Abscess on axolotl’s head, barely eating, twitch(?)

[SirTorro]

My axolotl recently developed a cyst/ulcer on his head, right between the eyes (slightly closer to the left). He’s a male leucistic and is about 3-4 years old. Right now I am quarantining him in a pot (probably not the best) and I’m using Melafix to treat the infection. He also hasn’t been eating for a while. What should I do? Anything I should change/stop doing?

(Pictures are not in his pot, but rather in a separate container. Don’t worry :^))

 

[SirTorro]

Update. There was more puss.. It washed out well. He’s still the same though. Still has a lump on his head, still stressed and still not eating. I change the water every day. The hardness is a bit low due to where I live, but I do my best. Everything else is perfect. Still treating it with antibiotics and such. Any other treatment suggestions..? Any idea of what the cause might be?

 

[AMurry24537]

Have you taken him at all to a vet yet? They may be able to recommend a stronger or different medication (I have no personal experience with most axolotl-safe medications, so I can't really offer my own recommendations there).

Regarding the stress, my main advice is to do what you can to keep him in a cool, dark place. Try out a variety of axolotl foods (nightcrawlers, shrimp, pellets, Repashy Grub Pies, etc) to see if he's interested in anything. Is there any chance he's impacted?

Though I wouldn't usually recommend fridging except in an emergency, it may help in this case to slow down his metabolism a bit and help him to heal up; just be sure to look up some guides on how to do it well and what temperature to aim for. Do note that a decrease in temp may further decrease his appetite, but he'll also last longer without food.

Also, almost forgot: Seachem does sell products that let you adjust the ph/water hardness a bit

 

[SirTorro]

Thanks for the suggestions! I can’t seem to find a vet though… I’m thinking of finding one through the internet and talking through the web instead. He is currently in the fridge. I’ve been trying to feed him these really nutritious pellets but he doesn’t seem interested. Ill try feeding him bloodworms, earthworms and brine shrimp to see if he’s at all interested in food.

The cyst is under the skin. It seems to be pretty stressful for my little dude, though. Perhaps he’s not eating because he’s stressed? I dunno. I’ll try to find a vet.

 

[SirTorro]

Update:
I was unsuccessful in finding a vet. The lump on his head was an abscess, I believe. This time when it popped, I physically washed it out to make sure that it wouldn’t build up again. I put in a higher dose of antibiotics.
I had noticed he was twitching(?) a bit before the lump popped again. Could that mean anything? I’m quite certain that the lump was caused by some sort of bacteria.

 

[SirTorro]

I heard that API Furan-2 is a really good medicine for bacterial infections. What do you think? Still don’t know why he was twitching..

 

[SirTorro]

He ate! Not much, but he ate! It seems like he’s having a big of trouble, though. He doesn’t snap, but more so slurps up the food. Also, no more pus build up! I thing he might finally be feeling better :^)

 

[AMurry24537]

Yay! Glad to hear it! Sorry we couldn't be of more help ☹