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Help! My Axolotl won't eat, skinny and seems really unwell

Blakeleyl

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Hey all,

I've had my Axolotl Toki for nearly two years now, I bought her when she was barely 5" long and she has since grown to around 11" long and over that time I've never had any problems with her. Until now.

Recently she started to eat a bit less then usual before stopping altogether a bit over 2 (maybe even 3) weeks ago. I usually feed her Axolotl pellets as she had displayed something of a fondness for them and occasionally put small feeder fish in with her as a treat, seems to like them too! Or at least she did... I've continually tried to coax her into eating but she has made no attempt to even lunge at what is offered. Worse still, she has lost a great deal of weight and become skinny like she was when I first bought her. Her gills are looking terrible, very bare and appear to be receding a little. She also comes up for air much more often then usual. And just today, she appeared to have a bright green goopy secretion coming out instead of regular poop.

I'm worried sick about her, I don't know what could be the matter. She is kept in a tank with a very fine sand on the base which has never presented me with any problems. It is summer and it does get awfully hot out here despite my best efforts to keep it otherwise. We recently bought her a buddy about 3 months ago but that axolotl unfortunately died within 3 weeks of us buying him, we suspected impaction, the pet store keep their axies on small gravel pieces which they shouldn't, but could it be something that is now affecting Toki?

The only other variable that has changed recently is our district council, against the town's insistance, has started putting fluoride in our water. I've had no problems with using our tap water in the last year and 10 months but could this be what is making my axie so unwell?

Or could it simply be that Toki is just desperate (to the point of starving in protest) for something different to eat?

Sorry for the epic huge post, but I am really concerned for my buddies well being, any and all help would be much appreciated.
 

iChris

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Trying other types of food could be a start.

I feed my axolotl worms from my worm farm, he loves them and the wriggling of the worms seems to entice him even more.

what is your setup like? how big is your tank? your water chemistry? and what type of filter do you use?

lots of things can stress axolotls out.

some pictures would be a great help.
 

Blakeleyl

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I'll try to get some pics up shortly. The tank is fairly large (I don't know the exact size off the top of my head) My filter is an Aqua One 700 series. Its a very large external unit. I'm not sure about the water chemistry as I have no means of testing it, I'll have to get a hold of something when the shops are open tomorrow.
 

callina

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Hi,

there could be several reasons.

1) Did you quaratine the new axie or have both ever been together in the same tank? Before putting them together you should keep them 30 days separated, to clarify the health of the new one.
2) I´m not sure, if the flouride in your tap water may cause any problems, but maybe it´s possible.
3) Pellets have been the main diet? Pellets are very nutritious and overfeeding may cause problems with his liver - green poo can be an indication.

I would suggest to bring him to a vet for a smear test from his cloaca to clarify if it´s a bacterial problem. The vet can also test the poo for parasites.
Then you should put him into the fridge in a container filled with bottled water for the heeling process.
You should feed him more variety. Earthworms are the best food for axies. But you may also feed him occasional ...take a look here: http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/foods.shtml.

Tina
 

Blakeleyl

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Thanks Tina, Liver problems could well be an issue as for a while Toki was flat out rejecting fish in favour of pellets. Our new Axie was quarantined (had read this was important) for about 28 days if memory serves correct. After a week it began to seem unwell and after a week of suffering he passed away.

I'm not sure if I can take her to a vet as the only one I know off was unable to treat our other axolotl and I don't know if there is one in town that can.

I've tried feeding Toki some earthworms but she doesn't even lunge at them. Here are some pics of the Tank and Toki.

DSC_0859.jpg


DSC_0866.jpg


It's worth pointing out I think that Toki is spending a lot of time at the water's surface. This doesn't appear to be a balance issue, she isn't involuntarily being dragged up to the surface, she is simply avoiding diving to the bottom and is actually poking her head out of the water a lot.
 

iChris

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Your axie seems to have barley any gills at all. does it gasp at the surface? because that could be one of the reasons why he is hanging around at the top, as axies I believe have the ability to breathe small amounts of air to a certain extent, this could be why it pokes its head out of the water.

what is your water chemistry like? ammonia, PH and such?
 

Blakeleyl

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I had a look for something I could test the water with when I was out today but couldn't find anything that was readily available. Even our local Coles didn't have anything of the sort or at least not while I was there. Most of our stores are open only on week days, so I'll have to get something tomorrow which shouldn't be a problem.

