Illness/Sickness: Broken Leg/s

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Denaye

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Hi! A couple months ago I moved my beloved Bertie into a new 3.5ft custom tank. Prior to this she was in a small 18" tank and had been since I brought her home. She is approx 3.5-4yrs old.

Not long after we switched tanks I noticed her front left leg was permanently bent and tucked up under her. She seemed fine was still eating well and getting around ok.

We then added our young bloke Bruce. It took 2 weeks but he settled in and finally ate after worrying me silly. He now has a very healthy appetite and is growing like a weed basically doubling in size since he moved in 2 months ago. He is approx 1yr old.

They get along fine, in fact initially Bertie seemed less than impressed (I swear she yawned at him) and just generally ignored him. Now they can often be seen chilling together in their tank.

Last night we did the weekly water change and vacuum - Bertie who has been refusing food for several weeks now (including fresh earth worms) now appears to be dragging her right arm also ��I'm worried I caught it when chasing a dropped worm she was refusing the night before.

I'm not sure if she has begun to lose weight (she was a fatty) or just seems smaller because Bruce has grown so much.

I know they can regenerate as babies but do they keep this trait as adults? Will her legs right themselves? Will they regenerate if she's not eating? Could this be the reason she's not eating?

HELP I'm very worried and have no idea what to do for her.
 
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Sorry to hear that Bertie is not well.
Axolotls keep their ability to regenerate, but that is for lost limbs, not injured ones.
Is everything else ok? Water parameters, temperature, etc.?
How long has it been since Bertie ate?
Do you have a specialist vet that you could take Bertie to, just in case there is any permanent damage
to the leg?
Sorry about all the questions, just trying to help find the best way forward for Bertie.
:happy:
 
Even with a damaged arm an Axolotl will still heal itself over time, the regenerative ability is just stronger when they are younger, so being older it may take slightly longer for the arm to fully recover, but then it completely depends on what is wrong with the arm.

Post some pictures at various angles
 
Her leg seems better tonight she has been using it unlike the other night. She has been getting around the tank quite a bit in the last 24hrs, but I moved things around a little when we did the water change opening up some spaces for her.

It has been easily 3 weeks since she ate. Even then it wasn't much and prior to that it had been a good week.

I had a rouge tux guppy who was killing juvies - at the time I only had two tanks working so I threw the guppy in the axy tank - it lasted about a week. We actually forgot about it. Unfortunately it has been since then that she has stopped eating. Is she just sulking and wanting live food?

I am working on some brine shrimp and have possibly sourced some glass shrimp, someone has also suggested real beef heart from the butcher, but I am recovering from ankle surgery atm and unable to drive.

how do I add photos?
 
oh I almost forgot - she spent the first 3yrs of her life in warmer water because we lived in the northern parts of Western Australia. The ph etc is fine but I have dropped the temp for Bruce as he was stressed with the warmer water. It now sits about 18-22 depending on the day. Trying to find a happy medium between the two.
 
Glad to hear that she has been using her leg.
Have you tried ordering earthworms over the internet? They are very good for axolotls.
As for posting pictures, as you are replying to a message scroll down to the section that says "attach files" and click on the button that says "manage attachments" that will take you to a screen that will allow you to upload pictures. :happy:
 
I have earthworms - got them from a friends worm farm, but she refuses them :(:confused:
 
You may need to cut the earthworms into smaller pieces, unless it's a very small one. It will also need to be rinsed, soaked, or blanched as worms can sometimes release an unpleasant taste. Keep trying with the earthworms as they are very good for axolotls. :happy:
 
ok thank you will try this - she's started losing weight :(
 
Do you know what sort of worm they are? A lot of people use red wigglers for composting and typical farming purposes, however they taste AWFUL to axolotls. Mine will all refuse them. Ask your friend what worm she uses. If she doesn't, I recommend buying some European Nightcrawlers from Amazon. I usually go and buy Uncle Jim's worms. Make sure they're European Nightcrawlers, too! I've accidentally gotten red wigglers and boy, did my axolotls give me the dirtiest look for it.
 
hmmm ok we have even tried sauteeing them in garlic - apparently they like garlic lol

will look into getting different worms! Nightcrawlers ok thanks
 
Lol! Lucky lotls that you're willing to sauté worms for them. But yes try European Nightcrawlers!
 
:lol:
The thought of you sautéing worms in garlic make me laugh.
Keep trying with the nightcrawlers, but if you get absolutely desperate you can try axolotl pellets, fish, prawns etc. I'd suggest that you do this if you are really very worried about her weight, and still keep trying with the worms, because they really are very good for axolotls.
Best of luck and keep us posted.
 
My Axolotl would not eat earth worms (dendrobaena), took a month of not feeding him since he's the most stubborn Axolotl alive. But as of the last 2 days he's eaten 4 worms. I blanche the worms in a plastic container, pour boiling water on them wait for a few seconds then pour the water out and add freezing cold water, if they don't cop it from the first boil repeat the process again. Blanching makes the worm secrete the yellow fluid which is supposed to be used as a deterrent to predators as its tastes bad and smells bad.

I found this thread with it being discussed:

' In case anyone else is curious... it seems that the secretion is called coelomic fluid and is a complex proteinaceous mix of antibacterials and immunogenic compounds. Some of the bacteriolytic factors have thiol-activated groups to coordinate metal ions. This makes me wonder if it these thiols may contribute to the foul taste... I'll have to keep digging to see if a more conclusive linkage is known, though.

Non-science definition - the worm's secretion contains a handful of proteins meant to prevent infection, kill bacteria, and ward off would-be-eaters. One compound contains thiols, which are type of sulfur linkage in organic compounds. Thiols can have a foul odor and can be found in familiar smells like skunk spray, skunked beer, onions, and garlic. This may or may not be what gives the worms a foul taste, but hey, you learned something.... '

http://www.caudata.org/forum/f1173-advanced-newt-salamander-topics/f11-food-live-frozen-freeze-dried-pellets-etc/f17-earthworms-nightcrawlers-etc/61616-dendrobaena-earthworms.html
 
Hey Chris, congratulations on getting your axolotl to eat earthworm after persisting for a month. :happy:
I think I've been quite lucky that all of mine will accept earthworms, usually cut in half as they seem to prefer half a worm twice a day than one large worm. My juvenile wild type is very keen on anything, worms, pellets, prawns, mussels, he is never a problem to feed, but I do have to keep an eye on how much he eats as he is quite a bit fatter than the others. :D
 
haha thanks for that Chris. I am seriously grossed out but love the info at the same time! My hubby has taken over trying her with the worms, just grossed me out too much! But I think Bertie wins the Most Stubborn Axy award as its been easily 2 months since she has really eaten and all because she got a taste of live food :/

I did how ever get her to take a pellet the other day so I'm no longer overly worried about her and more convinced she's just being stubborn lol

since baby days I have always dropped her pellets near her head to encourage her nature hunting instincts and she is a quick snap as soon as she feels the movement/smells etc. Two days ago I "tried" dropping some near her - she ignored the first three but promptly snapped the 4th and swam off in a huff lol :p
 
I was a bit grossed out when feeding live earthworms to my axolotls, especially when I had to cut the worms in half. I am also a keen gardener, so quite fond of worms in the garden. Still, it had to be done, but I did find it a little easier when I blanched the worms because they died quickly, and didn't move when I cut them. Also, due to the colour change when blanching, I could try to convince myself that it was just "meat" rather than worms. :eek:
 
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