Question: Help me please!

[Axyloverxx]

I am 12 and i usually clean my Axy's tank out with my dad. But he recently suffered a heart attack and i haven't been living with him, so i couldn't clean my Axys out. One of my Axys (Melanoid) has recently started to get a really squishy and big stomach ( i feed them Axy pellets and Axy meats) and i think she is a girl, My other Axy (White) has just stayed normal and i think he is a boy. Is there something wrong with her? They are both around 3.5 years of age and i dont know what to do! Please help me i want to be able to care for my Axy's properly!!!!

 

[inkozana]

If you have a boy and a girl axy then it's possible they're going to have some babies- the chubbyness of your girl is due to the eggs she will lay (if that is the case) I'm very sorry about your father as well
However if your axys are both boy and boy or girl and girl then they won't be having babies and the fatness may be due to constipation (yuck!) or that your axy has swallowed some pebbles in your tank.
What kind of rocks/pebbles/sand do you have in your tank for your axy's to sit on?
If you could get a photo of you axolotl and post it up here it would be really helpful.
If you're not sure how to post a photo we can help you with that too

 

[Axyloverxx]

Umm thank you so much!
Heres a photo of my girl Axy
We have pebbles around the size of a small dice- at the littlest

 

[gr33neyes]

Ok the pebbles may be the problem.
I think the best thing you can do right now is find a tub (2 litre ice cream tub is fine) or a container you can put your axolotl in. Fill this with some water from the tank and put the axolotl in it.
Then put the container in the fridge.
You need to prepare some water for water changes. The water in the container needs to be totally changed every day. Keep some bottles of dechlorinated water in the fridge for your water changes, that way the water will be the same temperature and won't be a shock to your axolotl.
Your axolotl can stay in the fridge for a week or two and hopefully she will pass some of the pebbles if that is the problem here.
You can offer her some food during this time but she may not want it as putting them in the fridge makes them less hungry.
Give it a week and see how it goes, come back to us and let us know how its going.
Good luck.

 

[Axyloverxx]

Are you sure?
I'm going to change the pebbles for sand tomorrow. Is there any other way than freezing them? will she experience any pain?
She is almost 4 so she might just be full of eggs?

 

[inkozana]

Axy's wont be harmed by the sudden drop in temperature there is no need to worry If anything it definitely de-stresses them and helps them to relax (it's like us humans taking a nice warm bath). It also helps them poop out any stones they might have swallowed.
Has she been 'going to the bathroom' on a regular basis? If not then you might want to hold back on feeding her for a while- the less food she is given the more her body will digest the current food she has and if she isn't pooping enough it means she might be constipated- and we need to get that gunk out of her, pronto!

 

[Jan]

Are you sure?
I'm going to change the pebbles for sand tomorrow. Is there any other way than freezing them? will she experience any pain?

Please note - do not freeze the axie - that would be fatal. The recommendation was to place the animal in the refrigerator at refrigerated temperatures to allow her to cool. That will not cause pain.

 

[Axyloverxx]

Okay thank you so much!
IS there anything i need to while fridging her?
Yes as far as i can tell shes been pooping enough so i dont know whats wrong>.....

 

[gr33neyes]

Right while she is in the fridge hopefully recovering, I would like to ask you some questions.
You said your axolotl is about 3 1/2 years old. Have you owned them all this time?

Do you ever test your water for anything such as ammonia or ph?

How often where you cleaning them out before your dad became ill?
Is there anyone else who could help you with them?