Illness/Sickness: i think i did something very bad.

[italianprincess]

i know we already have posts about floating axolotls, mine is floating, she cannot sit on the bottom, her whole back end floats. But i'm very very new at this and i had a bucket sitting for tomorrows partial water change, as the tank is still cycling it had been there about six hours, as i don't yet have any water testing kits, i got really worried and upset and in my haste to help her i preformed the water change after the bucket had only been sitting approximatley six hours. i've made it worse haven't i? what can i do! she's a juvenile and when i poured the new water in, her boyfriend bit her, so i think i've really scared them. i bought her four days ago, and she was fed pellets in a tank with small gravel, is it the pet shops fault and not mine? my tank has HUGE rocks in it, they can't be swallowed. the other axolotl in the same tank seems to be perfectly healthy. i think thats all the information, please help!

 

[froggy]

Hi Italian Princess
First of all don't panic! If the other axolotl is still OK then the water change hasn't done any damage. Look for some information on http://www.axolotl.org/ (the axie part of this site) - particularly at this point http://www.axolotl.org/faq.htm#45
Try separating the floating axolotl to a shallow tub with water in so that she is just submerged and not floating so helplessly. Overly warm water can contribute to this problem, so what temperature is their tank at? It shouldn't get over 25 degrees C, and ideally should be 20 or lower. If the water is too warm, try to keep it cooler (putting frozen water botles into the tank at intervals is a short-term solution). You can also put the floating axie into the fridge for a while (in the shallow tub), which often helps sort it out.
Stress can precipitate this condition, so the move involved in bringng them home may have tipped the balance, particularly in warm water.
Will she still take food? If she will still eat that will help to pass the trapped gas.

Good luck

Chris

 

[italianprincess]

i havent seen her eat once since i bought her home, how long do i put her in the fridge for? the water is definatley cold.

 

[gr33neyes]

Ok, stop worrying.
Floating can be entirely normal for an axolotl.
It can be an indication that it has gulped too much air when it has come up for air.
It can also be an indication that it wants to 'poo'.
Some axolotls just like to float, they are lazy, floating requires no effort.
Ok lets look at it from your axolotls point of view.

Its been scooped up and put into a new home where it doesn't know what is going to happen to it, or why.
There are new views and new noises.
Everything is different. Its wary and possibly stressed.
It doesnt want to eat just yet, its still settling in.
Give it time.

 

[froggy]

If the water is cold then you don't need to bother with the fridge. If it cannot leave the surface, then I would advise putting her into a shallower tub so that she can touch the bottom. Keep her somewhere out of the way and dimly lit so she can calm down. Then just wait for things to settle down. Try feeding earthworms occasionally if pellets don't do the trick, but don't disturb her for a day or so. Hopefuly it will resolve itself when she passes the gas.

 

[italianprincess]

thank you so much both of you for your help, i stayed up till 6am with her last night and by the time i went to bed she'd stopped floating, happily sitting on the bottom again, its as if she thinks its funny to scare me or something! i'm beginning to think she might indeed like floating as when she does this she just floats without moving and even when i touch her it takes a few times for her to bother to move.

 

[froggy]

Glad to hear she's on the bottom again!

 

[italianprincess]

thanks! she passed eight little rocks and one big one which i found at the bottom of the tank. i've removed them and she hasn;t floated since.