Question: Contagious stomatitis/mouth rot?

[PatricALOTL]

Hi allll.....

I have a question concerning Stomatits/mouth rot and its contagiousness (i dont think thats a real word LOL)

if you have an axolotl in a tank and it gets mouth rot/stomatitis and then its taken out of the tank, and a completely normal axie is placed in the tank (without water changes ect) could that axolotl get infected with mouth rot/stomatitis?

so basically, my question is:
will a Stomatitis infected axie contaminate the water it lives in and then pass it on to another axie just via water....?

this proabably sounds like a stupid question...

....but i went to a pet shop and saw a beautiful albino white axie in a tank with a wild type axie. The next day i went back and saw that the albino axie was all by itself. The guy there said that the wild type was taken out because it had mouth rot, ...i asked if the albino could have gotten mouth rot too, and he said that the tank got a 15% water change and so far shes not showing any signs.

it concerned me that perhaps she could have gotten infected because the water was still contagous?????

its been a week since ive been there, but ive been thinking about it all this time, and now im just simply....curious????

all answers and comments welcome :happy:

 

[Darkmaverick]

It depends on many variables, thus it may ot may not be contagious.

- Mouth rot itself can be caused by many different types of bacteria. Some are natural saphropytic "environmental' bacteria that became opportunistic with stressed axies. These type of bacteria naturally exist in the water and should not cause harm in healthy axies. The other category are pathogenic bacteria. These don't normally live in the axie's tank and are introduced. They are capable of causing infections even in healthy axies. Among pathogenic bacteria, the way it is transmitted varies. Some float about freely in the water, whereas others require common contact (fighting/ mouthing the same piece of food etc.).

The consitution of the axie itself also plays a big role. Stressed axies become immune compromised and are susceptible to a myriad of diseases. Healthy well taken care of axies are much stronger and can fend off infections.

The husbandry also matters. Regular water changes, stable water temperature, filteration and aeration can all determine how well the bacteria thrive in the tank.

To sum up, as a general rule, assume it is contagious and always quarantine any new axies for a month or two before introduction into the main tank.

 

[PatricALOTL]

ok, so pretty much the axie at the pet shop could possibly get it too. That sounds terrible. I hope it doesnt get mouth rot, it was so beautiful and placid.

anyway thanks for the answer, i'll always keep it in mind:happy: