Needing Axolotl Health Report and Advice

[professional amateur]

Hello. Firstly, sorry for the crap quality of these photos. I have owned this little guy (girl? I dunno) for about 6 months. He was hatched last October, and since owning him, it seems like there was always something new to worry about. This isn't a criticism, rather that I want to provide him the best care, and any little thing sets off my paranoia. So I have created this account to consult the wizards of Caudata. I will list my worries, and maybe with your help, solve them.

The most obvious being his tail and gills. The tip of the tail almost appears cut somehow (pic. 2). I don't know if he cut himself or if it's falling apart on it's own. The tail is as best as I can describe not curved, but wavy when still as opposed to straight (pic. 3) . The gill's "feathers" are short, and I don't know if this is water quality related or genetic (pic. 1). Speaking of genetic, he seems quite small for his age, but this could be natural growth and merely a fragment of my paranoia.

I don't know if these worries are justified, so I wanted to present them to you, either to offer some pro advice, or set me straight. Throughout the entire process, he has never lost his appetite, and his diet has consists of blood worms. I just don't think he's big enough for earthworms and the like. Thanks for whatever you can offer.

 

[axolotl nerd]

Hello. Firstly, sorry for the crap quality of these photos. I have owned this little guy (girl? I dunno) for about 6 months. He was hatched last October, and since owning him, it seems like there was always something new to worry about. This isn't a criticism, rather that I want to provide him the best care, and any little thing sets off my paranoia. So I have created this account to consult the wizards of Caudata. I will list my worries, and maybe with your help, solve them.

The most obvious being his tail and gills. The tip of the tail almost appears cut somehow (pic. 2). I don't know if he cut himself or if it's falling apart on it's own. The tail is as best as I can describe not curved, but wavy when still as opposed to straight (pic. 3) . The gill's "feathers" are short, and I don't know if this is water quality related or genetic (pic. 1). Speaking of genetic, he seems quite small for his age, but this could be natural growth and merely a fragment of my paranoia.

I don't know if these worries are justified, so I wanted to present them to you, either to offer some pro advice, or set me straight. Throughout the entire process, he has never lost his appetite, and his diet has consists of blood worms. I just don't think he's big enough for earthworms and the like. Thanks for whatever you can offer.

alright - first off, there is definitely something wrong with his size. a six month old should be ~six inches long and have a waist as wide as their head. how often do you feed? i’d suggest using bloodworms as a snack, as they are the equivalent of eating chips for every meal. i’d start chopping earthworms (yes, live)
as for the tail, i really don’t know for sure, but i believe it to be normal. my axolotl had it too (before a tankmate nipped it off)
gills are probably the result of diet.
it’s also possible you’ve got a dwarf with an correctly proportioned body. my cousin has one that stayed at 3 inches and is currently 2.
what are your parameters? is the tank cycled? temperature? all these could be playing a role in the gill issue
clearer pictures would help determine if they have a fungus or not - which i don’t think they do, but it’s possible
thanks for asking! it’s great to further educate yourself and ask for help!! genuinely proud of you

 

[AMurry24537]

I agree with everything above and would also like to add that the ends of their tails are probably the most delicate part of an axolotl and are easily damaged by anything even remotely sharp. To solve this particular problem, I would suggest sanding down or removing anything with even remotely sharp edges and to consider upgrading the size of the tank to give a little more swimming space. What size of aquarium do you currently have her (I'm guessing it's a female based on the lack of a distinguished cloaca) in?

 

[professional amateur]

alright - first off, there is definitely something wrong with his size. a six month old should be ~six inches long and have a waist as wide as their head. how often do you feed? i’d suggest using bloodworms as a snack, as they are the equivalent of eating chips for every meal. i’d start chopping earthworms (yes, live)
as for the tail, i really don’t know for sure, but i believe it to be normal. my axolotl had it too (before a tankmate nipped it off)
gills are probably the result of diet.
it’s also possible you’ve got a dwarf with an correctly proportioned body. my cousin has one that stayed at 3 inches and is currently 2.
what are your parameters? is the tank cycled? temperature? all these could be playing a role in the gill issue
clearer pictures would help determine if they have a fungus or not - which i don’t think they do, but it’s possible
thanks for asking! it’s great to further educate yourself and ask for help!! genuinely proud of you

Hello. The tank is cycled and the temp keeps around the 60 degree range. pH stays around a safe number. Currently I feed about once per day. How often would you advise I feed earthworms, which I can most definitely do, and do you think this might solve the size issue as well as the gills? Thank you.

 

[professional amateur]

I agree with everything above and would also like to add that the ends of their tails are probably the most delicate part of an axolotl and are easily damaged by anything even remotely sharp. To solve this particular problem, I would suggest sanding down or removing anything with even remotely sharp edges and to consider upgrading the size of the tank to give a little more swimming space. What size of aquarium do you currently have her (I'm guessing it's a female based on the lack of a distinguished cloaca) in?

Thanks, I can try sanding some stuff down, it doesn't appear the tail was as big a problem as I thought, but the tank itself is 20 gallons. I didn't get a photograph of the right side where there are no plants and more space.