Sick baby Axolotl - Barely eating/moving, curled tail and gills

[Josiane]

Hi guys

I have a baby baby axie that's about 3 inches. I got him 9 days ago. I keep him in a tub (because my tank has sand) which I change 100% daily with dechlorinated water. Initially he was fine, then about 4-5 days ago he started to be less active and ate less and less. He was 2 days without pooping.

I asked for help on an Axo Facebook page and was told to lower the water temperature because I thought it was at 21C, so I put an icepack in for a couple of days. His state did not get better, he even vomited. When I received the thermometer I have ordered, I realized why he had vomited, the water temp was down to 11C . That was yesterday around noon.

His gills are curled, the tip of his tail is curled, he barely moves and doesn't want to eat anymore, I'm freaking out. Water temp is stable at 18C. I just did a pH test and it's in the ideal range.

I don't know what else to do, why is he sick? I read that these are signs he's stressed, but why is he stressed?

Please help me, he's the cutest little thing in the world.

The pic in the tank is the first night I got him 9 days ago (before I knew he was too small for a tank with sand, he only stayed in there like 15h). He didn't change colors by the way, it's just the effect of the light...

 

[KayDee]

Maybe he needs somewhere to hide?
I am not experienced enough to help with much more than that but could he be distressed because of the light?

 

[Toothpickthelotl]

Hi! Me again . Your little guy is so precious, omg. Such a baby! He actually looks fairly healthy for his size. Now that I’m seeing him I’m actually less worried. I saw your message in chat and I saw you said the pH is fine with the api kit (test strips do seem to be flukey a lot of the time), so that’s relieving as well. I’m not completely sure but it is very possible that he is just stressed by the environment and your presence, and I don’t mean this meanly at all. You have not had him for a while, sometimes it takes some time for them to warm up to the environment. When my baby was yours age she sometimes would randomly stop eating and become rather “lethargic” until I realized she was just scared. Imagine being a little thing in a tub with a big scary giant!
I think he will be okay. For now, get him a hide to put in his tank so he can get away from the light and from being seen. Maybe add a fake plant or 2 and monitor for any weird behavior. Axolotls LOVE hiding and get stressed out if they can be seen from all angles... guess they are a little self conscious If the water is fine, especially in a daily changed tub, I think he may just genuinely be stressed out.
keep us updated!

 

[Josiane]

Thanks guys, I have a bit more hope now...
You're probably right Paige (and KayDee!). I'll get him a hiding spot that fits in the tub. I've also added a bubbler now with a valv so it's super gentle.
Hey Paige, I tested my tank and it looked like it's cycled! Perfect numbers all the way.
When would you recommend I switch him to the tank? Should I wait for him to be a good 5 inches?
And he's cute, right? Haha His name is Grogu

 

[Toothpickthelotl]

Perfect! No need to worry.
As for the tank, after seeing the picture I do agree that the sand doesn’t look the best for him right now. I personally would not use that sand for a grown adult either even though it’s somewhat safe for older ones. The sand looks a little too coarse in my opinion, so I would not put Grogu on it yet (I love the name!!). If you want, get some very fine sand to put inside instead, and then I’d wait til about 5 inches like you said. I think that’s around the same time I switched my girl to sand. Sand is normally ok but sometimes when it’s too coarse it can cause Impaction especially in little guys. I would transfer him into the tank as soon as possible though, and i would recommend finer sand. If for some reason the sand is finer then it seems on picture let me know! Sometimes it looks diff in pictures

 

[Josiane]

Perfect! No need to worry.
As for the tank, after seeing the picture I do agree that the sand doesn’t look the best for him right now. I personally would not use that sand for a grown adult either even though it’s somewhat safe for older ones. The sand looks a little too coarse in my opinion, so I would not put Grogu on it yet (I love the name!!). If you want, get some very fine sand to put inside instead, and then I’d wait til about 5 inches like you said. I think that’s around the same time I switched my girl to sand. Sand is normally ok but sometimes when it’s too coarse it can cause Impaction especially in little guys. I would transfer him into the tank as soon as possible though, and i would recommend finer sand. If for some reason the sand is finer then it seems on picture let me know! Sometimes it looks diff in pictures

Thanks again Paige, I really appreciate it!

 

[Josiane]

So Grogu has taken a turn for the worse, I thought he has passed. He's very stiff and barely moves. He has white stuff on his head
So is he dying of a fungal infection or does he have the white stuff because he's almost gone? Can i still save him???

 

[Josiane]

His gills don't even move anymore
I tried to gently remove the white stuff with a Q-tip and he moved a little so he's not gone yet.
Last resort, I'll try to lower his water temp a lot so that his metabolism slows down and he goes in healing mode. The is is hail Mary

 

[EllieWind]

He definitely looks like he has some kind of infection going on. Your best bet would be to get him to a vet ASAP at this point. If you can't find a vet that treats axolotls and if he can hold on a bit longer (fridging him would help), you can order some medication. I've found that Furan-2 works wonders, just make sure you use at most only half or less of the recommended dosage. A black tea bath may also help clear up the fungal fuzz he's got going on, but it seems to me that he likely has had an internal infection for a while now and will need stronger medication (again, Furan-2 has been really helpful for me).

