HELP, red cloaca? Raised legs.

[ACotto27]

Hey guys, my axolotl just recently pooped after having it stuck half way out for 2 days. His and region is very red and his back legs are raised. Is this something I should worry about?

 

[Hayleyy]

What is he eating? And do you use a feeding jar/plate to feed? I would recommend taking the sand out until he is bigger if you can. Sand is safe for axolotls except when they're little babies as it can impact them the same way gravel does with adults. This may have caused his issue pooping, and irritated his cloaca.
Fridging might help, or dropping his tank temp down to 10 degrees or so if you have a chiller.

 

[ACotto27]

He eats 1-3 segments of an earthworm everyday(depends on how much he’ll eat) we do have plates in the sand for him to eat off of, unfortunately I’ve had to hand feed him because he won’t hunt around for food. Is there a good way to remove the sand without emptying the water? I’ve considered fridging, but wanted to allow sufficient time for it to pass on its own before resorting to that. I do not have a chiller(they’re way out of my price range lol) but the water is kept 68F-70F during the day, and drops to 64F-66F at night time. This is achieved by placing the tank under our AC vent and having a small desk fan blowing across the surface constantly.

 

[Hayleyy]

You can try an aquarium gravel siphon. For me at least when I use it it always sucks up the sand. It will suck up water too but as long as you use lots of buckets you can always put the water back in. Just take your axie out first so the water movement isn't stressful.
Fridging is the best solution to digestion problems as far as I'm aware.