Illness/Sickness: Axolotl fungus? please help

[Jaysolorzano]

So ive been doing a lot of reading on what could have possibly gone wrong with Cheese since he was taken out in 6 days considering he was healthy, and the most likely answer so far is some kind of parasitic infection or bacteria. Ive been reading on different Protozoa parasites and they can affect axolotls, and by reading about symptoms it could have been what Cheese contracted. The bleeding holes on his body can be a symptom of a particular harmful protozoa that affect the inside of its host which would explain the vomiting, and they can create holes in the body as well. This is all just speculation but it is the only things that i can think of right now which is terrifying because the same could happen to Mac. There might be a possibility for the protozoa to have been ingested by Cheese by eating the live earth worms i feed them, they live in compost and i read they can live on soil. Should i stop feeding Mac live earthworms? I know they are staple diet for axies, so its a hard thing to think about. Could there be a way to sterilize them first before feeding them to Mac?

Thoughts?

 

[Donna001]

I think that it is very good that you have been reading up on what could have happened to Cheese and to consider whether it could also be a problem for Mac.
I don't have any experience with parasites etc., but I thought that the following link, which contains a list of relatively safe medications for axolotls, may be useful if you do notice any changes in Mac.
Axolotls - Health & Diseases
As for the worms, I guess you could always put them in boiling water for a while, then let them cool before feeding them to your axolotl, but I don't know how much that would help depending on the parasite.
I hope that someone with more experience can help you with this.

 

[Jaysolorzano]

I think that it is very good that you have been reading up on what could have happened to Cheese and to consider whether it could also be a problem for Mac.
I don't have any experience with parasites etc., but I thought that the following link, which contains a list of relatively safe medications for axolotls, may be useful if you do notice any changes in Mac.
Axolotls - Health & Diseases
As for the worms, I guess you could always put them in boiling water for a while, then let them cool before feeding them to your axolotl, but I don't know how much that would help depending on the parasite.
I hope that someone with more experience can help you with this.

Hey Donna
Yes i though maybe doing that could help, or maybe freezing them as well. I will keep on reading and trying to understand what could have happened. These worms live and grow in 100% organic materials which to me would be kind off difficult to imagine how parasites could grow on them, specifically those kinds of Protozoa that can do so much harm to their host. But still, possibilities to that are always something to take into consideration. Thanks a lot for your advice

 

[Donna001]

It may also be worth going through some of the older posts on the forum. I had a quick look yesterday and found a thread which discussed parasites and earthworms. If I remember it correctly, the axolotl was not the correct host for a parasite that could possible be found in earthworms, and therefore should be safe.
I would guess that there are many years worth of useful information available on this forum, it might just take a bit of searching, but it could be useful. :happy:

 

[Jaysolorzano]

It may also be worth going through some of the older posts on the forum. I had a quick look yesterday and found a thread which discussed parasites and earthworms. If I remember it correctly, the axolotl was not the correct host for a parasite that could possible be found in earthworms, and therefore should be safe.
I would guess that there are many years worth of useful information available on this forum, it might just take a bit of searching, but it could be useful. :happy:

Donna
Yes i agree, theres a lot of research that can be done, it seems to be unlikely for the axolotl to pick up on those parasites. Im just till so worried, i dont know what to make of all of this, it is very confusing, specially the bleeding holes on his body it all just seems very strange and i haven't found an answer anywhere on the internet. Also something else to consider, maybe it was a congenital desease and he suffered from some kind of organ failure... i honestly dont even know what else to make of all of this.

Update on Mac, hes doing great eating earthworms and i reduced him to eating only two pellets a week, as it was suggested to feed him the pellets as a supplement and not a staple diet, and they do seem like they might be a little harder for them to digest.

 

[Donna001]

I don't know enough about axolotls to be of any help here, you may be better discussing this with one of the breeders or more experienced keepers.
Fantastic news that Mac is doing well. :happy: