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Question: How to tell if an Axi is sleeping and not dead?

Zandy94

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So I found Lars a few times today a bit still and with his head resting on the sand not moving at all. His gills don't flap, nothing so after a little while I give him a liiiittle poke with the turkey baster, just to make sure, and he shuffles on. I keep thinking he's dead, so I'm being super paranoid about this as I've had him for a few weeks and I'm still getting used to his behaviour. Once again, water and everything is fine I did a 30% water change today and he got a little stressed but settled down quickly. I haven't fed him today, as he's at that age where you can feed them every other day. He's active around his tank right now, no physical changes or anything :confused:
 

keiko

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That's just normal axie behavior. No need to worry. I guess the easiest thing to do to see if they're still alive is to give them a little poke. Though my wild type sometimes totally ignores that and just stays put where ever she lands after I've touched her... Lazy little (well chubby nowadays) lotl. :D
 

Dominick

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One of my 'lotl recently died and I have to say I'd immediately noticed the difference between dead or sleeping. I can't give you any clues for what to look for but when in doubt poke them! ;)
 

Hollystark

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One time I woke up to find my SO's wildtype girl floating on her side at the top of the tank...I poked her, offered food, everything. I was sure she was dead, and I pulled her out of the tank so her body wouldn't poison the other axolotl. Halfway across the room she woke up and was very displeased. Axolotls, man...
 

Trea

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I used to have that problem with my but over time you get used to it. I recently had one of my three axi's die :( and i noticed it straight away, there where some quit obvious signs, it had gone pale and was laying on its side which deffinetly isn't the normal behaviour for a healthy live axolotl.
 

Little Girl

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I hope this all goes the same for Sirens; I just got Darla (juvenile Greater Siren) today and I'm pretty sure she's just sleeping, but I don't want to risk stressing her out by poking her because she just kind of calmed down! She's just chilling at the bottom back of the tank now, where it's nice and dark, and when I first saw her I was like "OH GOD SHE DIED!" but... reading this thread, I think she's just sleeping.

I've only ever had goldfish and betta fish, and they just always swim around; if they lay at the bottom of the tank, something is terribly wrong, so I think that's why I freaked out about Darla. :lol:
 

Sweetie

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When one of mine died, it was immediately obvious. The position was not normal. The lotl didn't look as it usually did. The moment I saw it, I could tell it was dead. On the other hand, I have read numerous tales of axies who've been given up for dead and miraculously returned to the land of the living moments after being discarded, as it were. So they can play chicken, obviously. They are extremely chilled wee beings, though. Inactivity is raised to an art form by the axolotl.
 

lilacsca

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My axie was recently floating alot in excess so I tabbed her till she was ok. I fed her and put her back in her tank. She was ok for a day then floating again no able to make her way down. I just left her be as sometimes she will work it out herself. After a while I took her put again and after a day she was nearly motionless. I thought she was dead no movement at all not even when I picked her up . I could of sworn she had died. We were about to dispose of her when her gills moved. I have since fridged her. As she is super pale and thin almost fragile looking. She's been in the fridge a day and looks a little better. And I was able to get her to move ever so slightly. This has never happened I dont know what else to do. I've also redid her tank and its been cycling since.
 
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