Bloaty

[elizabeth]

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javierindicatedsmaller.bmp (57.7 k)</td></tr></table></center>
This is Javier (sorry for the blurry photo, my phone doesn't have a great camera)- I got him as a 21st present a little over 2 weeks ago Shortly after I got him, the area indicated became distended, almost like there was something stuck in there. You can see the sort of gravel he has, which would fit inside his mouth. I don't know how old he is, but he's not very big, and I think if anything is in there he won't be able to get it out...
He has trouble swimming with the bulge- he still does swim, but it is obvoiusly not very comfortable, and sometimes it rubs on the bottom when he walks.

How can I tell if it is gravel, or if it is some sort of bacterial infection? His water is normally about 10 degrees Celcius, and I feed him on frozen "Axolotl food" which is balanced to provide all the necessary nutrients.

 

[rheann]

Hey Elizabeth, Welcome to the Forum.

Seeing as your little guy was a birthday present, you weren't prepared for him, but let me tell you they make great little pets

Ok, first, take him out of the tank and get him into a clean small water-safe container that you can keep in your fridge with fresh declorinated water.

It seems he has swallowed some gravel, and one of two things hopefully will happen. Hopefully he will either throw up the gravel or he will poo it out. Keep offering him food every day, if he does not eat, he will throw the rock up or poo it out when he is in the fridge.

Keep him in the fridge everyday with day with water changes. Make sure the change water also had declorinator in it and that it is the same temp as the fridge water so that your little guy won’t get water shock.

Also, is your tank properly cycled? Since he was a birthday present, it probably isn't, but want to make sure

You need to either change his substrate to aquarium safe sand, or keep a bare bottom. Gravel will not work.

Keep him out of the tank until it is cycled.

Let your take cycle for four weeks or so before you put him back in. You can take water samples into your local pet shop to test the water, most will do it for free, or you can buy test kits. Please visit the following links if you need help to know how to cycle your tank.

http://axolotls.org/housing.htm

http://axolotls.org/health.htm

http://axolotls.org/faq.htm

http://axolotls.org/requirements.htm

http://axolotls.org/genetics.htm

I would feed him other things besides Axolotl food to give him a Variety

Earthworms are a very good stable, Blood worms, Pellets, these sorts of things. Crickets and other small safe insects can be given as treats.

Do you have a tank Chiller? About 17 Degrees Celsius is around the normal temp Axies like. I keep mine and a few others here keep theirs around 22 Degrees Celsius. This is just because we live in areas where it gets hot and hard to keep it any cooler, but don't let it get any hotter

Also, what sort of filter are you using? And can you post some more pictures of the little guy with his rock problem?

Good luck to you ^___^.

 

[elizabeth]

Thanks!

I'm still not sure exactly what is meant by "cycling" the tank...I understand allowing the microflora to build up in the filter and floor substrate, but further than that am a little confused

The water here is naturally un-chlorinated. I have no chiller on the tank, that's just the natural temp of the water...one day when I left my heater on it got up to 15 Deg Celcius, but that's the hottest it has been.

I have been searching all the pet shops in town but they all just sell the Axolotl food.

The filter I have is an Aqua One 101F MAxi Internal Filter, which filters at 400L/hour. I don't put it on every day though, as I don't like to blow him about while he is up floating- he really likes sitting on the upper leaves of his plants

This is more of a close up
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The bump in question
javier bump.bmp (67.3 k)</td></tr></table></center>
It's a sort of greyish colour, making me think that if it is a piece of gravel, it is stopping the passage of other things too. What do normal axolotl bowel movements look like? I don't think I've seen him make one yet :S
He does still eat though- I don't feed him every day, but feeding every second day or so seems to be alright.

I will call the pet shops tomorrow (it's 1.30 am here ) to see if they test water quality, otherwise I can possibly take a sample into one of the labs at uni.

Thanks so much for your help

 

[rheann]

If your Axie does not eat, he is trying to pass the stone in his belly. Give it some time; keep him in a container with fresh water changes daily until the stone passes. Keep a close eye on him, check for poo. Since it is cold there, you don't need to keep him in the fridge, but keep him in his container until your tank is cycled.

Cycling your tank is pretty easy once you get the hang of it. I had trouble understanding at the beginning too

.

Keep your little guy out of the tank for four weeks, or until your water readings read as the following:

Ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 Nitrate: 0.0 - 20

Ph should be 7.0 - 8.0 or so. Soft water is not good for Axolotls.

Keep your tank set up for 4 weeks or so, get a Canister filter or an overhang filter if you can. Something that you can control the water output. Internal filters cause more problems then they are worth

unless you can baffle the water output.

Do you have a fish and bait shop in your town? If you do, they have Earthworms there. Make sure not to get the earthworms that have the sharp spikes on them. These are dangerous to your axolotls because they can bite.

Also, you can feed Frozen Blood worms, live black worms too. You can also dig worms from the ground or your garden if the dirt is chemical free.

Browse through the forum to get an idea on what you would need for your tank. Lots of people use different types of filters.

You can use a Turkey baster to remove any extra waste or food you can find.

If you need further advice for your Axolotls at any time, please feel free to visit the forum anytime

People here at the forum will give excellent advice, and we love seeing new Axie faces!

 

[melanie]

Hi I never posted here, i just found the website today. well i have a few axolotls here i bought from a reputable vendor a few weeks ago. One of the white males i have his gills are purple, not the actual frilly things, but the stump of skin they are attached to. I cant remember what the color of them were when i got them, but I know they werent purple. I keep him in a small tank with some rocks and a hiding space for him. any ides why purple?

 

[amanda]

Hey Elizabeth,

My guy had the same problem yours did. At one point, he had three rocks in his belly, and you could see their sharp edges through his belly.

But I moved him to another container that didn't have anything on the bottom, and after about a week, he had passed them. I did notice though, that he threw up a rather large rock, instead of letting it pass. So definately get him out of the rocks, and hopefully they should pass soon.

Oh! And actually, there's been quite the discussion lately about Axie poo, lol. I can tell you that my guy's looks like small, miniature acorns, but try this link...

http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/793/44046.html?1127730500

 

[alex]

my axie gets bloated often and all i do is just rub the sides of his stomach softly and he burps up bubbles.

 

[sharn]

hi Elizabeth, im also from nz, sheesh your waters cold!! suppose its because of the snow in winter. if you just have frozen axie food have a look on trademe, they often sell pellets and i have some myself (mine are aquarium science)
Cycling the tank is where bacteria look after your tank pretty much. at first the ammonia levels peak (which will burn your axie) and then the nitrite and nitrate peak and fall. when all this is finished you have enough bacteria to handle the poo/uneaten food etc in the water so that it is safe for your axie to live in comfortably.