Hi everyone,
A quick intro...I have 4 axolotls of my own, a golden albino, an albino, a wild type and a leucistic. They're in a 55 gallon, bare bottom, 64F, eat earthworms, very health and happy axies.
Last week I took in an axolotl that wasn't eating from a girl on facebook who was giving him away because he was sick. I wasn't looking for a fifth axie but took him so that someone with no knowledge wouldn't take him.
He was being kept in a heated tank with angelfish, on gravel and glass marbles. It was very obvious upon arrival that he was impacted with rocks. He is extremely emaciated and weak. He tried to eat chopped worms, mysis, bloodworms, and blackworms but spat them all out. After a few days in cold water with daily water changes, he hadn't passed any stones. With the advice of axie owners and breeders on the Axolotl-Aholics facebook page, I decided to fridge him. He has been in the fridge for two days and has only passed what appears to be undigested mysis shrimp. His belly is completely empty aside from the impaction which is now clearly a large glass marble, wider than his little hips. I can feel it very clearly. It is too big for him to poop out and he has yet to vomit.
My local herp vet does not do surgery on aquatics and I don't believe he has the strength to survive surgery anyways....he is a little skinny twig. I am coming to you guys in hopes of some new ideas before I resort to humane euthanasia... is there a way to encourage vomitting while fridged rather than bowel movements? Would it be possible to try to force feed him and see if he could gain weight despite having the marble inside of him, to build up some strength and perhaps grow large enough to pass it on his own?
I am so angry at the girl who had him for not even doing the basic research and for waiting for so long to seek help. There's no reason for him to be in this condition.
A quick intro...I have 4 axolotls of my own, a golden albino, an albino, a wild type and a leucistic. They're in a 55 gallon, bare bottom, 64F, eat earthworms, very health and happy axies.
Last week I took in an axolotl that wasn't eating from a girl on facebook who was giving him away because he was sick. I wasn't looking for a fifth axie but took him so that someone with no knowledge wouldn't take him.
He was being kept in a heated tank with angelfish, on gravel and glass marbles. It was very obvious upon arrival that he was impacted with rocks. He is extremely emaciated and weak. He tried to eat chopped worms, mysis, bloodworms, and blackworms but spat them all out. After a few days in cold water with daily water changes, he hadn't passed any stones. With the advice of axie owners and breeders on the Axolotl-Aholics facebook page, I decided to fridge him. He has been in the fridge for two days and has only passed what appears to be undigested mysis shrimp. His belly is completely empty aside from the impaction which is now clearly a large glass marble, wider than his little hips. I can feel it very clearly. It is too big for him to poop out and he has yet to vomit.
My local herp vet does not do surgery on aquatics and I don't believe he has the strength to survive surgery anyways....he is a little skinny twig. I am coming to you guys in hopes of some new ideas before I resort to humane euthanasia... is there a way to encourage vomitting while fridged rather than bowel movements? Would it be possible to try to force feed him and see if he could gain weight despite having the marble inside of him, to build up some strength and perhaps grow large enough to pass it on his own?
I am so angry at the girl who had him for not even doing the basic research and for waiting for so long to seek help. There's no reason for him to be in this condition.