Please look at the pics: saltbath needed?

[emil]

Here is a picture of the marvellous Marvin with an unsightly blemish on his head. I do not want to disturb him by giving him a salt bath because last time I disturbed him he sulked and would not eat for days. He has just got over a bad case of floating, which disappeared when I changed his diet and started cooling the tank. Is it possible that this is just peeling caused by floating with his back out of the water?

 

[karen]

What does this blemish look like? Does it look 'fluffy' or 'cottony' as fungus might? Does it seem to be getting better or worse? If you see it getting worse I'd definitely go for the salt baths.
I'm obviously not as experienced as a lot of the other people posting on here but the one thing that I have learnt from my own bad experience, is that it's best not to leave things too long before acting - especially in the case of fungus.

 

[jojo]

You mentioned peeling of the skin? If it is, that pic looks really nasty. You mentioned that he was prevously floating with his back out of the water?

Have you checked/tested the conditions of the water? Ammonia does burn the skin. So that could be whats happened.

Axies do get flusted when moved (mine didnt eat for days the first time i moved them) but its got to be done.
Karen is right re the salt baths.
Id suggest to begin salt bathing. l wouldnt want it to get any worse.
How long has has he been like this? With the peeling i mean...


and maybe keep him in the fridge to minimise stress??

 

[charlie]

Deinitely salt.
I'm kinda regretting not getting pedro in the fridge with salt baths sooner than I did. He seems so much better for it. His tail has thickened up in a matter of days.

 

[emil]

How long did you keep your axy in the fridge? Believe it or not Marvin's condition is improving heaps. In two days a lot of the white skin has disappeared and he is looking active and happy ( ie eating well and walking round the bottom) You see Marvin had a rather difficult start - I've only had him since Christmas and all the advice the pet shop gave us was completely wrong. Two weeks ago he was floating round the top of the tank and looking really ill - I had prepared myself for the worst - then the vet suggested I stop feeding him pellets and put him on earthworms. Well the effects were quite dramatic. He stopped floating within a couple of hours and has been on the mend ever since - apart from the peeling skin which started about a week ago- but I really do think it is because he spent so many days at the top of the tank with his back right out of the water. (The fact that it was stinking hot here didn't help either) The ammonia levels are not too high and I am doing 30% water changes every week. If the white stuff starts to get worse again I will definitely salt-bath him - but it's just been one thing after another for the poor little beast.

 

[charlie]

Yeah, I had pedro in the fridge from a friday morning through to monday night.
Did wonders for him. He's a bit shy now he's back in the tank, but he's eating and looking better.