Wounds on belly and neck!!

[sws22]

Hey Everyone

Just went to feed my axie and noticed that he is very much injured!!! There is a big gash across the side of his belly that is bleeding, his tail is looking a little bit shredded, and the bottom of his throat has a cut too, with some flesh hanging off and a little bit of blood. He is behaving normally but I'm concerned that he needs medical attention. He is in the fridge for now. I got pictures of his side wound but i didn't want to harrass him enough to be able to get a picture of the bottom of his throat.

There is no apparent reason for these injuries as he lives in his tank solo and there are only plastic plants and large river rocks in there.......I thought I was being a good mom

 

[APD1]

Hi sws22,

I'm not sure what could have caused that other than something sharp, but I think maybe you should take him to the vet if the cuts look quite deep... if you can find one that deals with exotic animals or axolotls.

My axolotl got a bad cut a while ago also (never found out the cause) and it got infected because the tank water probably wasn't clean enough for her open wound. She was in a very bad state because I didn't notice it for quite a while and she nearly died. But I took her to the vet just in time and she has been having a course of antibiotic injections since then. She seems to be improving.

Hope that helps. Someone else might have a better idea.

 

[APD1]

This is the link to the thread I started a while ago in case it helps at all:

http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-be...68620-arched-back-inflamed-cloaca-region.html

 

[Jacquie]

Fridging your axie was the best thing to do, this will help with the healing process. A guide to fridging can be found in the thread APD1 has linked you, if you need it.

As the axolotl has been injured on the neck, body, and tail - I would take it to a vet as APD1 has advised.

A few thoughts as to what could have caused the injuries:

What type of filter are you using? Is there anything such as a filter impeller or any other moving parts (a long shot, I know, but stranger things have happened) which the axolotl may have been exposed to in his wanderings?

Could you provide some photos of the rocks and plastic plants? Some plastic plants can be quite hard and sharp, and if the false leaves have a serrated edge, these can easily injure an axolotl as it 'waddles on by'. The best (and safest) artificial plants to use with axolotls are the "silk plants".

Are the rocks smooth or rough? Any chance one (or some) of the rocks have jagged edges?

That's all I can think of at present...

 

[Shizeric]

If you could provide a picture of the Axolotl's tank and setup, it would help us assess the situation.