Sick axoltl. Floating back legs

[nikolaklc]

Hi
I am a new member to this forum.
My golden axolotl is acting out of character.
He is floating his back legs up and rolling when he moves.
He is also hiding in the corners of the tank.
He is 11 years old, the only axolotl in the 180litre tank. The water has been tested ok and he is still eating well.
Any suggestions?
Thanks

 

[layna]

Im not an expert, but he may have either swallowed a large air bubble and will need to get it out either end, or he may just be constipated and its causing him to float.
If the air is inside him, i suppose it would make him roll as its not level and trying to reach the surface

 

[Alkylhalide]

Thats what happens when mine need to poop! I just chase their floating self around the water with a turkey baster and make them eat to help move the poop/bubble out
Axies are funny that way, but it always makes me so sad because they swim to the bottom just to have their back end float back up. to me it would be frustrating!

 

[nikolaklc]

Thanks for the replies so far but I'm confused.
I seem to be getting contradicting information as to what to do for him if he is constipated.
Some say feed him more, some say feed him less.
Some say fridge him (which us something I have never done in all the years I've owned him) some say don't fridge him. To be honest the idea of putting him in the fridge scares me. In Australia with warmer temperatures his tank temperature is in the higher end of the scale and I don't want to shock him with a huge temperature change (we Aussies like our beverages cold so our fridges are usually at very low temperatures and it would be up to a 20 degrees Celsius temperature change)
He is in a bare bottomed tank and the only thing I can think of is he has been eating pellets over the last two-three weeks. Pellets are not usually his favourite food (think of getting a child to eat vegetables and you can imagine Albies's usual response to pellets) but I'm trying to get him variety. He usually gets fed bloodworms and loves to hunt up little shrimp when I can source them. Every few months I put in a couple of minnows for him and at present are just raising some earth worms to try him on.
So my question is what do I do now? Do I keep feeding him? Try him on something different? To my mind he is too skinny for an adult axolotl. I see pictures of fat bellied axolotls which is something he has never been (his head has always been wider than his stomach) and if I give him extra food it usually ends up getting thrown up.
So to repeat my question- what do I do now?
Thanks again for your help

 

[Alkylhalide]

In my opinion, I would keep feeding him.
I would not fridge him unless you really feel like he is uncomfortable and becoming stressed.
First thing I would do is either lower the level of your water down to more of a level where he can touch the ground(so he isnt stressed that he cant) or put him in a tuperware container temporary with enough water that he can touch the bottom if he is floating bad.

Expecially if you feel like he is skinny, I would definately be feeding him. If it is a air bubble it should rectify itself in a day or so, but I find that when my axies bum was floating that just feeding him made it better(it helps push the air out)

I guess maybe some people feel like it would be better for the air to come back out the same way it came in? I mean if you dont feed them and fridge them, they may "burp" it out, but I would rather avoid all that if possible and keep on a regular routine. Like you said it seems a bit more stressful to fridge them and not feed them then it is to just leave them alone

 

[snuggly time]

What temperature is his tank water at?

 

[nikolaklc]

The temperature of his tank is higher than I would usually 24 degrees and it has been up to 27 degrees during the time I've owned him.
I'm trying to find a solution to cool the water during the summer months because where I live it frequently has temperatures of 36-40 degrees Celsius and even though his tank is in the coolest room of the house out of sun with air conditioning on I still battle to keep temperatures down below 24 degrees.
Albie is still eating well but moving around floating his back legs up and rolling around in his tank.
Water levels and filtration are the same systems he has had for ten years and water conditions test ok. The only change has been he has been eating pellets over the last month. They are the same pellets he has eaten on and off again for years and has never reacted to before.
I can't see any swellings and it appears he is still going to the toilet.
Any other suggestions for Albie? This has been going on for over a week now.
I did a partial water change over the weekend and tested the water again. Still testing ok.

 

[FX1C]

Can I ask what the water parameters were when you tested them?
Ammonia / Nitrite / Nitrate / Ph

How often do you clean the filter media / sponges? Have you got any carbon in the filter / how often do you change it?
Do you rinse the filter media in the tank water you have removed for water changes? How often / how much% of water do you change?

Changing the diet to pellets could cause some constipation if he's a bit older & his body gets used to certain diets but hopefully it will eventually pass buttfloat is a common occurance in this house when they're about to poop

Keeping the tank cool is important - but seriously if he's been used to higher temps over 11yrs he's not likely to suddenly be stressed out by it. I use aquarium cooling fans - cheap & effective to drop temp by 3-4deg especially if you keep your house cool with air con.

Post a pic of the tank & your lotl
- it sometimes helps to see any problems.



<3 >o_o< <3

 

[snuggly time]

That temperature is quite high - it could be stressful if it gets any higher. But like Nikki said, he should be used to it. :S

P.S. Nikki I love the "buttfloat" - That can be caudata's new diagnosis! "Yeah your axie is suffering from buttfloat" hahaha!