Question: Looking for some answers.

[inkozana]

Hi guys,
I'm not sure if this is the right place to be asking this, if it's not them I'm sure the mods will relocate me I am wondering what the main causes are for these two issues in axolotls are.

The first one is the small bumps that appear on the main body of an axolotl, I have a photo attached (please note none of these photos belong to me they are just there for visionary aid)
The second issue is swelling, what causes this? I would think it was an allergic reaction but I am not sure.

Thank-you to all the kind souls with the right answers :artist:

 

[kira]

I have no idea about the lumps, but someone else has also had a problem with swelling recently.

http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=58209

http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?p=169898#post169898

Are you able to post your photos?

Is the swelling just around the tummy or all over?

 

[Neke]

Kira, I'm guessing that's why she wants to know - I've noticed that some of the swelling threads lately haven't really been resolved in that nobody could figure out what caused it. This thread is probably based on curiosity :happy: I'd like for Stef to know as well, seeing as she is the closest person I can run crying to when something goes wrong with my axies!

 

[inkozana]

Kira, I never said there was something wrong with my axolotls. Sorry if you misunderstood.

Thanks for the kindness, Monique I am just generally interested because it seems that the threads on these diseases/infections seem to go unanswered or nobody will have a firm idea about what's wrong.

 

[kira]

Ok, sorry my mistake.

 

[gr33neyes]

Taking a look at the health and diseases section here http://www.axolotl.org/ may help answer some of your questions. The swelling of that axolotl may be caused by fluid retention. It looks far to bloated for it to be simply over eating. There could be something in the water perhaps a chemical it is reacting to.

Those bumps on the belly on the other axolotl are rather pronounced. Axies do tend to get lumpy areas sometimes, little pin prick spots and unusual markings are not uncommon. Sometimes I will find a little lump of my axies slime coat floating around in her tank where she has tried to squeeze through a tight spot. If you handle an axolotl you will find it very slimey to touch and on occasion when I have had to handle mine bits of it have been floating in the tank after. Perhaps on that axie it has an overgrowth of slime coat, just a guess, I'm probably wrong but I'm open minded.

 

[Kal El]

Wow...I've never seen anything like the second photo, but then again, it could be what Becky said: excess slime coat.

With the first photo, I'm leaning more towards a bacterial infection mainly because of the redness of the skin. Even though bloat can be related to kidney damage, I don't think it would cause reddening of the skin. The cloudy eyes also coincide with the symptoms of a bacterial infection. There have been cases where an axolotl has been administered with a dose(s) of antibiotics, but it seems rather extreme, especially with very few vets that specilise in amphibians. The bloating could also be an inflammation repsonse, which has developed after the axolotl's immune system has mounted an attack on the bacteria, i.e. influx of exudate (wild guess, I know).

Great photos, though. Thanks for sharing, and I'm really interested as to what others have to say about this, in particular the second photo.

Jay.