Illness/Sickness: New tank mate bit my gold albino and skinned his leg, does this need a salt bath?

le frog

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For christmas this year (btw, merry christmas everyone) my mother bought me a new axolotl to go with my golden albino. Last night whilst i was feeding them, I discovered that my axolotl had been bitten by the bigger one, the skin had been peeled from the elbow right down to the ankle. Today when ive checked the wound it has gone bright red and swollen, and people on the Aquarium subreddit have told me it might be infecteed, and require a salt bath.

Ive never done a saltbath before, i found a guide here and im looking into it, but i thought i might just double check.
 

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I don't think it does. Salt baths are usually only used for fungus and can be very uncomfortable for axis particularly if they have open wounds - imagine having really bad sunburn or grazed knees then getting into a bath of salty water - ouch!

Keep the water cool and clean and the wound should heal up on its own. Don't worry about salt baths unless you start seeing lots of cotton wool like substance coating the wound or your axie.
 
I don't think it does. Salt baths are usually only used for fungus and can be very uncomfortable for axis particularly if they have open wounds - imagine having really bad sunburn or grazed knees then getting into a bath of salty water - ouch!

Keep the water cool and clean and the wound should heal up on its own. Don't worry about salt baths unless you start seeing lots of cotton wool like substance coating the wound or your axie.
Im just worried some other form of infection other than fungus is going to take hold of him :(

I've been told by someone on reddit that an injury like this will probably take "a few weeks" to heal. I've been planning on building a larger tank for the 2 of them in this time frame and i dont know if its a bad idea to move him while his injured like this.
 
I'm sorry to hear your axxie isn't well.

CJ is right, though. I wouldn't advise a salt bath unless you see clear signs of fungus. For the now, clean, cool water and regular meals is the way to go.

If you are still nervy, why not tea bathe your axxie? To tea bathe, make a cup of plain tea without milk or sugar and wait for it to go cold. Add the tea to a hospital tank and you're done. The tea tightens the pores, soothes the slime coat and keeps bacteria from the wound. It also has no side effects.

It will probably take a few weeks for him to heal completely, as he has been degloved, but he looks young and healthy, so he should be fine with the clean water and food. Good luck!

PS. Moving him is your choice, but with an injury like this I would be tempted to move him to a hospital tank simply because he might be attacked again, although the fact he'll have cleaner water and plenty of space is also a good idea. You don't have to, but personally I would.
 
回复: Re: New tank mate bit my gold albino and skinned his leg, does this need a salt bath?

I'm sorry to hear your axxie isn't well.

CJ is right, though. I wouldn't advise a salt bath unless you see clear signs of fungus. For the now, clean, cool water and regular meals is the way to go.

If you are still nervy, why not tea bathe your axxie? To tea bathe, make a cup of plain tea without milk or sugar and wait for it to go cold. Add the tea to a hospital tank and you're done. The tea tightens the pores, soothes the slime coat and keeps bacteria from the wound. It also has no side effects.

It will probably take a few weeks for him to heal completely, as he has been degloved, but he looks young and healthy, so he should be fine with the clean water and food. Good luck!

PS. Moving him is your choice, but with an injury like this I would be tempted to move him to a hospital tank simply because he might be attacked again, although the fact he'll have cleaner water and plenty of space is also a good idea. You don't have to, but personally I would.

I would love to move him to another tank, but i dont have another filter or another tank. I could put him in a tub but I sadly dont have the time to do a 100% water change every day.

Also the Axie has gone south, and i can see clear signs of fungus on the exposed tissue. Im assuming this is where either i take him to a vet or salt baths start. I've never given an axie a salt bath so i wouldnt know what to do :'(
 
Re: 回复: Re: New tank mate bit my gold albino and skinned his leg, does this need a salt bath?

Could you post some new photos showing the suspected fungus? Are you sure it is fungus and not dead skin sloughing off? Pictures will help to determine if salt baths are necessary. There is a guide on salt baths in the sick axolotl section of this forum if it does turn out that salt baths are needed.

Have you tested the water parameters for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, PH and temperature? Test these often and ensure your tank has optimum water quality as will help the healing process. It would be best to move him to a tub and do 100% water changes daily in the tub. The tubs don't have to be huge, just big enough for the axolotl to be covered and move around comfortably. If you have a second tub of dechlorinated water kept next to the first tub so they will remain at the same temperature, you can transfer him to the other tub each day, dispose of the old water and replace with fresh dechlorinated water in the first tub so it is ready for the next day. It is not overly time consuming to do it this way and it would protect your axolotl from further damage.
 
回复: Re: 回复: Re: New tank mate bit my gold albino and skinned his leg, does this need a salt bath?

Could you post some new photos showing the suspected fungus? Are you sure it is fungus and not dead skin sloughing off? Pictures will help to determine if salt baths are necessary. There is a guide on salt baths in the sick axolotl section of this forum if it does turn out that salt baths are needed.

Have you tested the water parameters for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, PH and temperature? Test these often and ensure your tank has optimum water quality as will help the healing process. It would be best to move him to a tub and do 100% water changes daily in the tub. The tubs don't have to be huge, just big enough for the axolotl to be covered and move around comfortably. If you have a second tub of dechlorinated water kept next to the first tub so they will remain at the same temperature, you can transfer him to the other tub each day, dispose of the old water and replace with fresh dechlorinated water in the first tub so it is ready for the next day. It is not overly time consuming to do it this way and it would protect your axolotl from further damage.

ok, its not that i "dont have time" but the chances of my mother letting me do a 100% water change in a tub are slim to none. She seems to care none for my animals, because they are "just fish". Im out of the house today and ive left my phone with the pictures on it at home, but im almost positive its fungus. I only have a ph test kit, which showed at 7.4.

