Impacted? bleeding from cloaca plz help!

[crickit785]

I recently purchased A melanoid axolotl from my local pet store. He seemed fine when I got him except pooing out rocks from the gravel the pet store had him on. I thought he had passed them all and thought nothing more of it. A couple weeks later he began gulping for air quite often and just sitting at the top of the water on a peice of driftwood in my tank, then he began not eating and started looking swollen. Now he is bleeding from his cloaca and his genitals look very swollen. The pet store said they would reimburse my money of give me a new axolotl. I am very upset with the pet store becuase they don't seem to know how to take care of any kind of salamanders that they choose to carry. So anyway I really don't know what to do with my little friend. I don't want him to die but he seems like it would be very painful! Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[jAfFa CaKe]

Hi,
Pictures would help, a lot. It sounds kind of like a cloaca prolapse. But I don't know. It could be impaction. I'm not sure about the swelling.

 

[keiko]

I'd take the axie to a vet. If he is bleeding from his cloaca, there could be some serious damage caused by the rocks.

 

[crickit785]

Here are some pics

 

[Bette]

Oh, poor thing! Yes, you need to bring him to the vet at this point I believe.

 

[Chinadog]

Yes, I agree. Any injury that damages the Cloaca area is bad news. That redness looks like infected tissue to me, it looks to have spread down the inside of the back legs already. I would keep him in the fridge and get him to a vet as soon as possible.