Agreed! No rock that isn't twice the size of their head should go into a tank- they are ridiculously good at getting themselves into trouble! As to the strip thermometer, they're pretty unreliable, so perhaps invest in a digital thermometer.
As to substrate, Bunnings have play sand for $9 a 20kg bag (often cheaper) which I've got on both my tanks (in the 6ft it's a cap over the soil
) and which i've found works really really well for the axies- small enough not to cause trouble, but big enough they can spit it out should they get a mouthful).
And you can do the redecorating whilst she's in the fridge-I'd be leaving her in there at least a week or two (especially with the heat we've had recently!) so that her body has a chance to get rid of any of those stones and heal up internally. She looks like she's got enough weight on her that you shouldn't need to worry about feeding for the duration.
When you bring her out, do it over two days- get a chiller bag like the ones Wollies sells, then put in ice bricks which will need to be changed every 4 hours for the first 18 hours, then put one brick in, zip the bag up, and leave her until the air inside the bag reaches room temperature (measured with a digital thermometer), or else leave another 18 hours. Then float the fridging container in the tank for another hour, then let her out.
As to food, I'd be feeding when she's hungry. Every second day works well for some axies. Some prefer every four days (Bertie at the moment's been like that...), and some are gluttons who eat a bit every day (Molly tends to be like this), although where possible they need to have a break between feeding days (So maybe feed two in a row if she's hungry, skip one or two depending on how she responds).
Once your tank is redecorated (Btw, you in Sydney? There are some good places around to get some nice plants for your tank), chose a single spot for feeding. After a few days, she'll tend to go to that spot when she wants food. As to diet, bloodworms are okay, but not as a sole dietary source. Add in some earthworms (two or three- My Trouble who's of a similar size scoffs a 2-3 inch one very happily and then has something else as well
) A decent pellet (The one in the blue jar or (if the store has older stock) the purple jar with the yellow lid is very much a favorite for my lot.), if you've got space to breed them up, some red cherry or ghost shrimp and guppies as treats.
Keep your head up- she'll get through it!
