that were around the size you describe, but never an adult. They were a little on the skinny side when I got them but last night, with all the worms eaten, I just kept giving them pellets until they looked fit to burst! Ah, with the wildtype I was wondering if just chopping the leg off would give it a chance to grow back normally. But, as you say, the creature has a lot of regenerating to do and does not seem to be suffering from the defective leg.
Can anyone tell the genders of these two? I'd have said female but I'm sure when taking into account the size defect.

 

[priesty]

On the skinny side?

Personally I would have said they were fairly normal.

I fed them 2 worms every other day as if I fed them everyday occasionally they would bring the worms back up and I didn't want rotting worms in the tank.

The worms were bought from a fishing shop and are Dharma (think that's how it's spelt) If that means anything? £2.45 a pot

They did spent a lot of time together and although they generally behave they did nip every now and again but as I said there were 3 in the tank at 1 stage so I couldn't tell you who was causing the damage.

The albino did have quite a bad nip, I don't know how long they take to recover but as far as I was aware the recovery was going fine.

As you can see the bite was quite high up, so about 3/4s of it did drop off completely.

Wasn't very nice to see but he/she didn't show any other issues because of it and pretty much carried on as normal.

The wild type had a similar incident but not quite as bad and the bone was nowhere as exposed but the leg never detached so that's why it is how it is, it never seemed to bother him/her as it moves about freely enough.


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[keiko]

I know someone who rescued a couple of small adult axies that were kept in a tank that was too small for them. But once they got into a bigger tank they slowly started to grow again. Ofcourse I can't be sure exactly how old they were or anything. But what I'm saying is that once your axies have recovered from everything else, maybe there's a chance they'll grow a bit more too.

 

[xxianxx]

I was wondering if just chopping the leg off would give it a chance to grow back normally. But, as you say, the creature has a lot of regenerating to do and does not seem to be suffering from the defective leg.

If it's not suffering from the deformed leg I wouldn't advise chopping it off. It might regenerate properly but it could end up worse. You may also fall foul of UK animal cruelty laws, unnecessarily chopping limbs off (unnecessary as it's not a threat to life or causing problems) could constitute a crime as it would involve the animal suffering for no vaild reason. Amputation does get advised in this forum occasionally for limbs with fungus which are not responding to treatment and the keeper wishes to avoid the fungus spreading to the body. This is an international forum, different countries have different laws.
Your axolotls are a bit stunted so probably will not get much larger, amphibians continue to grow throughout their lives but the growth rate tails off after the first year or so with axolotls, they seem to have a window of opportunity which if they miss they do not make up for in later life. Having small adult axolotls is not really a problem, they act the same and it will be easier to maintain water quality if you keep them in a big tank. The gills may or may not regenerate, I have a female albino I rehomed who has not recovered her gills after three years.

 

[kjnorman]

Amphibians do keep growing throughout their lives, although more and more slowly as they get older. Still, you may see some growth in them, but I'd be surprised if it were a lot.

My two axies both had very damaged gills and missing toes when I got them (previous owner keeping african clawed frogs in the same tank ?!). The female was in overall better shape and four months later has pretty much regrown her gills to a nice 'frill' and her toes are almost completely grown.

The male had much more damage to his gills, and although the villi (is that what you call the fringey part?) have grown in nicely where they can, the actual gill structure is stunted and doesn't show signs of regrowing, and he has a couple 'bald' spots along the gills with no fringe. It seemed to be affecting his activity level and overall well-being at first, but he seems pretty content with the amount of gill he has now.

In the end, its hard to say exactly what will regenerate and to what extent on any given animal, but odds are good you will see some improvement over time. Good food, good water quality, and keeping an eye out for fungus will help. When I got my two, people on here recommended Indian Almond Leaves to help prevent fungus while they were healing. You can order it inexpensively on Ebay.

I didn't end up using it because it took a long time to get to me, but I figure its good to have some around in case of future injuries.