hasn't eaten for two weeks!

[Arwen]

hi!
i wrote here about my sick axie not long ago. he is still alive and appears to be healthier. his toe tips have gone black, which i think means he is maturing (??). he seems to be healthy, however he hasnt eaten in two weeks and i just dont know why! his water conditions are good, his skin appears healthy and clear, he moves about quite a bit and responds to touch and light. i have tried all of frozen bloodworms (which is supposedly what he was eating before i got him but i have never seen him eat anything), earthworms (live), bits of beef, and even 'axolotl pellets', a last unhopeful attempt. he is tiny and very skinny. his tummy is thinner than the width of his head. my other girl is large and healthy and round (perhaps a little too round...) and i just dont get it. they are in seperate tanks but i am looking to house them together asap. any advice on what i should do or how worried i should be would be greatly appreciated. thanks!:happy:

 

[kapo]

You are just going to have to keep persevering day by day. One of ours took 7.5 weeks before she started eating again. Rather than keeping her in a tank, I kept her in a icecream container, changed water completely daily, and tried varying foods day by day. Occasionally leaving part of a worm in with her for an hour or so; or piece of meat. If it remained uneaten removing it and trying again the next day.

It can take a lot of time, patience and worrying (on your part). Until he actually improves and starts eating you'll have to keep them separated rather than rushing into housing them together.

 

[dancas]

Our babies have had a very hard time of late... smashed tank, fungus, one tankmate dying, new larger tank, ph conditions almost lethal high ammonia, but today we finally got all 3 to eat..

snape went 3 weeks not eating, then ate for a few days, then stopped eating for a couple of weeks, now hes eating every day... weve had molly for 6 weeks and today was the second day (the first was a few weeks ago) that she has eaten.... and weasley will only go for mealworms that are still wriggling.. snape and molly are a wee bit skinny so im going to feed them daily for a few days till they fatten up, then to the every 2nd day.... just hang in there and offer the food, they will take it when ready.......

 

[childish_elpenor]

Gosh, 7 weeks?

I hope they appreciate how much we worry over them. When my first died, my other didn't eat for about 2 weeks. It's just a waiting game, trying to get them as least stressed as possible. Hope everything goes well.

 

[louise]

My axies love raw salmon as a treat, or frozen prawns.

 

[Arwen]

ah! thanks for all the help, i had no idea that they could actually survive so long without food?! that makes me feel alot better, as i was thinking that two weeks without eating would surely kill him. i will keep perservering and hopefully he will come round soon.

 

[Arwen]

AAARGH! I'm so excited! My little fella has finally eaten today! he ate two half worms, one was a really big fat bit I tested his water the other day while he was still in the seperate tank, and i have been having trouble keeping the ammonia down in the isolation tank. It has always had a small reading. The ph was about 6.6 in that tank and the filter wasnt the best... also it was pretty small. But gradually in that tank (since being rescued close to death from the pet store) he began to look better. He stopped floating (thanks to a couple of days in the fridge), began being a bit more active and started holding his head up more (instead of the usual nose on the floor, im so miserable look). But he still wasnt eating. So after careful consideration, i decided that he posed no real risk to my bigger axie as not eating was the only remaining symptom that something was wrong. Her tank is far far bigger and established (no ammonia, good ph reading and good filter), so i put him in there with her. After a bit of a nip on the tail, and putting up with getting walked on quite a bit, after only three days in this tank he has now eaten his first worms!
Thanks for all the help everyone, im feeling very positive about little Pheonix making a good recovery. Hopefully i can now work on feeding him up to a healthy weight, waiting patiently for him to grow his gills back, and taking care of him for many many years to come. :happy:

 

[dancas]

congratulations!!!! I know that elated feeling when they start eating again....its like YeeHaaaaa, whos a good little bubbie!!! mummys so proud of you.. ohh yes she is!! my 3 absolutley inhaled their bloodworms this morning......