Toki has been gasping at the surface a lot more then usual. Although for the last couple of hours between my posts she seems to have settled down and is hanging around the bottom like she normally would, I have the tank right by my desk so I've been able to keep an eye on her this whole time. And its a terrible shame about her Gills :( They were so pretty and yet they deteriorated very quickly :(
 
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Blakeleyl

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Ok I managed to get a basic Ph tester from the pet store and spoke with the manager at great length about Toki's problems and:


  • Just did the Ph Test, it turned a bright blue indicating around a 9 on every Ph chart I could compare to.
  • According to the manager of the pet store they have had similar problems with their marine life since fluoride was introduced into the city's water supply. They have been loosing a lot of fish in particular since this development. Personally I suspect this may have a lot to do with it. So did the pet store manager.
  • They had nothing I could test ammonia with but they do have these mats that you cut to fit your filter and supposedly they take reduce the water's ammonia content, would this be a worthwhile investment?
  • They also had a water purifier that should remove the fluoride, worthwhile or could it just cause more problems?
  • In respects to diet, they had brine shrimp eggs available. I noticed earlier that shrimp was a good possible food source for an axolotl, should I give these a shot since Toki rejected the earthworms?
I'm going to fridge Toki for the first time tonight and overnight clean out and sterilise her whole set up. Tank, filter everything. I'll then try refilling the tank with either spring water from my grand parent's house if it is suitable (its from their own supply so no fluoride) or I'll get some suitable bottled water if thats what it will take. Any and all advice is muchly appreciated at this point. Wish us luck.
 

Blakeleyl

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Just tested a sample of the spring water from my Grand parents and it's around a 7. I've been using Bromothymol droplet tester for my PH testing.

So surely this water must be better for Toki?
 

Kaysie

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You should be testing for Ammonia and Nitrite as well. They're much more important than pH. But yes, a more neutral water will be healthier.
 

Blakeleyl

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Well Toki seems to be doing better now, she still hasn't eaten but her gills are showing signs of re-growth :) I might put her in the fridge again tonight to try and accelerate the healing process (and at the same time avoid what is an uncomfortably hot day)
 

Kaysie

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Now you need to figure out what was wrong with your tank, so this doesn't happen again.

Glad she's looking better! Keep trying to offer food.
 

Blakeleyl

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So an update on the situation, Toki had seemed to be improving the last couple of days. I'd put some cherry shrimp in with her to see if they'd tickled her fancy. One's either hiding or she actually ate one cos I can only find 4 of the 5 I bought.

Alas that's where the good news ends. Today she has been extremely lethargic and while I was away getting dinner she seemed to weaken to the point where she was struggling to move. I found her on her side, she looked dead at first. She flared her gills and tried to move but didn't seem to have the strength to pull herself up. I've put a small amount of bottled water in a tub so it is very shallow and put her in it. Hoping th is way she won't be trapped too far down if she needs to breathe.
I'm not sure what to do and I honestly feel quite helpless to save her :'(

*edit*
Found the missing shrimp, hiding in a plant. So she hasn't eaten at all...I'm afraid she's to weak from not eating. When she stopped eating she became so thin she's almost skeletal and that hasn't improved.
 
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Blakeleyl

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Well it seems Poor Toki hasn't made it. Thanks everyone for helping anyway, better to have tried and lost then not tried at all.

I don't know if I could see myself getting another Axolotl again, I just don't feel like it would be in capable hands after what's happened. Anyway, thanks again guys.

R.I.P Toki. Will miss you lil buddy :(
 

dragongirl413

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Aw :( Sorry for your loss of Toki. If you get a full water testing kit (with ammonia, nitrate, nitrite testers besides the pH) I think you should definitely try axolotls again. Just look up the cycling process, make sure your tank is stable and cycled, and then maybe get another axie. I felt like a failure when I lost the first "larvae/almost juveniles" I got (half the breeder's stock soon developed a fungal infection that killed mine). I ended up getting an adult axie from a friend and have successfully cared for him :). Your tank looks very nice, I think if you want to invest in a more thorough testing kit and try to figure out what went wrong, you should eventually try axies again since you really seem to like them! :)
 

Blakeleyl

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Thanks Kelpie, yeah I do, I'd always wanted one as a child but I was never allowed to, thats a terrible shame about those juveniles too, they're so cute!

I'll give it a bit of time and see if I feel up to getting another, the defeatist outlook could just be my grief talking. If I did, I'd definately be sure to get everything as perfect as possible so that I don't have to go through this again if I can help it.
 

iChris

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Sorry for your loss, I lost my first axie to a nasty fungal infection, dispute following the proper treatment outlined in the help articles and advice from the other forum users on this website.

Just try to isolate the problem and find out what went wrong, try starting again and re-cycling your tank form scratch, add a few goldfish or something and let it cycle for a month, and give It another shot.

My uncle successfully kept the same axolotl for 12 years, until it died of old age simply by meeting the needs of the animal, and I'm sure you can do the same.
 

xHazelx

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Hello everyone, so very gutted. Same as the owner of Toki, we had our Axolotl for over 2 years old. His name is Tiger, tried everything to help this little guy, but feel so helpless it's so sad to see him slowly get weaker. Tried the water testing, found the water had a slight bitter tang to it. Especially when drinking it. Even tried water purifier to get the bad stuff out of it. And the water filter Britta. I can't bear seeing him like this. :( Even with what strength it has left it still tries to move. Is there anything I can do to help him not suffer anymore? Or try and get him interested in food? Why does the water company have to change or add chemicals to it? My name is Hazel. He hasn't eaten in 5 weeks now.
 
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