Axolotl air bubble not eating

[rauldeheer]

Hi every one,

I will cut right to the point: the past days it was extremely hot in my country (The Netherlands) and my room is at the highest point of the house. Luckily I have an airconditioning system. This, however, was not enough to keep the water of my axolotl tank low. My axolotl stopped eating and began stressing. I immediately purchased a professional water chiller. I'm now waiting for it to arrive. In the meanwhile, my airconditioning system has been running 24 hours a day. The water has cooled down.

Current problem:
My axolotl began floating around 48 hours ago and obviously stopped eating since it was so hot (5 days ago approx). I searched on Google and I found out that I need to put him in a glass container and in the fridge. I did not dare to do the second, but around 10 hours ago I put him in a glass container where he can stand. He has calmed down a lot, not moving a lot. He still refuses to eat.

My questions are:

1. Mainly: what should I do next?
2. How can I get the air bubble out his body? His back is floating, even in the glass container. His front arms touch the bottom of his temporary container.
3. Should I visit a vet? If so; how should I carry him to the vet? I do not want to make him stressed.

Thanks every one in advance.

PS: I will add pictures ASAP!

 

[faebugz]

Hi every one,

I will cut right to the point: the past days it was extremely hot in my country (The Netherlands) and my room is at the highest point of the house. Luckily I have an airconditioning system. This, however, was not enough to keep the water of my axolotl tank low. My axolotl stopped eating and began stressing. I immediately purchased a professional water chiller. I'm now waiting for it to arrive. In the meanwhile, my airconditioning system has been running 24 hours a day. The water has cooled down.

Current problem:
My axolotl began floating around 48 hours ago and obviously stopped eating since it was so hot (5 days ago approx). I searched on Google and I found out that I need to put him in a glass container and in the fridge. I did not dare to do the second, but around 10 hours ago I put him in a glass container where he can stand. He has calmed down a lot, not moving a lot. He still refuses to eat.

My questions are:

1. Mainly: what should I do next?
2. How can I get the air bubble out his body? His back is floating, even in the glass container. His front arms touch the bottom of his temporary container.
3. Should I visit a vet? If so; how should I carry him to the vet? I do not want to make him stressed.

Thanks every one in advance.

PS: I will add pictures ASAP!

Hi there,

Can you please update with what temperatures his tank reached? And what it's at now?

I assure you the fridge is the best place for him right now, they are very happy in there. The cool water slows his metabolism and helps him empty his digestive system. It may be enough to pass the bubble, if that's what you think he has. Just keep him in a Tupperware with a tight lid in a safe place in the fridge as long as is necessary. It doesn't need to be huge, the cold water will hold more oxygen so don't worry about that either. Once every 24 hours do a 100% water change, make sure you temperature match with the new water.

Of course it never hurts to see a vet, if you can afford to that would be the safest course of action. I would call the vet and ask the best way to transport him, they will probably have good advice for your climate right now

 

[rauldeheer]

Hi there,

Can you please update with what temperatures his tank reached? And what it's at now?

I assure you the fridge is the best place for him right now, they are very happy in there. The cool water slows his metabolism and helps him empty his digestive system. It may be enough to pass the bubble, if that's what you think he has. Just keep him in a Tupperware with a tight lid in a safe place in the fridge as long as is necessary. It doesn't need to be huge, the cold water will hold more oxygen so don't worry about that either. Once every 24 hours do a 100% water change, make sure you temperature match with the new water.

Of course it never hurts to see a vet, if you can afford to that would be the safest course of action. I would call the vet and ask the best way to transport him, they will probably have good advice for your climate right now

Thank you so much for your reply. His back is lifting up and yesterday we tried to put him on the bottom of his tank (before we put him in the container), and he floated to the top instantly. I also saw him bubbling out air yesterday and the day before. I will put him in the fridge ASAP and call a vet. I am lucky enough to be able to afford a vet so I will give him/her a call ASAP. Thanks again and if you, or anyone else, has any advice please let me know.

Thanks!

 

[rauldeheer]

Hi there,

Can you please update with what temperatures his tank reached? And what it's at now?

I assure you the fridge is the best place for him right now, they are very happy in there. The cool water slows his metabolism and helps him empty his digestive system. It may be enough to pass the bubble, if that's what you think he has. Just keep him in a Tupperware with a tight lid in a safe place in the fridge as long as is necessary. It doesn't need to be huge, the cold water will hold more oxygen so don't worry about that either. Once every 24 hours do a 100% water change, make sure you temperature match with the new water.

Of course it never hurts to see a vet, if you can afford to that would be the safest course of action. I would call the vet and ask the best way to transport him, they will probably have good advice for your climate right now

I've measured the temperatures. Currently it is at 24 degrees Celsius. It highest point was probably 25.5 degrees Celsius. I am glad that I've ordered a water chiller because I know they like 17/19 degrees Celsius water.

 

[rauldeheer]

Hi there,

Can you please update with what temperatures his tank reached? And what it's at now?

I assure you the fridge is the best place for him right now, they are very happy in there. The cool water slows his metabolism and helps him empty his digestive system. It may be enough to pass the bubble, if that's what you think he has. Just keep him in a Tupperware with a tight lid in a safe place in the fridge as long as is necessary. It doesn't need to be huge, the cold water will hold more oxygen so don't worry about that either. Once every 24 hours do a 100% water change, make sure you temperature match with the new water.

Of course it never hurts to see a vet, if you can afford to that would be the safest course of action. I would call the vet and ask the best way to transport him, they will probably have good advice for your climate right now

I've put him in the fridge now so hopefully his water cools down and he gets some rest.

