Axolotl black toes

[possumqurlxo]

Hey there guys, I'm new to the forum here, and I'm so grateful for all the advice you give. I have a question, i have a leucistic axolotl named Freya and I've had her for about 3 months, and I've noticed a few weeks ago that she has two missing toes, just the tips, but enough to see bone. the bottom of her feet and toes are black as well. there is no redness or signs of infection and I've been monitoring her closely. her front left foot is also a bit weird, her other toes are all long and normal but the toes on her left front foot are shorter and are also bending almost like there deformed or something? she eats well, maybe a little too well haha, she was skinny when i got her but is definitely starting to put on a bit of weight, and she poos about once a week, give or take a few days. theres nothing sharp in her tank and she's solitary (no other little buddy to nip her) does anyone know what might cause this? thanks so much!
Shannon

 

[Donna001]

Hi there and welcome to the forum. :happy:

I don't think that the black toes and bottom of feet are anything to worry about. It is normal for leucistics to get dark markings in those areas as they grow up.
As for the missing toes, I'm afraid I'm still relatively new to this, so can't really offer any useful suggestions there. However, there are a lot of very experienced keepers and breeder on this forum, and they will be able to answer your question.

 

[brightstar34]

Hi! welcome to the forums, im new as well. I don't know very much about axolotls, i've only had mine for almost two weeks.When I bought them one was misssing a whole leg, like it was bitten off. Since then the leg is growing back slowly but surely.Im not sure what could have caused yours to loose their toes but hopely it will grow back like mine has.

 

[Felixtacat]

I don't have any personal experience with missing toes but it seems to be somewhat common. I would just keep an eye on it and watch for signs of infection or fungal problems. And just try to keep her water clean and cool. Also, the black toe tips can sometimes mean that she is actually a he

 

[possumqurlxo]

thanks so much for your reply! I'm pretty sure she is actually a he hahaha, but i already named her Freya so i just thought id leave it! no signs of infections or anything however i have encountered a new problem, my axolotl has stopped eating, all his water levels are fine but I've noticed that he has a white fluffy, or mucousy ball on his gills, anyone know what this is or how to fix it?? I'm thinking salt baths but I'm not entirely sure how to do it and i don't want to if he's not actually sick, any ideas?
thanks! xx

 

[emdalliance]

It looks like fungus. I'd do regular tea baths to get rid of it as there is only a small amount. ? don't do salt baths straight away as they are more stressful and the tea might fix it first!
Black toes actually mean sexual maturity rather than male or female. If you can send a picture of his/her area between the back legs I'll tell you..
The missing toes and funny legs are nothing to worry about! I have a rescue axolotl who was completely missing one leg and the rest of his legs aren't too clever either - pretty malformed. But he's happy so ? xx


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[possumqurlxo]

okay! so i had already given him a salt bath yesterday and it seems to have almost cleared up! but he's still not eating and I've noticed that he has a split in his tail, most likely not even related problems, but everything goes wrong at once! any ideas on how to get him to eat? xxx

 

[emdalliance]

okay! so i had already given him a salt bath yesterday and it seems to have almost cleared up! but he's still not eating and I've noticed that he has a split in his tail, most likely not even related problems, but everything goes wrong at once! any ideas on how to get him to eat? xxx

Make sure the temp is as low as possible, what's it currently at? Too high they'll stop eating.

I generally just keep trying with them all day if they won't eat. Try different foods. Earthworms (if they're too big it seems then chop them up, they should still wiggle ?), frozen prawns (defrost them and cut them up into chunks), waxworms if you want to fatten him/her up, pellets..

Just keep wiggling it in front of his/her face and she will eventually start snapping. They can go a while without food so don't worry too much. Just try little amounts and often throughout the day.


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