Urgent help please, sick baby?

[Pobecca]

So this is the first time I've noticed this about him: I found him against the glass, laying partially on his side. I thought he was dead at first, so I poked a couple stones that were around him, and he started to move slowly. He seems weak, and I tried to feed him, but he will only nip at his blood worms. He tried to swim, but he flipped onto his back, and I had to help him to flip back over. Is there anything I should do?

I don't know if he looks sick or not, since I'm pretty new at raising Axolotls...

 

[imzunicorn]

He looks bloated and stressed. How do you have your tank setup and how much and what do you feed?

You should fridge him right away.

 

[Pobecca]

I usually feed him blood worms, and sometimes I'll feed him about 5 or more, it depends on how long they are. I feed him once every other day, but I think I should start feeding him every day, from what I've read.

He lives in a 1 gallon tank since he's still just a baby, and I had a few snails in there that I've taken out. This is what his tank looks like. The filter came with the tank.

I'll look up how to fridge, thank you for your help.

 

[Pobecca]

So I fridged him like you said, and this is the second night he was in there. Last night when I changed his water, he moved a little bit, and I thought he was going to do okay. Now, he's not even moving, even if I nudge him. Is this a part of the process, or is he... Dead? I'd hate to find him dead after having him for so long...

 

[Pobecca]

He's dead... Thanks for your help anyway.

 

[Pobecca]

So he's not dead... But he's still really weak. I took him out earlier today, because I didn't know he was alive or not, but he's wiggled a little bit. I am currently trying to feed him again, so he doesn't get so bad that he really does die, but he's not eating still. I think it will tale him a while, and I'll put him back in the fridge when he's done eating.

 

[Zenna]

Alright, Well first hun. No fridging! He's still way too young for that If anything that will kill him. Second. Take the gravel out! He's starting to get big enough to swallow some of the smaller pieces. If that happens, Since he's so tiny, It will block his system and will probably kill him. What's your tempurature at? And when they're that young, most people feed them 2-3 times everyday. I think it's easier at that age just to keep them in a small container and do daily water changes with dechorinated water. Im not sure what's wrong with him, But im sure someone can offer more help.

~Best of luck!

 

[Pobecca]

I have him in a little container, and I'll keep him in there until he gets big enough, and if I don't have any other occupants, to keep him in my 10 gallon tank. Thanks for the input it's greatly appreciated.

I'm pretty sure the water is around, if not warmer, than regular faucet water. I currently do not have a thermometer, but since tomorrow is my day off, I will go up to the petstore and re-stock on things and buy one.

I think once I start to feed him more, if he eats at all, and keep doing lots of water changes, he will start to feel better. I also think the baby snails I had with him were stressing him out, so no more snails, either.

 

[Zenna]

Well what I used to do when my axies were that size, Is I had a pair of plastic tweezers, I would take a bloodworm or two and just gently wiggle it infront of their faces Because at that stage they cant really smell the food so they rely more on the movement. And please do keep us updated! I would love to hear if this little guy is getting better

~Best of luck!

 

[Pobecca]

I have a wooden skewer I used to kind of push the blood worm down and hold it to the glass, and he would swim over and eat now, I'll put the worm right at his mouth and he won't budge from his spot.

I got a thermometer today, and the tank he was in is at 80F degrees. Could it have been the temperature that made him sick?

 

[Zenna]

Yeah That's very high, Im pretty positive that would be the cause. the best temp for an axie is aroud 18 - 20ish, Maybe around 20 for babys. which would be about 68 for you If you can manage to get the temp down around there that would be awesome. And im sure that would help your axie feel ALOT better!

 

[Pobecca]

Sounds good. He actually seemed to be happier in the fridge. Right now, the tip of his tail is curled, so I know he's really stressed out. He still won't eat though, and I have his bowl covered with a towel, so it will be dark for him.

I'm happy to say, though, that he is less bloated than what he was. I guess I'll see with time.

 

[Zenna]

Yeah I think the stressed part is from the temp being way too high, Once you get it down, hopefully it'll be better

 

[Pobecca]

Thank you so much for your help, I'll keep you updated on his health. I really appreciate it.

 

[Martin21114]

I'm pretty sure the water is around, if not warmer, than regular faucet water. .

warm water = sad axolotls. Change his water daily with clean cool dechlorinated water. Try feeding him live blackworms, atleast 1x/day, if not twice.

Good luck with your little guy, I hope he recovers

 

[Pobecca]

I think I'm 99% sure he died in the middle of the night, I checked on him, and his legs are pushed close to his body, and his tail is VERY curled. Also, when I scooped him out of his water to transfer him, his mouth was partially open... His eyes look cloudy too :'(

 

[Morrison]

Awww, I'm sorry for your loss. You did your best.