Sick Axie's in Pet shop....

[smilee]

Hey there guy's,
Just recently Naymo and I went for a lil visit down to the local pet store, were she had bought her beloyed pet Banda (axolotl) from, a few weeks earlier. We were appaulded to see a collection of ill looking axies in there tank... 3 melanoids all of which looked starved..Two of them had no gills, the others' gills looked bent. One of them had a very large swollen rear leg, we queried this problem with the pet store guy, whom picked the little guy up and examined him, squeezing the leg..he stated that it must have been bit and was simply swollen.Then he went off to put some medicated antibiotics into the water, as if it was an everyday routine.There was two pretty, light wildtypes whome looked in good condition but also very skinny.Along with that..their tank had fish food scatterd every where..and the tank was far too cramped and small..porbably an estimate of less than 2 foot, 7 axolotls in total it housed...FAR TOO CRAMPED..Their albino mwas constinantly in his (and the only) hidey place..probably form the very bright lights shining into the tank.

One melanoid looked blind, no gills, and I seriously dont think he'll survive very much longer.

This is a stange situation, because Naymo bought Banda from the very same pet shop..
In contrast to those axies Banda loks healthier,fuller(prehaps a lil spoiled),and happier.
She used to be that skinny but fortunately has regained health whilst in the care of naymo.

We both like this petshop, they are very knowledgeable and helpful We are quite disapointed however in lack of knowledge they present of axies.Any thoughts? We dont want to complain as such because they are actually quite good.But as I am so keen to obtain an axie and Naymo is a keen axie keeper we would love to see those axies healthy and plump.

P.s We dont have photos as we dont expect our pet shop to let us down like this
So Im sure you can imagine how sickly these axies look.

 

[teesha]

i have the same shyness issue. And i work at that pet shop! (not the exact oen and our axies are in better condition then that but not the best)
I am horrified of my manager and if i suggest anythign she bites my head off and refuses to have it my way, so i just don't suggest anymore.
Our axies are on pebbles (my adopted one was on pebbles for 7 years and only ate beef heart and didn't die!) They aren't skinny, they come in fat as, then they sort of get thinner, but not sickly thin. When i feed them i feed them until they refuse to eat, giving them the oppurtunity to eat as none of my work mates "Remember" to feed them. They don't perish.
i suggest you perhaps just make a comment like "oh my one at home is soo fat compared to those, what /when do you feed them? I find the best way is..." that way it's nto being an annoying demanding customer....
just put it nicely. Perhaps find out a good treatment for the swollen leg and go back adn tell them what will cure it? I think swelling is from heart problems though....from memory.
ok.....theres my 2 cents! Goodluck with the issue!

 

[naymo]

The Pet shop guy said there appeared to be a hole in the leg..
Im angry coz they are my supplier.I'm thinking of getting an new addition..
and Kristina wants to get her first one too. I had told her this pet shop was really good
because they always were to us (Mums there best customer..shes addicted to her tropical fish )
And when we rushed up to the axie tank i was dissapointed.They are in bad shape.

Would a the melanoids need any special attention to get there gills back?

I know Krissy being the kind girl she is..really wants to get the one with the "elephant leg"
but im unsure wither he would make a good first axie..as he might be pretty hands on with treatments and if he dies whilst in her care..shed feel very bad.

 

[nzaxie]

Damn, what to say to this lot

The one with the swollen leg - it may be the result of injury ( eg: his / her tank mates may have taken a bite because they are hungry ). Look very closely and see if the affected area is red or just damaged. Axies are very hardy and bite injuries usually heal fine. If you detect any redness then it could be a sign that a bacterial infection may have set in - not good for any aquatic animal.
Looking thin - if you like the occupants at the store then get in as soon as the store opens and try feeding the little guys, if they feed OK then that is a good sign. Shops tend to be a bit lean on feeding most of the pets because food costs money and money spent eats into their profits. Gills quite often regenerate and some axies just do not have a full set from the start as adults.

Basically - if they feed OK and generally look healthy and are active ( often a result of hunger ) then spare their poor lives and give them a good home .

Save the world - one Axolotl at a time

 

[kapo]

Naymo/smilee -- the worst mistake you could make is to buy an axolotl from that shop. To buy an axolotl from a petshop that is obviously not healthy or wounded etc.. and not treated well, ie poor example is adding fish medication to the tank (most fish medicines are extremely toxic for axolotls) and handling the axolotl.. then all you will be doing is proving to the petshop that there is a market for axolotls whether they're sick or not.

Don't make the mistake of buying any to "rescue" them. All you'll prove is that they can sell sick or healthy axies and will get more in. You will also have a hard time trying to care for an ailing axolotl when you are inexperienced. I can usually be pretty softhearted where animals/fish/axolotls are concerned but no longer visit many petshops due to their attitude more than anything else (even after giving some basic advice regarding feeding/space issues) of axolotls. Many petshop assistants just assume they can be treated like the fish in the petshop they look after (or don't as the case maybe).

Naymo, is your mother prepared to have another axolotl in a separate container/bucket for a month as it has to be quarantined and water changed daily to keep toxins down? If not, I really don't think you should consider even buying another one. Quarantining is very important. Don't be impatient or eager to acquire/rescue another one as you will be giving yourself more work and Banda could become ill if the new edition was put straight in his/her tank.

Smilee, you in turn, should think about what things you have to do prior to buying an axie.

