Axolotl has uneven stomach and feeding questions.

[kittyh21]

Hi, I got my axie on friday and today (tuesday) I have noticed her stomach is uneven. The right hand side is normal, but her left hand side is uneven. The best way I can descrie the left hand side is as if someone has put a rubber band around her (but like I said this does not appear on the right hand side).
Is this normal?
What should I do?

Something that may help is food, the pet shop did not tell me how much to feed her ad I can;t find it online. I searched the net and found if she is under 6 in ches she should be fed daily,
Yesterday she had 6 mealworms and today she had 4 mealworms and half a block of frozen blood worms. Is this too much? I don't want to over feed her but I am struggling to find any advice.

(quick note, I will be taking her off mealworms, but as this is all she was fed in the shop I am weaning her off it)

 

[Chirple]

Try earthworms.

My axolotl would get a "bump" on one side when she was little and got constipated (this happened quite a few times when I first got her, maybe it was a change in diet).

Even now, after she eats a worm she'll get a bump.

I'm not sure if this is what you're describing. I know mealworms aren't good for them, so I would wonder if there is trouble digesting ? Is there any way you can take a picture ?

 

[kittyh21]

I did try to take a picture, but as I only have my phone it was very poor quality and you can't tell, it's even more difficult as she is a wild type therefore any oddities on the skin are a bit difficult to see.

I hope it is just digestion and that she is ok. I was going to feed her meal worms for a few more weeks but interspersed with other food, as mealworms were all she was getting at the pet shop but I googled and found it was bad. I think I will just stick to frozen blood worms for now until I can find a different source of live food. Thank you! :happy:

 

[weofui]

About half-way down this page on Axolotl biology you'll find a drawing of the organ structure superimposed over a photograph of a female axie. The indentation you're seeing on the the left side of your axie is the "neutral space" between the spleen and the rectum. When both the stomach and intestine are full, this neutral space is exaggerated, giving them that "rubber banded" look along the left side. This is far more noticeable in young axies, especially right after a meal. As long as your axie is passing waste, it's all good. Keep an eye out for constipation until those mealworms are out of her system.

As for how much to feed, I have my healthy little one on a timer - as much as he can eat in 10 minutes. Some axies may need more time, but if I didn't cut him off at 10 minutes he'd be obese in a week. The rule of thumb is that their body should be about the same width as their head - if their body is thinner, feed more; fatter, feed less.

I second the suggestion of earthworms. They're nutritionally complete and fairly easy to find, though cutting them into bite size chunks can be a bit... disturbing.

 

[kittyh21]

wow, thank you so much! That is incredibly helpful

I may sound ultra stupid here, but cna i just get worms from my garden? or should they be properly sourceD?

 

[Kaysie]

You can, as long as you are sure your garden (and the neighbors) are free of pesticides and fertilizers.