Weird change

[HayleyK]

I've noticed over the past few 5 or so days one of my axolotls appears to have really irritated skin, almost like burns. She's a leucistic about two years old and she used to be "veiny" after a feed but she's been extremely veiny and her tails red, and instead of being a pinky white color she's almost a weird yellow colour (it's very blotchy). She also hangs around the top pretty much all day, but does not have a floating issue as she ends up sleeping near the bottom hanging off her favorite leaf, it's just when she's in that flared up stage she wants to be at the top and she enjoys her back out of the water with her head in, it's really strange...

Background info:
Ph 7.8
Ammonia 0 ( yes my kits work, my partner is cycling his tank using the same liquids and his is turning dark green and mine is a pale yellow)
Nitrite 0
Nitrate - don't have the reader anymore but it's a pale orange which indicates very low amounts

Has a fellow tank mate who is a wildtype, never shows signs of flares and is a bottom dweller .. Never at the top actually. He used to have a slime coat problem which he had from the places I got him but tea baths have helped that.

I feed them 2-3 earthworms from my garden which is chemical free, and my wormery everyday. I used to feed them every second day but the smaller one wasn't putting on much weight and the leucistic could use some bulk.

I've attached a picture for you, it's not clear but that's the best I could do (plus my hands were wet from cleaning their tank, did a 50% water change anyway).

 

[PatchworkClocks]

I haven't really come across an issue like this... I'll look around a bit and definitely provide whatever information I come up with.

 

[PatchworkClocks]

Okay, looking around I found something about heat exhaustion, which has the same basic symptoms as your axolotl is showing. What is the water temperature usually at in your tank?

 

[HayleyK]

We just had out second day of official spring here in Australia, but my water temp does not reach over 19 degrees Celsius just yet (investing in a cooling system soon when it starts to heat). The weird thing is I've gone through two Australian summers with just a ice bottle once a day, which really wasn't the best at maintaining temperatures, and I've had zero problems with her. And it baffles me the other one is still so cruisy and happy?

 

[auntiejude]

Has your axie lost weight, or has she always been on the slim side? If she has lost weight (and yes she looks a little too skinny) that may account for the veins being visible. If that's the case she probably just needs feeding up a bit - you could try some waxworms every few days as they have a higher fat and calorie content than worms.

Flushed tails are not unusual in leucistics and albinos, especially if they have been energetic. I think someone said it can be a sign of 'I'm ready to breed', but I wouldn't take that as definitive.

But otherwise it could be a water quality issue, or something that has just irritated her, or she has scraped against something and has grazed herself.

I'd start with a tea bath, or adding tea to the tank. I would also add a tiny bit extra dechlorinator, one of my axies is very sensitive to chlorine and scratched as her gills if I don't get it 100% right.

And if your other axie is a wild type you wouldn't see any discolouration the same way - he may have irritation that you just can't see.

 

[HayleyK]

She was more plump but it wasn't a rapid loss and still eats like a champ, no worries there, it just doesn't seem to add to their weight. Is there anything else with higher fats to plump her whilst I search for waxworks as I haven't seen any around locally?

Yeah I've always seen her veins it's just the last few days have been really intense with a yellow tinge to her skin for a very long period of time teamed with the floating, just worries me ... and there's nothing in her tank to irritate her, soft real plants, smooth terracotta pot, smooth terracotta tunnels and very smooth driftwood. I usually do add a little extra dechlorinator as in unsure of the water readings in my area (council are a pain to get a hold of!), I think I use too much sometimes, I get an aloe growth on silicon and tubing occasionally.

I kinda gathered I wouldn't visually see irritation but her mate doesn't float like her and she also swims a lot. And there has been tea in their tank, I added it a while ago for her tank mate he has some issues sometimes and I just saw a little "shedding" patch on him so I added more. Could this be the same kind of issue? Because I searched all over on my leucistic and not one slight patch of shedding. Can axolotls give off different symptoms to the same culprit?

 

[snuggly time]

Perhaps it's the dechlorinator. It's needs measuring accurately otherwise instead of helping the water quality it could be making it worse. Try the required amount and see if she improves over the next few days. :happy:

 

[auntiejude]

I would still go for the tea bath in the short term - it won't hurt even if it's not exactly the right thing.

Will your axies eat pellets? Axolotl-specific pellets are best if you want an alternative to worms, salmon pellets are supposed to be good too. Just make sure the fat content isn't over 20% or you can damage their liver. Otherwise - more worms! You could try feeding at different times too, maybe a worm for breakfast and more worms for tea...

(And axies seem to be able to injure themselves on nothing - mine grazed her tail in a plastic tub with no sharp bits, rough edges or ornaments!)

 

[HayleyK]

Yeah I was planning to continue the tea bath business anyway, thanks!

And for axolotl pellets, negative, I haven't tried them. My area is not very axolotl friendly, i have never seen axolotls sold at any aquarium, only in big shopping centre pet shops who are duds and was asking me how I take care mine since mine have lasted over two years... He was suprised that you could feed them earthworms.. So I gave them a low down on everything down to their gravel in the tank any who, back to the original answer, they only have turtle pellets or beta pellets which I thought wouldn't be suitable.

Legislation has passed/about to be passed that will allow pet shops to openly sell reptiles and amphibians. I wonder if they will even check for reptile licenses and actually know how to care for all different reptiles and amphibbies

UPDATE: she hasn't been really red for two days, she used to hang at the top on a derooted plant (this ones got a thing for leaf-chilling!!) so her back was out of the water which is when she would turn red, now all plants are back in the sand and she had no where to sit anymore and it's not so red. This problem did indeed start when the plant was uprooted a bit under a week ago. Could her back being out of the water cause an almost full body irritation?

 

[HayleyK]

Nope, she's still hanging with her back out. Im completely paranoid so i bought new tests in a different brand and the results are the same.. Does anyone else's axolotl do this too..? Sorry it is on its side..

 

[Quentari]

So far every white axolotl that has been in my care has, at some point or other, done this. It's like white ones (albino or lecustic) are more sensitive to heat or nitrates or something, as the tank mates are always fine.

 

[sugarkandii]

My leucistic looked like this after I first got him; there was an ammonia spike in the tank from blood worms getting away, and it was literally like an ammonia burn.. I took him out and fridged him, but he was in poorly shape. I never tasted for ammonia levels, as they weren't part of my kit- but after going out and getting another ammonia-specific set, that turned out to be part of the issue. Is your water really soft where you are? This can also be a big issue for them! my GH was in the 20-40PPM range, and they need it upwards of 200-300PPM, so I had to fix that as well.

I hope your axie is doing better! Also- in terms of floating at the top like that- I keep bits of plastic plant at the top of the water as well as a floating log that more or less encourages poking out of the tank once in a while- but it's often a sign of stress if they hang out like that in the open.

 

[HayleyK]

Yeah I thought it was ammonia burn too but I checked the water twice before posting and ur always came back zero. All parameters are good and haven't checked hardness but I've never had a problem with my axolotls until two weeks ago so I don't think it's that... I took out her floating log .. Should I put it back in when she goes back in her big tank? I've sinned moved her to a different tank