Gill size reduction

[Sakura.M.]

What is the best way to treat gill reduction which was caused by the water getting too warm in the tank? Fridging , salt bath, tea bath? I put Sakura in the fridge following sticky's direction and did salt bath's because Sakura also had red legs. Red legs are now gone but her gills still look bad. They look Better than they did but is there anything else I can do besides Fridging? How long should I keep her in the fridge. She is still a juvenile and isn't eating like she was. Last two days only ate one Hikari pellet when she normally eats 6-10 a day. Help I am worried.

 

[snuggly time]

If she's in the fridge her metabolism will have slowed down, which is most likely why she isn't interested in food.

There's plenty of ways to keep a tank cool. I use an aquarium fan in the summer which drops the tank by a few degrees. However if your climate is very hot(?) it may be easier to invest in an aquarium chiller.

Here's some cooling techniques... Caudata Culture Articles - Cooling

How hot was the tank water? Salt baths are used to fight fungal infections. However tea baths can help sooth the skin. Indian almond leaves can also help their skin too.

 

[Emma Rose]

I had a gill problem as well, though I'm not sure how to describe it… My axolotl's gills have become less feathery and certain gill fibers have dilated while others seem to have less blood flow. Anyone have any ideas?

 

[HayleyK]

Fridging can be very stressful, especially on smaller axolotls, and is only done if there's significant injury/illness, impaction and constipation. Fridging shouldn't be necessary - having a clean, cool, dechlorinated tank should do to help the gills.

How big is your juvenile? I recently got worried because they used to eat 1.5 earthworms twice a day, last few days it's been 1 once a day. I was told as they grow up they don't need as much to eat, even though they're still juveniles. Mine are 13cm and 11cm, if yours are still quite small this may not be the case.