Eric is VERY sick

[stuart]

Hi Everyone.
Eric has been my trusty companion for months now. But he became really sick this week. He is bloated, (and I assume he is a he…. Who would call a girl Eric?) he does not move, he hasn’t eaten in a week.

I realised the water was to acidic and I have moved him to another aquarium. The temp is 25 Celsius and the Ph is about 7.4. He has been in there overnight and he ate his first worm in a week.

In trying to figure out what is wrong I learned that meal worms aren’t really good for him so I will be switching to earth worms.

Anyway. I put him in a big clear bowl overnight to see if he would pass any stones. Thought he may have accidentally eaten some. He didn’t pass anything and that’s when I moved him into the new aquarium.

I hear some of you put your axolotls in the fridge … why?

Any ideas guys? I am worried sick!

 

[stuart]

This is eric ...
You can see how bloated he is. His back legs are floating. What should I do?

 

[joan]

First off, if you're keeping him on that small white gravel, he very well could have ingested some. Second, mealworm shells can get backed up in the digestive tract. So he could have a blockage. Putting him in the fridge allows him time to pass or throw up whatever's in the stomach without starving. In your case, I think it's a really good idea to stick him in the fridge for a few days. Get a spare bottle of water and stick it in next to him so you can change his water daily with water that's the same temperature.

 

[sharn]

25C is a bit on the hot side but your from aussie so its understandable. he certanly looks like a girl in that pic lol poor bugger

 

[cake]

Yeah the gravel is a problem, you should give him a bare floor. When you stick him in the fridge wait for a few days to see if anything happens.

It definately looks like a male but still keep an eye on it's cloacal region because major swelling can indicate that an organ has packed up but that's rare.

 

[stuart]

Thought you might all like an update.

First of all. The image of Eric that was posted to the forum initially does not show where he has been living. He has been living in a smaller aquarium that has much larger pebbles as strata…much to large to swallow.

Eric was admitted to a local animal hospital for observation and treatment. The surgeon was able to extract 10ml of fluid from his abdomen using a hypodermic syringe. Based on the fluid that was removed, the surgeon deduced that we were looking at an infection … presumably a kidney infection.

He has been in the hospital now since Friday and I have been advised he is responding well to his course of antibiotics. The surgeon (a genius by the Name of Mark Simpson) believes Eric should be well enough to come home on Tuesday.

I am cleaning, upgrading and adding to his tank so that he will be as comfortable as possible by the time he gets home.

Thanks for your help everyone.

 

[stuart]

Oh by the way Eric really is an Eric and Not an Erica. The swelling is related to the kidney infection and get his … er… tackle was indeed affected.

 

[sharn]

yeah haha thats what i was saying lol. wow! lucky you found a good vet aye? keep us updated on his progress plese! i wonder how he got it...

 

[cake]

Haha poor little guy lets hope he's ok then sheesh if only my vet was on to it like that....