Bloating axie

[rebecca]

hey,
my axie is currently in the fridge for the second time this week after extreme bloating and then lying on her back, she has had a lot of problems with gravel then spitting up anything she has eaten and now bloats whenever i feed her. she hasnt eaten in a week.
on her tank she swells up to huge proportions and cant stay upright but shrinks down to being tiny in the fridge, i dont think its water quality as i do regular changes and everything seems ok, im trying to find a vet to take her too but its a public holiday here tommrow and sunday today and i cant find any open vets that deal with axies, im going to keep her in the fridge till i can get her too the vet any other suggestions of what this might be or how i can help would be appreciated in the mean time.
thanks

 

[skylar]

What temp is the tank? Lying on the back definately isn't good.

If you still have the gravel, take it out and replace with sand, or just leave the bottom of the tank bare.

 

[rebecca]

i have sand not gravel, gravel was from when she was in the pet shop.
tank is at 16 degrees (my room is dark and cold so its normally around that)

 

[alex]

what have you been feeding her?. have you introduced any new food?.

 

[rebecca]

the same food i always have axolotl tucker its a combination food of meat and insects and stuff.. its frozen and from animates.

 

[sharn]

same as my stuff... seems ok but seeing as they cant spell axolotl right (axolotyl!!) im wondering. you feed her at the bottom so she doesnt gulp air right? id add some other varitey, earthworms, frozen shrimp etc see if that helps.

im at a loss as to what it could be sorry other than a sort of gas problem? keep it in the fridge for now, but if its repeatedly floating on its back thats not a good sign at all

 

[rebecca]

she has been having such problems with gravel that she doesnt come up to the top to eat and doesnt move her back legs at all any more, its not air i have been racking my brain trying to work out what it could be every time she is in the fridge she reduces to her real (tiny) size then as soon as she goes back into the tank she bloats up again, i dont understand it.

 

[rebecca]

i took trillian to the vet today she advised me that she probably has a mild stomach infection causing bloating does this sound at all correct?? or possible?
she advised me that she would be giving some sort of antibiotics but my mother went to pick her up (i work 12 hour days) and the vet has advised salt baths and reducing the level of water in the tank to stop her from bloating and rolling over this seems to make no sense to me does it to anyone else ..? i dont understand why salt baths would help a stomach infection.