Bent Tail - Is it genetic?

H

helen

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My two Axies are approx. 6 months old and in the past couple of weeks I have noticed that their tails have bent up. It is not just a little bit I'm talking about an angle of about 30 to 45 degrees. What I want to know is it genetic or is it something I have done/failed to do. I feed them Axolotl pellets and they are in a two foot tank with 20mm river pebbles.
 
I have never heard of tails bending up. Could they be having trouble staying on the bottom - do the back legs come off the ground as well?
 
Here is a photo of Speedy. I hope this helps.
37151.jpg
 
wow i never seen an axoltol's tail like that. have they always been like that or has it just happened? it looks like something it would hae been born with or something happened while it was little. does the axolotl act differently?. did you say it happened to the two of them?. if they are related it would be genetic. if its not effecting the axoltol i would worry about it. makes them unique lol. do they have trouble swimming?
 
Yes it is the two of them, but you try and get axies to pose. I bought them from a pet shop when they were about 10cm long. They were the last two they had and so are probably from the same parents. It has only been in the past couple of weeks that I have noticed this. They swim fine and eat well. They have grown fast in the past few months. I don't have a problem if it is genetic, I just want to make sure its not something I should be doing that I am not.
 
Yep, thats weird. Looks like maybe they got broken at one stage and healed like that??
 
Weird... If they behave and eat normally, then be excited that you have axies that no one else has. Yay for Freaks!
 
No that is not genetic. Check their water make sure everything is ok there. Also check the temp of the water. When their tails get bent it means they are stressed so your axie must be experiencing a lot of stress.
 
THe stressed bending that you're talking about is more of a curling of the end of the tail, in the direction that they are supposed to bend. This bending is something different. I'd say genetic if it's happening to both of them, but it's possible the tail was broken and healed improperly.
 
It's very cool. I'm jealous.

Like Brian said, water movement can cause a curling of the end of the tail, but not a bending in an upward direction. But if you look at the gills on this axolotl, they're laid back. The water movement in this tank is just fine.

It may be a broken tail that healed, but if it happened to two of them, I dunno. And if you look at the tail fin, it goes straight across the top, and does not follow the kink, as would be expected if it was broken. *shrug* This is a very neat individual.
 
Hmm I don't know then. Probably still not genetic. I would say it must've been broken...weird. But hey my axie has a leg coming out of his elbow with feet and everything so you never know with axies I guess lol.
 
That's quite odd, especially that two of them would develop the same deformity. I would also toss in another possibility. Deficiencies in calcium or vitamin D can cause a variety of skeletal deformities. However, if the axie pellets are a reputable brand and reasonably fresh, they should supply enough.
 
The pellets are by Aquarium Science and are well within their use by date. This is an Australian brand.


I would like to thank everyone for their input.
Please keep giving suggestions.
 
Helen - I found this on the Indiana University site

Q. We house axolotls for research purposes. Several of these have developed scoliosis. Some cases occur in the thoracic and lumbar regions but most appear in the base of the tail and cause severe deviation of the tail. Have you encountered this? Is this possibly a nutritional problem or could it be a genetic or developmental occurrence?


A. We have seen this, though not recently. A few might acquire the deformity while confined in their jelly coats before hatching, and there could be a genetic abnormality, but I think what you're seeing is probably nutritional, especially the thoracic and lumbar problems. It may indicate a calcium deficiency.

http://www.indiana.edu/~axolotl/axolotls/faq.html#deformity
 
Thank you so much Cynthia.
If it is the nutrition what can I give then to increase their calcium intake? The pellets I currently give them state that is "will provide a balanced diet for your pet". I took this to mean that all their nutritional needs would be meet with this product. Any Ozzies out there know anything about "Aquarium Science" brand Axolotl Pellets.
 
Helen - Do you only feed them those pellets and nothing else?

I did a few web searches and could not find the ingredients in those pellets. Does it give you a break down on the label?

If it is genetic there is nothing you can do. But if the pellets are lacking needed vitamins - to be on the safe side I would vary their diet. Add occasional feedings of earth worms, frozen blood worms, other types of pelleted foods for carnivores.
 
Thanks Cynthia
On the container the breakdown is: Protein 50%min, crude fat 10%min, crude fibre 5%max, moisture 7%max. I am plannig to email the company and see what they say. But I have recently put in some guppies and they have mostly disappeared so I am assuming that the axies have been eating them. I am down to 5/12 left. I have tried frozen bloodworm but they don't seem to like it and it just totally messed up their tank.
 
Helen - I would add a note of caution with feeding guppies. Guppies can nip axolotl gills and cause damage or the nipping may scare the axolotl making it swim into something causing injury.

As with feeding any live fish you risk giving the axolotl parasites. If you feel strongly about feeding guppies, home grown guppies would be your best bet.

If you skim the forum looking for topics mentioning food you will see some of the things that other people are supplementing their axolotls diet with.
 
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