 

[Josiane]

Foran-2 is meant for fish, it's safe for Axies? You've used it many times?
And thank you!!

 

[madcaplaughs]

I think there's a chance of impaction here. Axolotls under 5" cannot be placed on sand due to the risk of impaction. In the chance that they are impacted, you'll need to fridge the axolotl. Their gill stalks are nearly completely diminished, indicating there's an issue with water quality. I see you have him tubbed, do you know the parameters of your tap water (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH)? The hooked tail indicates high levels of stress. 11C is also too cold, their metabolism begins to slow below 15C. The white stuff appears to be his slime coat coming off, what water conditioner do you use? If it contains aloe or iodine, it's toxic to axolotls.

 

[Toothpickthelotl]

Hi! I am so sorry, I really was thinking it was stressed because he looked okay in your initial post. I’m not sure what’s going on . How is grogu today? Any updates

 

[Josiane]

Thanks Paige... I started the treatment right away yesterday but I was too late, he passed RIP baby Grogu

 

[Josiane]

I think there's a chance of impaction here. Axolotls under 5" cannot be placed on sand due to the risk of impaction. In the chance that they are impacted, you'll need to fridge the axolotl. Their gill stalks are nearly completely diminished, indicating there's an issue with water quality. I see you have him tubbed, do you know the parameters of your tap water (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH)? The hooked tail indicates high levels of stress. 11C is also too cold, their metabolism begins to slow below 15C. The white stuff appears to be his slime coat coming off, what water conditioner do you use? If it contains aloe or iodine, it's toxic to axolotls.

Hello
He only spent 15h in the tank, I removed him right away and the parameters of my tub water were perfect. I suspect he was already ill when I got him... The pet store I got him from doesn't have a good reputation, it was just the only store that had one. Lesson learned, poor baby

 

[Toothpickthelotl]

I am so so terribly sorry. It’s very possible that he had an infection to begin with when you got him... sometimes that happens with babies. Babies are a lot more fragile then adults so if they have an infection to begin with it’s very hard to control it. It’s possible wherever you got him from did not specify anything wrong with him. It happens, they just want to make a sale. You did the absolute best you could, it’s not your fault. I hope one day we can figure out what caused this! Don’t let this stop you from one day trying again, I’m sure you will be an amazing axie mommy . Hang in there! Message me if you need anything

 

[Josiane]

I am so so terribly sorry. It’s very possible that he had an infection to begin with when you got him... sometimes that happens with babies. Babies are a lot more fragile then adults so if they have an infection to begin with it’s very hard to control it. It’s possible wherever you got him from did not specify anything wrong with him. It happens, they just want to make a sale. You did the absolute best you could, it’s not your fault. I hope one day we can figure out what caused this! Don’t let this stop you from one day trying again, I’m sure you will be an amazing axie mommy . Hang in there! Message me if you need anything

Thank you for your kind words ❤
I'm already looking for a new baby, but I'm heartbroken. I'll introduce you to my new baby once I find one

 

[madcaplaughs]

Hello
He only spent 15h in the tank, I removed him right away and the parameters of my tub water were perfect. I suspect he was already ill when I got him... The pet store I got him from doesn't have a good reputation, it was just the only store that had one. Lesson learned, poor baby

I'm terribly sorry to hear about your loss. Pet stores are known to breed axolotls with poor genetics, and if the one you purchased from doesn't have the best reputation, it may have been an issue stemming from there. You may be able to find a new friend online, I'm sure there are breeders here on Caudata in Canada willing to ship.

 

[Josiane]

I'm terribly sorry to hear about your loss. Pet stores are known to breed axolotls with poor genetics, and if the one you purchased from doesn't have the best reputation, it may have been an issue stemming from there. You may be able to find a new friend online, I'm sure there are breeders here on Caudata in Canada willing to ship.

Thank you for your kind words ❤ I contacted a breeder who ships, waiting to see if they have any at the moment

 

[Southwest Axolotls]

I’m so sorry for your loss. It almost certanily looks like some kind of bacterial infection that could have been lingering for a while. Can you contact the pet store ? If you can I’d call to let them know as if they have any decency they will deep clean and treat the tank they keep axolotls in or else many others will also become sick.

good luck on finding a new baby and I agree with the above posts about removing the sand and going bare bottom or replace with very fine sand or even slate.

all the best

 

[Josiane]

I’m so sorry for your loss. It almost certanily looks like some kind of bacterial infection that could have been lingering for a while. Can you contact the pet store ? If you can I’d call to let them know as if they have any decency they will deep clean and treat the tank they keep axolotls in or else many others will also become sick.

good luck on finding a new baby and I agree with the above posts about removing the sand and going bare bottom or replace with very fine sand or even slate.

all the best

I did call them, spoke with the manager. Eventually hung up on her because I was so furious. She didn't even know what Prime conditioner was, blamed his sickness on me. Their tanks are filthy and they have no knowledge of the animal's needs. I was sooo mad.