New nervous axie mom questions

[Anxious Axie Mom]

Hello community,

I’m really new to being an axie mom and I figured I could ask a few questions regarding Hongo. He’s a juvenile wild type ( about 3 1/2 inches long )

1. how often should he be pooping ? I’ve noticed the past few days he poops 3-4 times a day maybe even more. But he usually poops while he’s eating (twice a day 12 hours apart) and then sometimes while I’m away at work I come home and find a poop, or when I wake up I find a poop (so 4)

2. at first when I got him his poops were more on the dark brownish side but lately his poops have gotten bigger and they became a little more reddish? I feed him the frozen krill, and I read that it could be what’s causing it. He doesn’t like blood worms.


3. recently today I also noticed that he has these two odd bumps on his left side that come and go. I have never seen them before. I have seen the one bump near his butt that enlarged when he’s about to poop on his right side but never the two bumps on his left. My partner thinks that it may be him digesting his food. What do you guys think ? I’ll attach photos soon!

 

[Anxious Axie Mom]

Also, his tank is currently Cycling, his temp is at a constant 66 F, and I’m waiting on the proper test kit to come in. He shows no signs of stress and gets daily water changes!

 

[AMurry24537]

As a friendly reminder, threads often aren't answered for a few days because most people, well, just aren't on here constantly. Also, the more "replies" that you add to the original, the less likely people are to click on the thread because it looks like your question has probably already been answered. Anyway, I'll see what I can do to address some of your questions/concerns.

1. Different axolotls poop different amounts. It also depends on the type of food they are eating, how massive their food is, and how much they eat. It will likely change throughout its lifespan. Generally, you don't have to worry much about it as long as it is cleaned up quickly. Potential markers of problems to look out for are A) if the poop is suddenly very different in color, texture, etc. B) Refusing to eat coupled with a sudden lack of pooping C) suddenly not pooping according to the normal schedule despite being fed the same type, quantity, and frequency of food. Last but not least, be sure to always be checking the weight of your axolotl. Ideally, the widest part of its body should be about the same width as its head (gills excluded). If it seems skinny, you will need either more, or more nutritional food. If fat, slow off the feeding a bit. The amount of pooping will coincide with any change like this.

2. I don't have any personal experience with krill, so I can neither confirm nor deny that it is related, but if the color change did NOT coincide with any kind of food change, it seems as though that could indicate something potentially wrong, such as (for example) blood in the poop from internal bleeding. To test this theory, I'd recommend trying other types of food. You said your axolotl does not like bloodworms (which is actually fine; though they work well for young axolotls, bloodworms are very nutritionally deficient). Though he is pretty small, you could probably get him to eat nightcrawlers (the best food for axolotls) as long as you cut them up into very small pieces. Other options include shrimp or food pellets made specifically for axolotls. I personally use and recommend the ones from Invert Aquatics, which you can buy from Amazon, but any axolotl pellet with at least 40% protein is fine.

3. I don't have much experience with super young axolotls, so this may be normal for the ones whose bodies haven't fully formed yet, but it does seem unusual to me. Does the apparent swelling always follow along with its eating/pooping cycle? Unless someone else on here has experienced this with young axolotls and can offer better insight, I would recommend checking it with a veterinarian.

 

[Anxious Axie Mom]

Got it, thank you. Sorry I’ve never been in a forum before ( I know it’s 2021 but I’m new to this too along with owning an axolotl)

The bumps appeared on the side that whole day and the next day, but eventually it stopped. I haven’t really seen them again but after a ton of research online and comparing other axie pics it seems like it might be something that happens after they eat. If I find something I’ll post it here for others to see.

thank you so much for your advice and response, I’ll definitely carry it with me in this journey.

 

[DrJade]

Got it, thank you. Sorry I’ve never been in a forum before ( I know it’s 2021 but I’m new to this too along with owning an axolotl)

The bumps appeared on the side that whole day and the next day, but eventually it stopped. I haven’t really seen them again but after a ton of research online and comparing other axie pics it seems like it might be something that happens after they eat. If I find something I’ll post it here for others to see.

thank you so much for your advice and response, I’ll definitely carry it with me in this journey.

The pic is not great but I have a bunch of babies that size and they have a couple "bumps" (more like raised areas) in that area on the left that are contours of the digestive track when full of food. Its basically their stomach/intestines bulging full of food. Krill are related to shrimp which contain pigments that are orange or reddish so likely the cause of the red poop. I would recommend black worms as a more nutritious source of food if you can get them. They can also start eating chopped earthworms at that size, also the best food for their health.

re. cycling, test when you get kit and do frequent water changes and remove poop frequently until it comes, but small axolotls in a big tank don't make as much ammonia as larger ones.

 

[mollythecow]

This is so helpful thanks! I was on vacation and she did not get any water changes. The water was very, very murky. I put her in a tub and with fresh cold water. Her gills are curled and look red.