If you think you're going to have an uphill battle because your parents will want to do one thing (ie listen to that petshop advice) rather than experienced people on this site (despite what you've learnt on here or www.axolotl.org then maybe you should just wait), or get your parents to visit here, research and check out for themselves so you can do it together the right way rather than learn the hard way by doing everything the petshop advises and only realising when your axolotl becomes ill/stressed.

The other thing you have to think about is during summer and holidays, if you go away, who will be left to care for your axolotl, how will you manage to cool it (Axolotls stress and can get very sick and develop fungus when the temperatures remain 22C+ during the summer; so you'll have a constant battle trying to maintain a cool tank); and also would they mind if your axolotl needs to be fridged to help it during illness?

Before buying a "healthy" axolotl you should think about size of tank and when you eventually get it, set it up and cycle it long before you get your axolotl. And by cycle, I don't mean adding a chemical based round the name of "cycle" or aqua cycle or anything similar that petshops tend to advise people to buy. See: http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml

Naymo if your mother's as passionate about her tropicals and their care, does she also listen/heed the petshop advice on them? I'm just curious, not being rude.

 

[Bellabelloo]

What a horrible situation. Pet shops are like any retailers ..they want to make money!. I suspect they would have been suplied with these and decided to put them in the one tank , hoping that they would be baught quickly. After all, they don't want them sitting around for weeks, and maybe the ploy here is that if they are looking sorryful then some one will purchase/rescue them. Muggins here would be thta person as I don't want to see any living thing abused. Having said this they have a duty of care, and logically if the animals are fit and well they can get more money for them. Maybe if you can find a care sheet for axolotl ( some web sites do this , or print off some from this web site), then hand it on to the manager it might help. To be honest if this didn't work I'd be straight on to the RSPCA or your equivalent and let them know your concerns. I'll keep my fingers and toes crossed for these guys.
Since I posted this Kapo has more elequently responded!

 

[naymo]

"Naymo if your mother's as passionate about her tropicals and their care, does she also listen/heed the petshop advice on them? I'm just curious, not being rude."

Kapo, Yeah she listens to their advise about them..what fish to put in,plants requirements etc..
but I guess they know more about fish then, axies.

Im not looking to get another straight away..as Banda is keeping me quite amused at the moment, and I want to wait till I have sand

 

[sezz]

Smilee, i agree with you no doubt about it.
I bought Coodle from the pet store i have to deal with on a regular basis, and considering i have never owned a fish before or anything like an Axie, i wanted to pick an axie that was floating in their tank with a whole bunch of 8 other axies. and he said "uuuh.... no not that one, he is a bit sick" so that caught me off guard, it got me a bit worried.
so i bought Coodle from that tank, and it took me over two weeks to treat her. she started getting horrid fungi and weird things. but shes finally safe.
Every so often i return to this pet/fish store, i see either one or two dead Axies floading with the filter pump current... and it makes me ill and so angry.
every time i walk in there im like "hey u guys got another dead one! no wander ive had so many peoblems with my axie, and you still have nothing to say!"

Today i went to this pet store to get my water tested, and i stand by them like as if im about to hold their hand through it. not gonna get myself conned into something ridiculous.
anyways, i talked to the fish guy, and he said "yeh... were replacing all the tank shelves and replacing a lot of the tanks here and the fishes..." i didnt say a word. i just thought "you sick bastards, go back to school and learn to interract" bloody hell i am so angry about this

 

[sezz]

oh and let me add, i dont give a stuff if "they know more about all other fishes but not axies". in that case they shouldnt order in axies or bring em in if they dont know anything about them! whats the point of selling a breed you know stuff all about, to people that will just end up paying 30 bucks for and plus another god knows 100 bucks for products theyll sell you and for what? oh yeah, they know stuff all so theyll sell you stuff all to make money out of ya. which i was the victim.

the funniest thing was, when i came back in a few days after i have bought him and have been talking on this forum, finding out information, i blew their minds off with "axie is in the fridge now" they pretty much almost fell into shock. i had to explain to them why, and how i found out.
i got so angry.

 

[Kaysie]

The point of selling something that you know nothing about is to make money. The vast majority of pet shops do not keep their animals long term and don't care to. They don't need to know long-term care techniques. They want to make money. That's the point. And if your axolotl dies, and you go get another one, they've made more money.

When you 'rescue' axolotls from the pet shop, they've made a lot of money. Now they can order more axolotls. After all, if someone just bought a handful of them, there must be a demand. So ordering more makes sense. So by 'rescuing' axolotls, you just encourage the pet shop to get more. It may feel wrong, but the best thing to do is to leave the axolotls there, and hope no one buys them. The longer they have them, the more they'll realize that axolotls don't make money.

 

[naymo]

I was thinking last night weither I should ask where they get them from..whos their supplier.
I'd be mighty mad if they were trying their best and its actually the suppliers fault the axies are in bad shape.
But on the contrary.If its the pet shop..Im wondering what the supplier thinks about how his pretty axies are looking and going.

 

[teesha]

i fume when kids lie, or when customers think they are right, when they are wrong....like this kid came in saying
"My uncle has 3 axolotls in a tropical tank"-I almost cried....
that same kid also told me his uncle had a 3 meter axolotl in his pond which he fed meat on the end of a log......and it has sharp teeth apparently....whatever....*rolls eyes*