Pooping clear/white stuff?

[Sarramy]

I'm so lost right now. My boy, Leo, hasn't been eating in over a week (getting close to 2 weeks). I've been keeping an eye on him and nothing else seemed unusual so I chalked it up for low tank temp (the temps here have been really low until recently so he's been lower than normal since I couldn't keep the house warm enough) and his metabolism slowing down. Well last night though I noticed something weird. I saw him sitting on one of his decorations and when he moved away there was a weird clear/whitish blob thing left behind. It was right at bedtime so I left it to look at more today. It's still there and there are a few more as well. He is confirmed male so it's not eggs (he bred with another axolotl years ago so 100% confirmed he's male). I tried researching what this could be but while I was doing that one of my kids noticed a huge blob of this stuff coming out of his cloaca. Bigger than the ones left on the decorations. He's still not eating either and it looks like he's lost a little weight, not a huge amount though. He's not floating weird, still moves around his tank fine. I checked the water parameters last night and everything was normal (ammonia 0, I don't remember the other numbers (I was super sleepy at the time) and sadly it was the last test for the kit, I can't get another for about a week), and he doesn't have gravel or sand in the tank. His slime coating isn't coming off and he doesn't have any white goo on his gills. Literally just coming out of his cloaca.

There are no vets where I live that will see an axolotl. When we first got Leo we lived in a different town where there was supposedly an exotic animal vet. Took him there once because he was floating and the vet said they've never seen an axolotl and just googled some info to print off for me. So going back there is also not a good idea. Closest exotic vet I've found is 2 1/2 hours away and I literally can not get there for at least another month. So I'm stuck trying to figure this out on my own. The closest thing I have to a pet store here is Walmart. Help? Please?

 

[Sarramy]

I forgot a picture. This is what was left behind on a decoration. I tried getting a picture of the blob he was "pooping" but he wouldn't hold still, just kept swimming.

 

[axie owner]

that's axolotl sperm. i don't have know why he won't eat though.

 

[Sarramy]

Well one part of the puzzle finished, that's good. I thought they didn't do that unless there was a female lotl around? Maybe he's on a hunger strike until he finds a girlfriend. Not happening, boy, not happening.

Seriously though, I'm lost on how to get him to eat though. Never have had a problem with him before.

 

[Murk]

that's axolotl sperm. i don't have know why he won't eat though.

Are you sure?
At least on the picture, it doesn't look like the usual "parcels" to me. Most of all it's missing the actual sperm that would be on top of the transparent medium.

 

[axie owner]

Are you sure?
At least on the picture, it doesn't look like the usual "parcels" to me. Most of all it's missing the actual sperm that would be on top of the transparent medium.

good point. that's all i could think of.

 

[GulfCoastAxolotls]

Are you sure?
At least on the picture, it doesn't look like the usual "parcels" to me. Most of all it's missing the actual sperm that would be on top of the transparent medium.

I was going to say the same thing. It looks similar to a spermatophore, but also not because its missing some of its normal structure.

Well one part of the puzzle finished, that's good. I thought they didn't do that unless there was a female lotl around? Maybe he's on a hunger strike until he finds a girlfriend. Not happening, boy, not happening.

Seriously though, I'm lost on how to get him to eat though. Never have had a problem with him before.

Can you take any other photos of the goo and of your axolotl? it might help us figure out whats going on
What are you feeding him normally? how much and how often does he normally eat

 

[Sarramy]

I'll try to get more pictures today. He swims around a lot and I swear he knows when I have my camera out because he moves more then. Little camera shy jerk. LOL He is fed earthworms, usually twice a week, sometimes 3.

 

[Sarramy]

Sorry it took so long for pics. I hope these help. I was able to get the weird goop piece off him, that's what the other pics are. It's goopy but solid-ish. Like I thought it would just fall apart, but it doesn't.

 

[Murk]

I do not know exactly what that is. I do know that axolotls who have disrupted digestions (due to underfeeding, constipation or illness) tend to poop or vomit slimy stuff.

While you're at it, could you also post a picture of the axolotl itself?
From the first picture, he looks underfed (and the gills don't look quite healthy either) - but that might just be the angle of the picture. He certainly looks thinner than I would expect from earthworms 2-3 a week.
It would probably explain the loss of appetite as well as the goop, if so.

 

[Sarramy]

His gills aren't healthy. I left him in the care of a friend for a couple months due to some personal problems and unfortunately they did not care for him well. His gills never refluffed after I got him back. He has lost some weight the last couple weeks while not eating, normally his stomach is about the width of his head. I will try to get a picture of him directly.

 

[Sarramy]

Sorry for not returning with pics, he's really hard to get a picture of. He swims a lot and when he's not swimming he's usually hanging out in his tube. Good news though, he's eating again!