Illness/Sickness: Strange Feet

[RAVENSTONE]

Hi,
I'm not sure if the photo of my Axoltl came through.
I was hoping to get some idea about his/her feet. Both back feet seem to be a bit deformed, which has occurred just recently. He is not using them very much either.
Front legs are going black on the tips and I recently found out this could be a sign of maturity.
I did actually post this in the Salamander Forum. Sorry my bad?
Thankyou in advance ?

 

[auntiejude]

Dark toes are not a sign of maturity.
That foot looks injured - has it been bitten or caught on a sharp ornament?

 

[RAVENSTONE]

There is no sharp objects in the tank, but it is possible that it has been bitten. In the 10 months that I have had them, I have never seen them be aggressive, but of course I can't watch them 24/7.
I read on another site that blackness of the tips of the feet were signs of maturity. All 4 feet have black tips, and just on the inside of its mouth there is a faint black line.
I will try and take more photo's tomorrow.
Thanks?

 

[keiko]

Black toe tips on light colored axies are normal. Often it is thought to be a sign of sexual maturity, but the black tips can appear when the axie is still a juvenile and not sexually mature yet. It is a sign that your axies is growing up, but shouldn't be interpreted as a definite sign that it is ready to breed.

I'd keep an eye on the axie a bit closer for a few days incase there is an infection going on so you can catch it early. Watch for any changes around the area or changes in your axies behavior. You can also add some Indian almond leaves in the tank, those can help soothe the skin and have a mild antibacterial effect.

What kind of substrate do you use?

 

[kjnorman]

Black toes are indeed normal, and several sources say they are a sign of maturity but the consensus here seems to be that that is not true - I can tell you my two adult axies have black tips on their toes.

The picture you posted looks like the foot has been injured somehow and has some bacterial issues going on. Axies will generally gulp at anything that moves past their mouths, so it is likely that yours got bit, however accidentally.

I would suggest testing the water and/or doing a partial water change to make sure the water quality is 100% where it should be, and keeping an eye on it. You can add Indian Almond Leaves to the water to help prevent fungus.

I had an issue that appeared to be a buildup of bacteria in the substrate of my tank causing chronic bacterial infections of the toes and lower edge of the tail in one of my axolotls - frequent water changes of about 10% combined with cleaning of the substrate seemed to help - I used a siphon to remove waste and debris from the substrate once a day or so for a couple weeks, and then topped up the tank with clean dechlorinated water. In my case I separated out the affected axolotl into a different tank I happened to have set up because his tank mate was stealing his food, but you probably don't need to do that unless it becomes an ongoing issue.