Illness/Sickness: Fungus on gill

[Dipsy66]

Hi all.....it looks like my little girl took a nip to one of her gills...there is, what looks like a tiny bit of white fungus on her gill. At the moment she is having 20 mins in a weak salt bath as shown by one of our esteemed forum mates....should I now keep her separate from her pal til she heals?

I am stuck though as i don't have room to keep her in the fridge...would keeping her in seperate bowl with a frozen bottle of water to keep the water chilled work the same?

Your help / suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Dipsy66]

Okay....because it's my little lady I've MADE room in the fridge. She's been salt bathed and is now in a sandwhich box in the bottom of the fridge. Am scared for her but will do all I can to make her better.

Sincerely hope I'm getting this right.

Will be making up the salt bath solution to put in the fridge later, so I can bathe her again tomorrow...and making sure I have a bottle of dechlorinated water on stanby for afterwards.

I feel a bit useless really....keep feeling I should have noticed earlier....but she was okay last night!

 

[melfly]

Don't worry, it really doesn't look that bad.

You're doing everything right so far, so keep it up.

She should be fine.
Good luck and keep us posted

Mel

 

[Dipsy66]

Don't worry, it really doesn't look that bad.

You're doing everything right so far, so keep it up.

She should be fine.
Good luck and keep us posted

Mel

Thank Mel......I hate to see her gill at half mast....how long do you reckon it will take before I see some improvement? And do you think there will be an issue when I re-introduce her to her pal?

Up until noticing the damage they have happily sat and eaten together without mishap.

 

[Petersgirl]

Legs take around a month to heal, so I'd wager a month to two for total regrowth, but you might start to see some improvement after a week - Gally's gills were practically bitten off and he now has a full set of gills and fronds both sides after about a month, so your little lady should start regrowing them very soon! I would also recommend a little tea bathing after the fungus has gone completely to prevent it regrowing and to 'seal off' the wound, preventing any bacteria from getting in. Like Savlon on a healing cut.

It sounds like you're doing everything that's recommended for your little lady and you obviously love her very much Keep us posted!

 

[Dipsy66]

Oh my goodness....I've been using sea salt and only just noticed it says iodized on the side, but the instructions say non-iodized!!!!

Help!!! Will it make a huge difference to Amanda's recovery? If so, I will be on my way up to the shops to try to find non-iodized forthwith!

I feel like a first time mum....gulp!

 

[Mortimer]

My understanding is that iodine can cause them to morph.... :/

 

[Dipsy66]

Noooooooooooooooooooooo! I really really really really don't want that to happen!

Ist stop tomorrow is to find some non-iodized salt for the next salt bath.....hopefully I haven't ruined everything and she will be okay as was only 2 baths.......1st one really weak....am such an idiot!

 

[Mortimer]

I'm guessing that if you haven't used much, it will be fine. I would definitely switch to non-iodized salt, though.

Keep us posted!

 

[Dipsy66]

I'm guessing that if you haven't used much, it will be fine. I would definitely switch to non-iodized salt, though.

Keep us posted!

Thanks Sharon....I didn't realise how stressful this axie keeping could be...and I enjoy watching them so much

 

[Petersgirl]

It's an easy mistake to make, and like Sharon said, it probably won't make much difference to her recovery as long as you use non iodised from now on. Fret not - you'd need quite a bit of iodine to cause an axxie to morph and even then they usually have to be predisposed to it genetically.

These bubbies are amazing but it's just getting settled with them to begin with that's difficult, not to mention getting used to new situations like them getting poorly. It is really like having a kid sometimes - but most of the time they're a pleasure to keep. My two are my pride and joy

 

[Dipsy66]

It's an easy mistake to make, and like Sharon said, it probably won't make much difference to her recovery as long as you use non iodised from now on. Fret not - you'd need quite a bit of iodine to cause an axxie to morph and even then they usually have to be predisposed to it genetically.

These bubbies are amazing but it's just getting settled with them to begin with that's difficult, not to mention getting used to new situations like them getting poorly. It is really like having a kid sometimes - but most of the time they're a pleasure to keep. My two are my pride and joy

Thanks Petersgirl....I do love them....you can't but help it and she is definitely the more easy going of the two, she will let you touch her gently without freaking out, Sal won't, he goes loopy!!!! I think he is missing her...he's been sulking since I removed her from the tank and you're right, it IS just like having kids. I did so much research on them before deciding to go ahead with having them and was so pleased when they arrived. I will be going to get the right salt tomorrow so that her next bath is safe to her.

Thank you all for your help and advice, it is hugely appreciated.

 

[Petersgirl]

It's great you did research! I was the other way around. Toothless was a rescue from my own parents and I had to crash course pretty quickly in cycling (which I had no idea about), axolotl keeping, worm farming, salt bathing...but the guys on here are absolute lifesavers. They usually have experience in whatever you're trying to do and can offer advice and support. Even when you mess up (like I did really badly when I started) they can offer you the right pointers to get you back on the right track.

