Earthworms dangerous?

[Brad]

I decided to feed Pinky an earthworm the other day, I dangled it in front of him, he grabbed it spat it out and the worm crawled into a cavity between his gills and his neck I tried to get it out only making it wriggle in further until it wasn't visible. The next morning I found Pinky covered in a strange white membrane dead. Has anyone had anything like this happen?

 

[carlos]

wow.. i have never heard of anything like it. i would just like to say im so sorry for your experience and your loss:sad:

 

[niajetze]

have had a worm get stuck inthe same place you talked about but it was irritating the axieso I helped her out ...i dont know if a worm could kill an axe like this (but I doubt it) I would always advise supervising axies when it comes to lunch time as

if there are fights you can stop them
you can monitor how much they are eating
note behaviour changes
if you are feeding live food you can make sure it doesnt crawl of and die somewhere

I know you did and tried to help... I am very sorry for your loss what was the white film like exactly?

 

[Brad]

It's hard to describe or liken it to anything I've experienced with Axies before but it was a clear/white very thin film that covered him head to toe. I've seen a white fungus before but this was nothing like that.

Previous to this I had noticed a size difference in his cloaca (getting much larger.) The water checks out fine the temp is good and his tank mates (also axies) are all looking as healthy as ever tho I have moved them for the time being to be safe. But the only conclusion I can come to is the worm as odd as it may sound.

 

[g_k]

i have noticed this hole on one of mine, sometimes blood worm comes out of it when yoshi is eating. not sure if the others have it. what a horrible thing to happen. really sorry for you and your axi.

the white stuff may have been his slime coat.

 

[Bellabelloo]

Hi g-k
I was wondering, where you saying there was a hole on your axolotl that a worm comes out of?... or is it me miss undersatanding something again?

 

[tashie7161]

I normally cut earthworms up into pieces, less chance of anything happening. Also i do have axie in one tank and krystal in the 3ft tank, because axel has a small tank i just feed him straight into it and just watch him until every things gone (i do 100% water changes with him because hes not that big and in a small tank until bigger). Krystals in a 3ft tank so i put her in a tub and feed her in the tub, this helps to see how much shes eating has keeps the tank cleaner because the food stays in the tub and then i put her back in the tank.

 

[Kaysie]

There is still a gill slit present in axolotls. Behind their gill stalks, there is an opening from the oral cavity to the outside. Worms can (and do!) come out of this.

Brandon, I think the death of your axolotl was coincidental. Dead axolotls can decay fairly quickly, causing a film or something of the sort around the axolotl. I doubt its death had anything to do with the worm coming out of the gill slit. That is a fairly normal occurrence, not life-threatening. Your mention of the swelling cloaca leads me to think impaction is what might have killed your axolotl.

 

[niajetze]

Yeah I was just reading through and it does seem like impaction to me also I was a bit off put buy the slime but I think goldfish etc can get a white slime shortly after they die possibly to do with living in the water or the 'slime' that coats there skin but did think it could be something similar (obviously not the same as these are axolotls) good to hear (see) someone else thinking along the same lines.... did you have gravel in your tank at all as I doubt the worm was the cause.

 

[Brad]

nah I dont have gravel in the tank, impaction? what do you mean by that?

by the way thank you everyone on your help and condolences

 

[ragon]

that is so sad im so sorry omg *tear*

 

[Kaysie]

Impaction is where matter builds up in the intestines and is unable to be passed. It's usually caused by inappropriately sized substrate.

 

[g_k]

mine didnt have the worm. yoshi just squirts blood worm al over the tank when eating!

 

[Jake]

I decided to feed Pinky an earthworm the other day, I dangled it in front of him, he grabbed it spat it out and the worm crawled into a cavity between his gills and his neck I tried to get it out only making it wriggle in further until it wasn't visible. The next morning I found Pinky covered in a strange white membrane dead. Has anyone had anything like this happen?

I was at a friend's house feeding his biggest axolotls and one of the white albino males grabbed a rather large earthworm. The same thing happened to him, the worm was going into his mouth and coming out of his right gill. That axolotl was ok, and currently lives with me. I'm not sure what could have killed yours. All axolotls have a small opening directly under their external gills, but it's just difficult to see most of the time.