New axo keeper and shaking gills

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seagoat

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Hi I just got 6 young gold axos. 2-3" maybe 3 1/2". We got a few white splotches on skin and white non fuzzy stuff on head gear, gills. And someone got excited in the moving and chomped someones hand off. But my ? is what does rapid gill fluxing and then head shaking mean? I was dumb and put a piece of wood from a baby goldfish tank in their new axo tank and think it is a parasite attacking gills but not sure. I am salting them up now.1.002~ Does anyone know how high to take the salt? And how long? Any parasite tips would be great. ALSO CAN you use 'parasite clear' by JUNGLE on these guys!? thanks
 
Why would you get 6 Axolotls if you were clearly unprepared? A picture would help greatly, and the rapid gill flicking is a sign of stress, and the head thrashing probably means the same thing. What size tank are the 6 in, and what are the water parameters?
 
Will get pics. I really need to know if Parasite clear is o.k. will get list of ingredients. I hate using chems. Salt usually cures all for my fish. I did get these guys suddenly but had studied them for a year in advance. Water perims. hmmmm they are all in different bowls and tanks alone w nothing else. Here is another thing i need to know,.HOW SENSITIVE are they to AMMONIA??? There was a slight reading this morning. And i mean slight. trust me i am babying these pups. they are imposible to get here. my PH is 7.2. temps are 69~ 72. thanks any extra tips will help if they are correct and verified. Please no mixed messages. i will post their cuteness. I might be overreacting as well. tanks How long to grow that limb back? It is a litle white bone nub!:eek:
 
p.s. these guys where actually hatched from eggs that someone sold on this site, or through this site. I saved them off Craigs list.
 
So now, you have them all separated, okay. I am not sure about parasite clear, but am leary of using any medication that is used for fish. At the bottom of this page: Axolotls - Health & Diseases is a list of good and bad meds. The log could have definitely contained parasites as goldfish are carriers of many things. I would suggest to fridge them for the parasite issue.

Being so young, I am leary of suggesting a salt bath but that is the safest bet before using chemicals. If you choose to do so, 10 min. soak in 1 liter with 2 teaspoons non-iodized salt. The salt will be very irritating, especially to the one with the missing limb.

The limb should grow back in a few weeks just keep it under observation to make sure it doesn't develop a fungus.

They are very sensitive to ammonia, this is why knowing your parameters is so important as Eric requested. Try to get that temp down to as you are in the upper realm.
 
seagoat said:
they are imposible to get here
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Whereabouts do you live?

And to avoid any mixed messages...I completely agree with everything Shannon has said.

I would be very cautious of using chemicals around Axolotls, especially young ones.
 
Cool beans. O.k. I did read the medications list. I am in ohio and it seems lots of "chain pet stores" skimp on reptile esp. salamander stuff. It is even hard to find good fish medications. I pity the new hobbyist! I am not sure it is parasites either. I am not sure what the fridge thing is about. Should i get a little fridge for them???or let my honey make a chiller? prob another topic. So ULTIMATE HEALING TEMP. would be~~~~lower 60s? And You say salt BATH not salt water. I know you can kill ich and parasites in a salinity of 1.003. Hmmm It just looked like they where shaking something off their gills. AND they did not finish their bloodworms last night! They are eating again though in the new container.
Thanks for advice and info. I think i will keep them out of main tank till it cycles up again. YES this will be strenuous keeping basically 4 different systems clean and cool. I am donating one to a girl who has Zoo experience.
Is there a post on fridge temp info and benefits?
 
How often is the gill flicking? Once or twice every 10 seconds is normal, but if they flicking more frequently, like every second, then there is an issue. It also seems juveniles (from my experience) are much less likely to flick their gills, so this may be another indicator there is an issue.

For Fridging: Axolotl Sanctuary


You should have just checked the for sale section on this forum, plenty of people had Axies to sell, or in some cases give away! Mine were sent from TX to CT, and were perfectly fine.
 
praziquantal is the main ingredient in parasite clear. It should be o.k. to be used on axolotls. My guess is your axolotls don't have parasites and just need to be cared for like normal axolotls. Gill twitching is normal behavior. Some splotching is normal coloration.
 
Seagoat.... I'm glad you were concerned enough to find this group. I agree that you are/were woefully unprepared for keeping Axolotls (not trying to sound like a jerk.... I also learned the hard way to research, research, research before attempting new animals)... but my time machine doesn't work.....so what's done is done and It's important that you are on the right track now. Listen to these people. Read all that you can on the site. One thing I've discovered is that the correct husbandry (preventing fires) is easier and more productive in the long run than bad husbandry and quick or chemical fixes (trying to put out fires). Good luck to you. Hope all goes well for your animals. :happy:
 
Meet "stubby"! My little sunshine! His arm is de-boned from his sibling and he is missing a hand. He/she is so spunky and great otherwise.
 

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SOOOOO lots of critics on this site. Well everyone is doing great and the one murderous LARGER Axo is now in deep freeze~~ 45F in the fridge. Stuby is eating like crazy and at temp 65F. Should i have him in the fridge? Is the ULTIMATE HEALING temp ???below 65?? It would be so cool to see his arms grow back!
 
my axie also lost an arm (probably due to a biting) and it grew back fully in about a month, at about 20-22 ° temp
 
seagoat said:
SOOOOO lots of critics on this site. Well everyone is doing great and the one murderous LARGER Axo is now in deep freeze~~ 45F in the fridge. Stuby is eating like crazy and at temp 65F. Should i have him in the fridge? Is the ULTIMATE HEALING temp ???below 65?? It would be so cool to see his arms grow back!
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Personally, I don't see anyone on this site as a critic. Even when I felt/feel like I have stupid questions everyone is always willing to help and share their experience. I think you were ill-informed on the keeping of axies even though you said you've done a years worth of research. We are all here to help and just want the best for our ouwn as well as each other's axies.
Good luck and keep us posted.
 
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