I'll get some water to my lfs for testing and upload some photos as soon as i can. Assuming it is fungus, which ive never had to deal with before, what are the chances of him making it? if i do the saltbaths and keep the water clean and cold.
 
Re: 回复: Re: 回复: Re: New tank mate bit my gold albino and skinned his leg, does this need a salt bath?

Keep the water cool and clean. Ideally it would be best to invest in a liquid test kit for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate as well as PH as testing these parameters will tell you if your tank has established a cycle and whether there is presence of ammonia or nitrite in your water, both of which are toxic to aquatic life and will not aid in recovery of your axolotl if your tank's cycle has crashed and there is presence of these toxins. But if you have to get the store to test for you, make sure they give you the exact readings and not just that your water is ok.

If it is fungus and treated early and given optimum water conditions, there is a good chance of recovery. Does the substance look like cotton wool fluff over the area?
 
回复: Re: 回复: Re: 回复: Re: New tank mate bit my gold albino and skinned his leg, does this need a salt bath?

Keep the water cool and clean. Ideally it would be best to invest in a liquid test kit for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate as well as PH as testing these parameters will tell you if your tank has established a cycle and whether there is presence of ammonia or nitrite in your water, both of which are toxic to aquatic life and will not aid in recovery of your axolotl if your tank's cycle has crashed and there is presence of these toxins. But if you have to get the store to test for you, make sure they give you the exact readings and not just that your water is ok.

If it is fungus and treated early and given optimum water conditions, there is a good chance of recovery. Does the substance look like cotton wool fluff over the area?

It looks exactly like cotton wool. Ive contacted my lfs (who all run tanks of their own) and was given tri-sulfa tablets, which is the same medication they use on the axolotls in their store (which is where the big guy was purchased).

Im keeping the water as cold as i can and keeping it as clean as i can (did a 40% waterchange yesterday, fungus showed up today) He said the treatment involes half a tablet for axololts, due to them being amphibians, wait 3 days then a 25% water change and another dose, repeat until fungus recedes. He said if it doesnt look like its working, or if i want to anyway, i can use saltbaths along side this.

I will get my water tested by them tomorrow, the only liquid kit i have at the moment (i cant get more at this time) is for pH, which reads 7.4
 
Re: 回复: Re: 回复: Re: 回复: Re: New tank mate bit my gold albino and skinned his leg, does this need a salt bath?

Be aware that although this treatment is listed as a safe product for axolotls, it may crash the cycle in your tank. It would be better to offer the treatment in a separate tank or container to your aquarium to prevent this from happening as well as not exposing your healthy axolotl to the treatments. Salt baths also should be done in a separate tub or tank rather than your main aquarium should you choose to do salt baths. Make sure you read the tutorial in this section of the forum as well.
 
回复: Re: 回复: Re: 回复: Re: 回复: Re: New tank mate bit my gold albino and skinned his leg, does this need a salt bath?

Be aware that although this treatment is listed as a safe product for axolotls, it may crash the cycle in your tank. It would be better to offer the treatment in a separate tank or container to your aquarium to prevent this from happening as well as not exposing your healthy axolotl to the treatments. Salt baths also should be done in a separate tub or tank rather than your main aquarium should you choose to do salt baths. Make sure you read the tutorial in this section of the forum as well.

not too sure if i should be kicking myself, but i have added the first dose to the axies tank. Would there be any negative effects to doing this? and another problem is that this medication is in tablet form, and i dont trust myself to get the dosage for amphibians correct for a small tub. The fact that this treatment needs to sit for 3 days in the water and then have a 25% water change, and then another dose, sounds difficult to do correctly in a tub, and im pretty sure the water would need to be completely replaced everyday in a tub.

I was aware of the risks of a cycle crash. the bottle reads "prolonged treatment can be harmful to beneficial bacteria". the fungal infection appears to be fairly light and concentrated mostly on the ripped skin, which i assume is rotting away, and a small patch on the exposed muscle (im still not too sure if that patch is fungus or regrowing skin).

Heres a picture of him before i put the treatment in, and one from last night before the fungus showed up:
9FDM6


EDIT: ive just done some reading, and a cycle crash sounds like something i wouldnt be able to deal with in the axie tank very effectively, but i cant get the dosage of the medication right for a small tub.
 
Can you not just go to your nearest supermarket and buy your self a small plastic food container?
like this: http://www.gelinplastic.com/Products_Images/B_2011_4_29_16_34_30.jpg

I'd just put him in a separate container in clean cool dechlorinated water, and change the water 100% everyday. Wounds to legs can develop what looks like fungus as the skin or limb dies off, but if it is fungus which can be a possibility then changing the water 100% everyday with cool dechlorinated water will help the healing process and to fight off the fungus, salt baths for 5 mins once a day for a few days would also help if the fungus on the wound is particularly bad.

I had an Axolotl which had 3 limbs bitten off and all 3 developed fungus. Having him in the separate tub of cool dechlorinated water changed everyday, and a salt bath once a day for 5 mins for a few days helped him heal up in a few weeks.

As for your tank, perhaps stop adding the tablets and just monitor the cycle, you could just add some pellets or other food to provide your cycle an Ammonia source. As suggested you will need your own test kit to make the monitoring process simpler. Order this kit online from Amazon: http://www.apifishcare.com/product.php?sectionid=1&catid=18&subcatid=94&id=580#.VoJUQsaLRph
 
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