 

[AMurry24537]

I've measured the temperatures. Currently it is at 24 degrees Celsius. It highest point was probably 25.5 degrees Celsius. I am glad that I've ordered a water chiller because I know they like 17/19 degrees Celsius water.

The ideal temperature range for an axolotl is 16-18 C. For future reference, anything above 21 puts your axolotl in serious danger and needs to be fixed ASAP and as mentioned above, fridging can literally save your axolotl's live in an emergency like this.

For other ways to cool down your tank, here's what I would recommend considering:

If possible, move your tank to a lower floor of the house. Heat rises, so the lower you can get (even if it's as little as moving from a stand to the floor) helps.

Set up fans to blow across the top surface of the water. Some people use clip on fans, computer fans, aquarium fans, etc. This helps to cool the water through evaporation. It does mean that you'll want to replace some of the evaporated water with distilled water (the evaporation leaves all the minerals behind, so simply adding regular water will cause mineral buildup)

To help aid evaporation (especially if you live in a humid area), purchasing a dehumidifier of some kind decreases the moisture content in the air, allowing for more efficient evaporation from the tank

Last but not least, buy some plastic water bottles, take of all the labels/glue, freeze them in your freezer, and plop them into the tank as needed. They will drop it by a degree or two, but do this sparingly as constant temperature changes can be stressful for axolotls.

 

[rauldeheer]

The ideal temperature range for an axolotl is 16-18 C. For future reference, anything above 21 puts your axolotl in serious danger and needs to be fixed ASAP and as mentioned above, fridging can literally save your axolotl's live in an emergency like this.

For other ways to cool down your tank, here's what I would recommend considering:

If possible, move your tank to a lower floor of the house. Heat rises, so the lower you can get (even if it's as little as moving from a stand to the floor) helps.

Set up fans to blow across the top surface of the water. Some people use clip on fans, computer fans, aquarium fans, etc. This helps to cool the water through evaporation. It does mean that you'll want to replace some of the evaporated water with distilled water (the evaporation leaves all the minerals behind, so simply adding regular water will cause mineral buildup)

To help aid evaporation (especially if you live in a humid area), purchasing a dehumidifier of some kind decreases the moisture content in the air, allowing for more efficient evaporation from the tank

Last but not least, buy some plastic water bottles, take of all the labels/glue, freeze them in your freezer, and plop them into the tank as needed. They will drop it by a degree or two, but do this sparingly as constant temperature changes can be stressful for axolotls.

Thanks for your reply. I cannot move the tank, that is why I bought a good cooler which should be able to keep the temperature as low as you suggested. Obviously on really hot days I will still use the airconditioning unit to cool the room.

One question about the fridge; he has been in the fridge almost 24 hours now. He seems to do way better, but he will not eat yet. Is this normal? How long should I keep him there?

Thanks bud.

 

[AMurry24537]

Thanks for your reply. I cannot move the tank, that is why I bought a good cooler which should be able to keep the temperature as low as you suggested. Obviously on really hot days I will still use the airconditioning unit to cool the room.

One question about the fridge; he has been in the fridge almost 24 hours now. He seems to do way better, but he will not eat yet. Is this normal? How long should I keep him there?

Thanks bud.

Lowering the temperature slows down their metabolism a great deal, so he won't be as hungry. You can keep offering food, but don't be surprised if it's not always accepted. The cool temperature also often causes axolotls to poop in an attempt to clear out their system, which is why fridging is often used to help clear up constipation. I would generally recommend against fridging unless it is an emergency, but in this case, your emergency was really high temperatures. As soon as you can create a space that is within a suitable temperature range, you should slowly reintroduce the axolotl into the tank (letting the container float, adding small amounts of the new water at a time, etc. over the course of about 45 minutes) and resume a normal feeding schedule

 

[rauldeheer]

Lowering the temperature slows down their metabolism a great deal, so he won't be as hungry. You can keep offering food, but don't be surprised if it's not always accepted. The cool temperature also often causes axolotls to poop in an attempt to clear out their system, which is why fridging is often used to help clear up constipation. I would generally recommend against fridging unless it is an emergency, but in this case, your emergency was really high temperatures. As soon as you can create a space that is within a suitable temperature range, you should slowly reintroduce the axolotl into the tank (letting the container float, adding small amounts of the new water at a time, etc. over the course of about 45 minutes) and resume a normal feeding schedule

Thanks again for your reply! I did not offer him food today because he rejected every time yesterday. I expect the chiller to arrive tomorrow. I feed him shrimps, is that ok in this scenario?

The best way I can describe him right now is ‘really relax’. He moves when the fridge is being opened, but he tried to eat food yesterday but he ejected it anyway. I was however really happy with this.

 

[AMurry24537]

Thanks again for your reply! I did not offer him food today because he rejected every time yesterday. I expect the chiller to arrive tomorrow. I feed him shrimps, is that ok in this scenario?

The best way I can describe him right now is ‘really relax’. He moves when the fridge is being opened, but he tried to eat food yesterday but he ejected it anyway. I was however really happy with this.

Earthworms (such as European/Canadian nightcrawlers or sometimes red wigglers) are commonly regarded as the best foods for adult axolotls, but shrimp seem to be a common food source as well (though I don't personally use them). You could also use axolotl pellet food, but please be sure it is at least 40% protein. I would recommend using primarily worms, but it is good to have some variety in foods, especially since it helps to keep your axolotl from either suffering nutritional deficiencies or becoming picky.