Injured arm

[JLCoolJ]

Hey everyone!

I've got 2 juvenile axolotls, 1 wild-type and 1 leucistic and I've had them for roughly 2 and half months.
The leucistic, Snork, has bitten off the wild-type, Spook's arm in the past and it's healed really well. However yesterday when I went to change the water in the tank, Snork got a little snappy because I think she thought it was feeding time and she snapped at Spook's other arm : (
The bitten arm is still attached but isn't moving the way it did before, it is a little limp but it does move a little from time to time. There is some tissue hanging down from the wound. I've attached some pictures. Spook doesn't seem to be in pain and has eaten fine after his injury. I just read a thread about someone who fridged their axie when it's arm was dangling after an attack and then amputated it themselves and unfortunately it didn't survive and now I'm worried. There doesn't seem to be any fungus. Water is around 18 degrees.
Should I just keep a close eye on it? Any advice appreciated!

Jen xoxo

 

[Nemesea]

From what i have read juveniles they tend to heal quite well, so i would keep a eye on him/her and look out for infections ect, and make sure s/he's eating and pooping like usual, (also keep a close eye on the levels in the tank as i think increased ammonia / nitrites can lead to fungus infections in wounds (not too sure tho) and as to fidgin im not sure. hopefully someone on here will help you a lot more than me. i hope your axolotl gets better soon

 

[JLCoolJ]

Thank you! I'm having problems cycling my tank as well so the ammonia levels in there are about 0.5 despite the fact that I've been doing daily 20% water changes with a siphon for over 2 months now : (
pH levels are fine though and the temperature is 18 degrees and they're in a nice dark alcove in my room! x

 

[Nemesea]

I cant advise on cycling as I haven't done one yet... but try doing lager water changes and make sure you get the waste out of the tank as some poop could be hiding under the stones also do u have fake or live plants as live plants help cycle a tank (as long as they are taken from an established tank) also when you clean your filter media what do you use? as rinsing the media in tap water kills the good bacteria so its best to wash it gently in the water that your taking from your tank (when you do the water changes)

 

[JLCoolJ]

I was told quite a while ago not to touch my filter because if I washed it then my bacteria colony wouldn't be able to establish so I haven't cleaned it at all! Maybe that's the reason that I still have ammonia? I've just taken it out now and the sponge was filthy so I washed it as you suggested in some tank water and have popped it back in. I will be SO happy if that is the reason why. Thank you so much, I hope it gets better! xoxo

 

[Nemesea]

some people say different things some say not to wash it at all not to wash the ceramic rings or wash the sections in stages ect but it all depends on what your filter is capable of as at the min we have a cheap one and it has to be cleaned every 2 days as it starts to cut out if its not which dose put my ammonia up since its not cleaning the tank

 

[JLCoolJ]

Well in case anyone has had any experience with the filter I have, it's the Juwel Bioflow Mini Filter! It was filthy though, so I'm hoping that makes a real difference. I've been going mad waiting for the tank to cycle. I'm so excited to do tomorrows ammonia test. Is that sad?

 

[Nemesea]

im always waiting for the next test's lol at times i get up in the night to do them just to see if there is any change lol (im gonna be paranoid when we get the new tank and its cycling lol( im gonna be testing it every hour knowing me lol)

 

[JLCoolJ]

Does anyone have any further advice re: the arm?

 

[EmbryH]

When I first got Godric, he'd been bitten up and was damaged on his tail and two of his arms. We just separated him from the other axolotl, kept his water in good condition, and gave him a little extra food.

He naturally dropped his injured arms and they grew back beautifully from scratch; no fridge needed. I think that as long as your axie isn't acting particularly stressed, and as long as his wounds don't become infected with fungus or other nasties, it's probably better to keep him out of the fridge for now. Unless I'm mistaken, the lower temperatures slow their bodily functions, thus it might slow the healing process in a case like this.

Just make sure he isn't going to get nipped again while he's healing and give him a little extra as far as snacks go, just to make sure he has all the strength and energy he needs to heal up well. Also, while Godric's wounds were open, I kept him in a substrate-free container. The thought of sand and grit getting in his wounds was not a pleasant one.

Good luck!

 

[JessKB]

I experienced this when I first got into axolotls:

http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-be...olotl/76266-axolotl-deteriorating-fridge.html

The wound mine had was pretty bad. Eventually the wounded arm fell almost all the way off, and I amputated the last little piece of skin to get it off.

Keep it clean and cool. If the wound is bad, it will fall off and grow back. If not, it will jut heal up. With your cycle being weak and not finished, I wouldn't mess with your filter at all. That's not where your problem is. I made a post on your other thread about it.

 

[JLCoolJ]

Thank you both! I fed him half a big juicy worm today and he definitely doesn't have any appetite loss! I am just about to start a huge tank clear out and to take out my beach pebble substrate to avoid trapping dirt while he is healing and will stick to earthworms for now! Bye bye bloodworms x