Illness/Sickness: Withered/discoloured fimbriae

[PaulUK]

Hey all,

Sorry if this has been answered before, but I've searched loads for fimbriae and gill hair and what have you, and nothing that matches our problem has come up.

Our Melanoid Axie "Chill" has recently started twitching on odd occasions, as if trying to shake something out of her gills, and once or twice seemed to be rubbing up against the tank ornaments. When I looked at her with a soft-light torch, a few of her fimbriae seemed to have become shrivelled and twisted, almost making it look like she had hair gel in her gills or something. They also seemed to have a goldish-coloured glitter effect in the light. There doesn't appear to be any obvious sign of bacterial or fungal infection (no white/whispy strands or growths).

Her tank mate, "Jem" (Leucistic Axie), seems to be fine - she shows no signs of discoloration or deterioration to her gills or fimbriae. Both are hand fed, which they seem to accept (the little so-and-so's seem to like nibbling at our fingers rather than their dinner!) and are active. Current tank paramaters are:

pH - 7.6
Nitrite - 0.3mg/L
Nitrate - 50mg/L
Ammonia - 0mg/L
Temperature - varied between 19-22C over a 24 hour period

Yes, we know the temperature is high, but we have yet to find a good method of cooling the tank, and the Axies don't seem to mind it - they don't display any outward signs of stress. We're not sure how old they are - Chill is about 6" and Jem is 5.5".

Has anyone else come across this before? If so, what are the suggested remedies? We're hoping we've caught this early as it's only been the last couple of days that she seems to have been twitching.

Thanks!
Paul + Jet

 

[Darkmaverick]

Hi PaulUK,

I am always feel good when i see owners taking the time to research and learn about their pets before impulsively doing something. You are already on a good start.

Your water chemistry is ok and really shouldn't be the cause of the twitching. Although you could do a slight 20% water change to get your nitrite levels to 0, which will definitely make it more comfortable for your axie. Your water temperature although not perfect, isn't likely to be the cause of the twitching either. You could try the ice brick/bottle method if your water temperature creeps up beyond 20 degrees.

The golden shiny pigment you see on your axolotl when you shine a torch on it are its iridosphore pigments. They are normal (and beautiful).

Now we get on to the pressing matter of the twitching, scratching and writhing, and the twisted and shrivelled gills. These im afraid are definite signs of pathology. The discomfort from the twitches etc. highly suggest something irritating. I would say top of my differentials are parasites. There are many types of 'ectoparasites' such as anchorworm, even some species of planaria. Protozoan type parasites can also elicit such as response. The shrivelled and twisted gills are a sign of poor gill health, most likely due to the parasites or poor water conditions. They kind of go hand in hand. Different axolotls have different susceptibility to parasites, so one may have it now and not the other. That is not to say it would not spread and affect the other in future. They tend to affect immunocompromised animals more severely and rapidly.

That said, i can only best recommend you to bring it to your vet for a diagnostic work up and appropriate treatment. Tissue samples may be collected for cytology, gram stain, culture etc. to identify the pathogen. There really is nothing much you can do to fully eradicate the pathogen until you know what it is and how best to treat it.

On the home front, i would recommend you isolate this axolotl. In fact, fridging it would also be a good idea. Take the opportunity to destress your axolotl and render the conditions less hospitable for pathogens to proliferate. With luck, your axolotl's own immune system may fight it. Remember to perform daily water changes with clean dechlorinated water kept in bottles in the fridge at this stage. You just need to place it in a receptable large enough to fully submerge the axie and allow it to stretch out its limbs and tail comfortably. You need just enough water to cover its body but not excessive such that it floats. A lid would be necessary. Continue to offer food throughout this period.

Basically do everything you can to reduce stress in both your axies. Monitor water chemistry, temp, current flow, provide hiding places, avoid aggressive tank mates, feed nutritious food and ensure no gravel etc.

Regards.

 

[PaulUK]

Thanks for the advice DarkMaverick! Just a quick couple of further questions for clarification - firstly, the pigmentation: I did wonder if it was part of the natural colouration that Chill has, however the rest of her fimbriae are all a soft, blood-filled red colour. It's only the affected strands which have the colouration. Is it possible that whatever the pathogen and/or the damage it is doing that might be causing the pigmentation to become more visible?
Secondly, fridging her - I've never done this before, so as silly a question as it may be I'd rather ask and look a fool than not ask and risk her health further... what is the best temperature to set the fridge to?
And finally, I've read a lot about salt baths and Holtfreters Solution being used to help treat things. Would this be worth a try in Chills case? Or would it do more harm than good?

Thanks for your help so far!

 

[Darkmaverick]

Hihi,

You are most welcomed. Your axolotl is a leucistic so pigmentation is not uncommon. It could be part of the natural colouration or it could be exacerbated by previous pathology. Think of it as having a sun tan. Your skin reacts to it by producing melanin, but essentially its damage to the tissues. Previous wounds, trauma to a site can allow pigments to express more strongly (as a repair mechanism). Pigments itself is nothing to worry about though.

The best temperature to set a fridge is 4 -5 degree celsius.

Salt baths are only indicated when you see an obvious fungal infection. Otherwise, there really is no point in giving a salt bath and really it may be more detrimental than good. Based on your photos, i would say just fridge Chills will do. There is no visible fungal infection seen.

Cheers

 

[PaulUK]

Thanks for your help DarkMaverick. After a day in the fridge, Chill seems much better now. After a good bowel movement she seems to have perked up immesurably, and the affected fimbriae seem to have cleared up as well. I must admit, I'm surprised she bounced back so quickly! Or maybe I just made a mistake. Either way, we're keeping her in the fridge for another day or two just to make sure she is on the mend properly and to give us time to sort out the tank.

Thanks again for your help - I really have no idea what I would have done without the helpful folks here!!!

P.S. - I managed to take a really good picture of Jem yawning which I've put up in the images section under "Tunnel of Doom!"