help! my axie has NO gills

[lizmissy2]

I haven't had my axies very long, i have one that is fine, but the other one has lost all of her gills and hasnt eaten in days. She also has lost her slime coat and doesnt move much. What can i do? I have seperated the two for now.

 

[kapo]

Did she have gills when you first got her?

What do you currently have her in (is the water tankwater or treated tapwater, ie tapwater with dechlorinator, water ager/conditioner drops added)?

Depending on the room she's in and temperature, you may need to put her in the fridge. This will calm her down if she's stressed and slow her metabolism down to give her a chance to heal. She may not eat while in the fridge if the temperature is below 8-10 degrees celcius. Water needs to be changed 100% daily.

How long have you had them, exactly?

What is your tank temperature and did you cycle your tank?

 

[lizmissy2]

She had gills when we got her, about 3 weeks ago. We had both of them in the tank with the fish and the turtles, but learned real quick they couldnt stay there. They were attacked by probably both and were missing some of their gills and toes. We seperated as soon as we knew they were being picked on. We moved last week and have yet to get a tank for the girls. We have them in a container with water, and until the last day or two they were both fine. Now this one has lost all her gills, and the other one hasnt.

 

[Kaysie]

Are they positively axolotls, or are they tiger salamander larvae?

 

[lizmissy2]

Honestly I dont know for sure now. We went to petsmart this evening to talk to one of the reptile specialists. She has had other people come in, and they got theirs for the same guy we got ours from. He apparently doesnt know what he is doing. He is giving bad advice and misinformation. We have changed the water with a dechlorinator water treatment with aloe, and are no longer putting ice in the water. (which is what the man who sold them to us told us to do) Is there any way to tell if i actually have axoltl or waterdog of tiger salamander?

 

[lizmissy2]

Actually, I have looked at the pictures and descriptions on mudpuppies and axies. I am almost positive it is an axie. It has 5 toes on the back feet. Its face looks more like a catfish. It's short, wide and flat.

 

[Jennewt]

The comparison to make is between axolotls and larval tiger salamanders. See the photo near the end of this page:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Ambystoma/A_tigrinum.shtml
Axolotls and larval tigers are nearly indistinguishable based on appearance. The best way to know which one you have is by knowing WHERE it came from. Axolotls are always captive bred, while larval tigers are caught from the wild in ponds in the USA. (And thus, axolotls are relatively expensive (over $10 each), and usually sold when they are 2-3 inches in size, while larval tigers are usually much cheaper (under $15 each) and usually sold at 3-6 inches in size.)

Is there any chance that you could post a photo of the animal? If it's a larval tiger, it may simply be going through metamorphosis. URGENTLY IMPORTANT: does the animal have an island of some kind on which to climb up out of the water? If it is morphing, it could drown.