Question: Is my axolotl sick

[JCJ]

Hi all, just wondering if there is something wrong with my gold axolotl, I have had him since December, when I got him he was only very small probably only about 5-6 cm if that, he is now 6.5 inches. He has always been plain gold all over but now he has developed dark spots all over.. He almost looks like he's dirty.. There are also a few white spots nothing fluffy or anything like fungus.. And he has also started to swell up behind his back legs ( I'm assuming this is because he is a male and maturing??)
His behaviour hasn't changed he still eats and and acts the same as he always has the change in his skin and the swelling just has me a little concerned. His tank mate who is a bit younger hasn't had any change in his skin at all, they eat mostly worms from my worm
Farm and some axolotl pellets. The substrate is a fine sand and always has been, the place i got them from had them on sand to. The water is within parameters and is currently just under 16 degrees Celsius. Any opinions and advice would be greatly appreciated.
I'll post some pics of the swelling and his skin 3 months ago and now..

 

[JCJ]

Pic of him now..

 

[JCJ]

Best pic I could get of the swelling area, it seems to have a darker colour about it to.

 

[JCJ]

My phone is only letting me post one pic at a time lol.. This is a clearer pic of his skin...

 

[AxolotlChris]

It looks like your axolotl is nearing sexual maturity! That area that is swelling is called the Cloaca, nothing harmful. Males have a larger swollen Cloaca compared to female Axolotl at sexual maturity. Your axolotl may be laying spermatophores

 

[JCJ]

Now worries, any idea on the change in skin, like all the dark spots making him look dirty? Or is that just him maturing as well??

 

[AxolotlChris]

I have read that as Axolotl grow older their skin pigment can change slightly, also depending on their environment and food. You can also notice a difference in skin pigment when they are actively moving around or resting, they can go pale when resting as there is less blood flow. This could be why, hopefully there is a more experienced user here who could shed more light on that subject

 

[AxolotlChris]

If you want more information on the biology of Axolotl visit:

Axolotls - Biology

 

[keiko]

Looks like normal pigmentation to me. Many axolotls change color over time, especially wild types. Here's a picture of one of my wild types, only about a month or two between the two pictures and very different color.

 

[Elise]

It may be a "copper" color variant. A sure sign is if the center of the eye appears to have a reddish hue.

Here is a good thread for further reading on coppers: http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-be...ral-discussion/72854-colour-named-copper.html

 

[vanjaif]

Looks like normal pigmentation to me. Many axolotls change color over time, especially wild types. Here's a picture of one of my wild types, only about a month or two between the two pictures and very different color.

WOW, that change is sick! :happy: Your lotl is really beautiful!

 

[Petersgirl]

He does look to me like he is a Copper variant - I see a red circle in the middle of his eyes in one photo, although that may be the camera rather than his eyes. His cloaca is, as has been rightly said, swelling because he is a boy and is now reaching maturity.

He doesn't seem sick at all, just growing. Sometimes my axxies' cloacas or bottoms are 'darker' when they need to...ahem...go to the toilet, shall we say, because the veins around that area become darker when they need to relieve themselves.

If he's eating well, isn't acting out of character, has a well-cycled tank and appears to be generally happy, at a constant (or as constant as possible) temp I wouldn't worry. As for the white spots - shine a torch (a small one, if possible, so you can narrow the beam on the spots - axolotls don't like bright lights) on them. If they reflect back, they are likely iridophores - harmless lighter spots which appear as the axolotl grows. Both iridophores and melanophores are common in axxies and are completely benign, like freckles.

 

[JCJ]

So my axolotl now 7 months on from my original post is gradually getting more discolouration.. He still seems quite happy and eats fine but he is covered in white patches, they don't seem to be fiuffly like the fungus picks I have seen and his gills have also shrunk a lot (all the long fluffy bits of his gills are gone) and he seems to flick His gills quite frequently. He has two other tank mates who are fine with no patches or discolouration at all.. Is this fungus? Or a bacterial infection? Or is it normal? I'm a bit worried about him..

 

[JCJ]

One of his head, his gills aren't fluffy anymore and are covered in white patches also, and there's a big orange patch on his head...

 

[AxolotlChris]

The white patches are just skin pigmentation, as long as they aren't raised patches.

The shrinking gills is usually a sign of poor water quality.

Do you test your water for Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate?

What temp is your water?