Illness/Sickness: Pale gills?

[Jess]

My axie's gills are usually bright orange, but today when I woke up they seem paler than normal. He has also been scratching at them with his back leg, which was REALLY cute at first, but now has me a little worried.

Is this a sign of illness?

He has also been swimming around the tank in little frenzied intervals, but then settles down.

 

[Kaysie]

Gills can go pale when an axolotl isn't moving much, or is 'sleeping'.

However, the scratching and the frenzied swimming are usually signs of water quality issues. How long has your tank been set up? Do you test for ammonia and nitrite? What kind of tests do you use?

 

[Jess]

I've been keeping him in a temporary terrarium-like tank while his real tank cycles, I change about 90% of the water everyday, so I am pretty sure the parameters are okay. But I think the cycling has finished, so I'm going to put him back into the tank.

 

[Jess]

Since I have put him back in the tank his gills have darkened back up.