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Sick Axolotl..?

bearbear_13

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Hi everyone!

I adopted 2 axolotls in November of 2020, Blossom and Taco. They were both babies at the time and we’ve been raising them since.

over the past few days, I’ve noticed both of them are looking unhealthy. We took their water to be tested, and the temperature and chemical levels are perfect. Blossom won’t eat anything at all. We have moved her diet from frozen bloodworms to live earth worms and chicken pieces, but she won’t eat. Taco however loves the new diet, but he’s very small. both of their tails and gills have shrunk, and blossom keeps sitting with her mouth open.

I have looked in her throat, and there is nothing stuck in her throat that could be stuck. She’s lost an extreme amount of weight and nothing we’ve been able to do has helped her however we haven’t done any fridging yet. Her throat is quite red, so is her neck. We’ve got her in a hospital tank.

when we try to feed her, she will swallow small bits and get frustrated, throwing up and trying to eat again, until she eventually gives up.
Before and after photos of blossom included ^^;
EE1E2A0A-FBDF-4242-AAAC-DD38824B6096.jpeg
6D2AFA74-0AFB-41BD-8CDA-258032A3B511.jpeg
5E8561B9-7ED4-4898-ACEB-EE1725ED92D2.jpeg
 
Last edited:

axie owner

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ok so the first thing you need to do is get your axolotls out of their tank and begin tubbing each of them in different tubs. for the one in the first photo i recommend you getting it some bloodworms ASAP. and for the second one i would also recommend "indian almond leaf". most pet shops sell this but if they don't, you can get some online. also use bloodworms for the second one. my conclusion to what's caused this to happen is that the one in the first photo has been eating all of the food before the second one can get to it causing the second one to get seriously underweight. because of its weight it would have started shedding as i can see in the photo. also the one in the second photo's jaw looks to be stuck open meaning he also has an infection around his mouth the indian almond leaf will help with that. the one in the first photo's dorsal fin is reclining and in a "J" shape meaning it is very stressed aswell. my guess would be stress from the other axolotl or high temperatures. if you are really stressed for them perhaps you should give them to a rescue. depending on which part of australia you live in i recommend going onto facebook and finding "jade_axolotls" or 'Blossomed_lotls". a vet would also be ideal to help out your axies. i hope this helped. please keep us updated.
 

bearbear_13

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ok so the first thing you need to do is get your axolotls out of their tank and begin tubbing each of them in different tubs. for the one in the first photo i recommend you getting it some bloodworms ASAP. and for the second one i would also recommend "indian almond leaf". most pet shops sell this but if they don't, you can get some online. also use bloodworms for the second one. my conclusion to what's caused this to happen is that the one in the first photo has been eating all of the food before the second one can get to it causing the second one to get seriously underweight. because of its weight it would have started shedding as i can see in the photo. also the one in the second photo's jaw looks to be stuck open meaning he also has an infection around his mouth the indian almond leaf will help with that. the one in the first photo's dorsal fin is reclining and in a "J" shape meaning it is very stressed aswell. my guess would be stress from the other axolotl or high temperatures. if you are really stressed for them perhaps you should give them to a rescue. depending on which part of australia you live in i recommend going onto facebook and finding "jade_axolotls" or 'Blossomed_lotls". a vet would also be ideal to help out your axies. i hope this helped. please keep us updated.
I’ll ask my parents about the Indian almond leaf - they had a tank divider. The first photo is before blossom stopped eating, the second is how she appears now. Currently taco is in the main tank alone and blossom is in a hospital tank. I’ll try and feed her more bloodworms, but she appears to not have eaten them for a few weeks with the amount piled in her side of the tank.
 