They are so much like kids! My Galaxy is a poser and loves to be naughty - plus he's greedy! Toothless is sweet and shy. I love coming home from work and talking to them - if I've been out all day I get a little dance and that smiley stare, if not I get a hopeful 'worms?' glance.

Hopefully the salt baths should get her fungus cleared up soon - I know it breaks your heart to salt bathe them (they don't like them much) but it's like taking a medicine that doesn't taste very good. Ultimately the result is worth it.

I hope she gets better soon, and no worries about the advice. We've all been there at some point and it's great to give advice to someone who needs it when you know what it's like to need it!

 

[Dipsy66]

Well, the good news is, after 4 baths the fungus looks like it's gone and the broken gill is looking good., Going to do one last bath tomorrow, Sunday, then gradually introduce the tank water over 3 days and reintroduce her to the tank. Will keep a really close eye on them both to make sure no injuries occur...all crossed.

Am surprised at how active Amanda is even though she has been fridged. She hasn't eaten but she looks okay.

Am treating this as a baptism of fire...and have stopped having nightmares about it.

Will post some more pics tomorrow.

Once again, a HUGE thank you.

 

[Petersgirl]

One last salt bath is a great idea to make sure it's all cleared up - will you try a tea bath too? It doesn't harm the axolotl at all, will keep bacteria and fungus from coming back, and will soothe any damage the salt may have done to the skin (salt is mildly abrasive). It's really simple to do.

I mainly use teabaths for minor skin problems. It may also be used with fungal problems but on that account I prefer salt baths. Tea has a slightly antifungal and antibacterial effect (resulting from tannins) and additionally it closes the pores in the skin a little bit (mainly resulting from tannin and caffeine). The skin tightens and gets some kind of protective layer, making it harder for fungi and bacteria to intrude the body. On the other hand it makes it harder for salt or medicine to reach pathogens which are already inside the body - that is the reason I do not use it on fungal infections, although a tea bath is sometimes recommended as a cure for fungal infections by some people.
The medication is as follows: I take one bag of black tea without any additional aroma (it is important to use black tea because this kind of tea is fermented and so it has tannins) for every 10 litres of water (preferably used in a quarantine tank). This tea gets dashed with boiling water in a seperate bowl - I leave it there for at least 10 to 15 minutes so the tannins are resolved into the water. The tea has to cool down and is finally added to the quarantine water. After a week I make a bigger change of water (60% at least), the rest of the tea is removed over time by normal water changes. If you have to make more regular water changes (f.i. in a small bowl or tank) the tea concentration can be refilled. As far as I know there are no negative effects even for long term treatment.
A similar effect (although not as strong) may have the addition of dried oak or beech leafs now and then as a precaution.

Her being active is a welcoming sign - if she's not literally zipping from one end of the container to the other, which might mean she's a little stressed - it's a sign that she's eager to get back to her normal routine. She may not eat because treatments really tend to take it out of them and they eat less when they're colder because their metabolism isn't as engaged as it would be if it was warm, so don't worry overmuch. You can feed Amanda up when she's back in her tank
Every owner has to face a crisis when they get their axolotl - I had an uncycled tank, missing gills and fronds and introducing two together - but some owners have had poorly axolotls, tank bites or - for one very unlucky owner - they put their hand through their tank and ended up in A and E! (Both the owner and axolotl were fine, but what a first week!)

Hope Amanda is happier today! Can't wait for pics!


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[Dipsy66]

Amanda has made such an excellent recovery that I have reintroduced her to the tank tonight.

I cleaned and rearranged the tank so that they would both have to explore again....Sal freaked out when he met her and zoomed across the tank to the other end and then slowly made his way back to her. They are now sat happily together again. Will keep a close eye out for any further injuries over the next couple of days but hope they will settle down nicely again.

Here's a pic of Amanda's now fungus-less gill and it's already started to regrow.....all crossed for her it continue in this vain.

 

[Dipsy66]

This is another picture of the gill - far back.....that is slowing regrowing.....

I can't thank you guys enough for all the good and sound advice. :happy:

 

[Petersgirl]

What a pretty girl! I can see she was glad to be back with her tankmate..."I missed you! Let me kiss your head!" :lol:

Also very happy to read that Amanda is better - it does our hearts good to know that our advice works! ^.^ If you ever need help again, you know where we are

PS. Lovely setup! We have the exact same cave too - I love how roomy and dark it is for them, but you can also clearly see in to keep an eye on it.

 

[Dipsy66]

I can't believe what an incredible recovery this little lass is making....her gill is growing back but the fronds are taking a little longer, although I'm not worried about this. She is eating well and munched down an earthworm for tea tonight, along with a prawn and several blood worm.

Love having her back in the tank with her buddy.

These axies are SO addictive.....love 'em muchly! :happy: