Question: Fungus...?

[AshSeek]

Okay so i know there are tons of posts about fungus and such... I am trying to help a friends adult male axolotl regrow a back leg and bit of tail and fingers off of a front leg... been checking on him, keeping an eye out for fungus.. but i do think his back leg is starting to get a little on it.. what are the early signs of fungus and can someone tell me step by step how to treat for it with salt bath.. or any other recommend way to get rid of it.. i'd rather get it taken care of early. also what type of salt to use..
Thanks.

 

[AshSeek]

And to clarify, i'm curious just to know what fungus starts out like and if this is, i know its cottony and white but i've never experienced this with an axolotl in person, and to make sure that it is the beginning of fungus and not partly regenerating or something.
Thank you!

 

[auntiejude]

If you're dealing with an injury you need to differentiate between dead white skin and any kind of infection. You'll often find that skin peels off at the site of an injury, and can look like something much worse that it really is.

Fungus is pretty distinctive - have a search on here for pictures. It's definately cottony, and usually appears as a little ball or tuft. It often irritates the axie and you will see it twitch and try to scratch at the affected part.

I would recommend indian almond leaves as a preventative measure for both fungus and bacterial infections if you're nursing an injured axie. Salt baths would be irritating to already sore skin, I would try a chlorinated bath instead if needed (just a short soak in untretaed tap water).

 

[JM29]

HI,

I recently (this spring) had a big problem with two of my axies.
I think it was my fault : I should have cleaned their tank long ago.
There appear to have fought and the female had severe injuries on the legs and the tip of the tail. This behavior was abnormal and possibly triggered by bad conditions.

They both (female at a higher level) had a suspect redish colour which made me suspect bacterial infection, but there were also cottony tufts developing on the wounds during the following days.

Then I decided to separate them and to place them in exterior tanks (fortunately I have a garden) in a shady place with clean water, dead oak leaves and a lot of plants (Egeria densa). I also cut off the dead parts of the legs.

Nowadays, both axies do very well and leg and tail regeneration is effective.

I think Auntiejude gave also a good advice and oak leaves and indian almond leaves perhaps have similar effects.