bearbear_13

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Updated:

blossom is the only axolotl in the three images. The two have a tank divider and are fed seperately. Blossom just stopped eating. Here’s a picture of taco, who has also been shedding but he’s eating anything we’ve been feeding him. He’s way smaller then blossom but he won’t grow any larger.
image.jpg
 

bearbear_13

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ok so the first thing you need to do is get your axolotls out of their tank and begin tubbing each of them in different tubs. for the one in the first photo i recommend you getting it some bloodworms ASAP. and for the second one i would also recommend "indian almond leaf". most pet shops sell this but if they don't, you can get some online. also use bloodworms for the second one. my conclusion to what's caused this to happen is that the one in the first photo has been eating all of the food before the second one can get to it causing the second one to get seriously underweight. because of its weight it would have started shedding as i can see in the photo. also the one in the second photo's jaw looks to be stuck open meaning he also has an infection around his mouth the indian almond leaf will help with that. the one in the first photo's dorsal fin is reclining and in a "J" shape meaning it is very stressed aswell. my guess would be stress from the other axolotl or high temperatures. if you are really stressed for them perhaps you should give them to a rescue. depending on which part of australia you live in i recommend going onto facebook and finding "jade_axolotls" or 'Blossomed_lotls". a vet would also be ideal to help out your axies. i hope this helped. please keep us updated.
Sorry for bothering. I can’t find Indian almond leaf in my area but I found a fish medication made from Indian almond leaves, do you think that would work or are the straight leaves more ideal?
 

bearbear_13

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Update

I’ve gotten in contact with the owner of an aquarium shop. He sells IAL for the cheapest I’ve seen them. Currently having an email conversation with him to identify blossoms issues
 

bearbear_13

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Update 2

we bought some API pemafix and an axolotl safe praziquantel, and started treating both tanks under direction of the store owner. He said his best guess would be internal infection or parasites. If it’s bacterial, we cannot do anything for the two as in Australia they have to add malachite green to formalin which could kill the axolotls
 

axolotl nerd

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Update 2

we bought some API pemafix and an axolotl safe praziquantel, and started treating both tanks under direction of the store owner. He said his best guess would be internal infection or parasites. If it’s bacterial, we cannot do anything for the two as in Australia they have to add malachite green to formalin which could kill the axolotls
yeah i think parasites as well, they’re deathly thin and look just very unhealthy in general. good that you posted when you did- they would’ve died without help
fr proud of you for being brave enough to post :)
 

bearbear_13

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Update 3!

we added both the praziquantel and pemafix to both their tanks as a precaution, so they’re both being treated for parasites and sore throat/fungus/ect. The store gave us $10 off so instead of $70 for the medicines, it was only $60. They had the cutest axolotls there and I wanted to share a photo with you guys of just how cute this leucistic and golden were together under a log!
6E7077B7-EF5C-40BC-9E30-CF3F2260B32A.jpeg
 

bearbear_13

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update 4

Blossom isn’t looking any better. She’s developed a small lump just above her back leg, and a few on her tail. I held her today and she was barely moving, when usually she’d try and squirm away. I let her go in the water and she just.. sunk to the bottom of the tank. She moved to climb more into my hand but that was it. I don’t think it’ll be long before she passes away.
 

bearbear_13

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Update 5

I came home and held blossom in my hand, and she wasn’t moving. I pushed her and nudged her and she just didn’t move, so I assumed she was dead. I called for my mum and said she’s dead.. and then she freaking moved. 😅 I love her but this is the 3rd time she’s pretended to die or had appeared dead and it’s getting really stressful for me
 

bearbear_13

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Update 6

blossom is looking worse then she has yet. Her gills and body are the same colour, pale and white. She had multiple cuts - one on her chin, tail and head, and her stomach area has grown smaller in size. She’s only moving when I hold her in my hand. I don’t think she’ll make it through the day.
 

bearbear_13

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Update 7

we’ve decided that we’re gonna clean both yhe axolotls tanks, do some water changes, and add more medicine to both the tanks along with an ice block as we can’t afford a tank temperature regulator ($769 is the average..). Hopefully these little bits help her out.
 

bearbear_13

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Current water parameters…

pH - 7.4

Ammonia - 0.5

Nitrite - 2.0

Nitrate - 40

Phosphate - 0.4

Working on fixing it x
 

bearbear_13

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final update

blossom has passed away
Time of death: 3:50pm
Cause: Parasites/infections
4th November 2020 - 26th September 2021
❤️ She’s no longer in pain
 

axie owner

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i'm so sorry to hear that she didnt make it. ;( you did everything you could. its really great that you where willing to help her without hesitation. i hope you are going ok. :(
 
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