Open sores

[Koikichi]

First of all - Happy New Year to all. Hope everyone and your axolotls have a safe and happy 2015.

Now to my axolotl's problem. I noticed yesterday that my axi had apparently been on the losing end of a scuffle some of my other young axi's. As you can see from the attached photos he/she suffered cuts/bites on the back of the neck and on the sides.Limbs were also damaged but should grow back. He's young and about 5" in length as are his tank mates.

It has been isolated to prevent further injury. Seems to be eating well (pellets, frozen blood worms and frozen brine shrimp) and apart from the injuries appears to be fine. My question is "what should I be doing to treat the bites?" Should (I'll call him - he) he be frdiged, given a salt bath or what ???

Water parameters are good, it is well filtered, regular weekly water changes, temp is approx. 58 F.

Any advice you can offer would be most appreciated. Thanks

 

[Bette]

It's hard to tell from the photos if there is any fungus. Perhaps I'm just seeing some torn flesh? With open sores, I wouldn't recommend a salt bath. That would be way too harsh and stressful at this point. Monitor him for cottony looking fungus.

I would add salt to his water at a low concentration which will still inhibit fungus growth. Dissolve a slightly heaping half teaspoon of sea salt or non iodized salt per gallon of fresh water.
Make sure that the water is the same temperature as his tub/tank water when you do water changes.
Good Luck :happy:

 

[Bette]

Also, looking at the photos again, it looks like the scrapes on the neck and back could have occurred if he was trying to fit through a small space that has sharp edges. Did you have anything in the tank that could be sharp? Even driftwood could do it. Sometimes axies thrash around and swim fast, and end up bumping into tank decor.

 

[Koikichi]

Thx for your feedback. The tank he was in contains a number of clay flower pots, some artificial plants and a couple of pieces of ABS pipe as hides. He may have scraped himself on the pipe but the edges are not sharp, although with the delicate skin of the axolotl, he my have scraped it if being chased by another.

No signs of any fungus thank goodness and I will be sure to watch for it. The inclusion of the low dosage of the salt is an idea I might give a try. I feel bad for the poor little guy and want to do what I can to nurse him back to health.

Will keep everyone posted over the next few days. Any additional feedback/advice is welcome.

 

[Koikichi]

Update: .

I'm pleased to say the little guy is hanging in there with no signs of fungus. I am watching him closely. I did add a small amount of salt last night as suggested but will have to wait to see if that has any impact.

Question:

Have any of you more experienced axolotl owners had any experience using Melafix, a natural product made of tea tree oil. It is most commonly used by koi and tropical fish owners to help healing of open sores, damaged fins, etc. I have used it with my koi on occasion and it does seem to help the healing process and being a natural product cannot really be overdosed. Would this be safe to use with the axolotl?

As always I am looking forward to your input...Thx.

 

[Bette]

You can actually overdose Melafix. And the natural plant derived oil that it contains is pretty caustic. That being said, I've had good results using it on fish. If you want to try it, i would start Melafix at half strength to be safe. But personally, I would wait and see how your axolotl does over the next few days, and wait on adding anything else to the water.
And I'm not sure that I trust that Melafix is entirely safe for caudates....

 

[Koikichi]

Quick update. Looking good so far. No signs of fungus. Gills a little pale but breathing appears strong. Will provide regular updates. Thx.

 

[Koikichi]

Sad news I'm afraid. My little axolotl passed away this afternoon.

His breathing slowed significantly overnight and appeared to have developed some fungus. He was also having trouble staying upright and was starting to roll onto his back. When righted he would stay that way for a few minutes, try to swim and then roll over again. I tried placing him in shallow water but unfortunately that didn't seem to help. Not sure what went wrong but I'm sure he's in a better place happily swimming away.:angel:

Thanks to all who offered advice.