Injury

[kimo]

Well I got my new tank all sent up lastnight. I tried my best to not stress my little aliens out. I guess it didnt work. I woke up to one with a damaged leg.
Is there anything I can do for him/her. I know they have amazing regenerative abilities but still i felt like crying when i saw this.

 

[Kerry M]

Each week one of mine gets popped into the hospital ward lol... If one of mine looked like that I would just put it in a separate container for about 5 days. I just moved one today as its tankmate must have thought he was food. Your little one might not be as mobile as the others as it has its foot up. In a couple of days that little foot will look a lot better. Others may think that it is not important to separate. I just like to give mine space to recover peacefully.

 

[kimo]

I just hope it isnt a sign that they dont get on. I got the together & Im pretty sure there both female so I think there sisters?
I just dont want them to start fighting.

 

[Kerry M]

I find that mine munch each other when they are being fed, have not been fed and are hungry and when there is a strong smell of food in the tank and they are still hungry. I feed my 5 month axies quite a lot so they don't hurt each other. I feed them within 24 hours of the previous feed. I have also started feeding the adults daily and they are looking a lot healthier, their gills seem to be regenerating more than ever.
I would separate them, feed them well, let the injured one recover and then introduce. If they are being fed well and are fighting then maybe they don't get on. I have lots of siblings here and whenever one gets hurt it is usually the stronger one that it the culprit. So I separate and nurture the other so that it is just as strong. Hope that makes sense

 

[kimo]

Thats some great advice. Thanks alot.
I have been away for 4 days so maybe there were very hungry. I fed them a whole worm each as soon as I got back but i guess they must still be hungry. There in the same tank but ive put up a separator mesh so they can still chat lol but not eat each other.
Just wondering how often should i be feeding them. They get 1/2 to 1 worm (depending on the size) every 2 days. There 6 1/2 " I think ive had them for about 6 months.

 

[Kerry M]

Perhaps they need to eat a bit more. Are your worms large? My worms are quite little so my five month olds can easily eat three each day. One of mine is really large, she (I think) is 21cm now. Juveniles seem to need a lot of energy due to their growth spurt. If yours are adults feeding every two days is OK, however they could probably eat a couple of worms each. Unless your worms are very large. They probably were hungry after four days, one must have mistaken the other for food. That's great that you have a division now, that will help your injured one recover. You will be amazed at how quickly they recover. I was away over Christmas and came back to a bleeding axie, he/she was missing one back foot and one back leg. They have grown back perfectly now and I can't quite work out which one was injured. So they do have amazing regenerative abilities, however the gills don't seem to regenerate like the limbs.

 

[kimo]

Well its 3 days since the injury & this is what it looks like now. She is not holding it up so high so i'll take that as a good sign & you can see vains again. She isnt off her food at all. Im trying them on 1 worm a day. My worms (which I grow at home) are about 3 inch long. I guess as there not high in fat or anything it wont do them harm I just hope they dont get too fat lol.

 

[Kerry M]

That is one long worm! I think my worms have been a little too small. I am going searching tomorrow after work for some that are fatter and juicier. No wonder that I have needed 3 for each of them. The poor little thing, her leg looks sore. Keep an eye on it, as you are doing. Hopefully if there is any concern someone will let you know. That's great that she still has a good appetite and that her leg is more relaxed.

 

[kimo]

Well the mesh seperator didnt work. The other alien managed to squeeze round the edge. She has taken another nip at the already damaged leg & its pretty much mince meat now. Took her to the vet & they cut the leg off so now i have to wait for it to grow back. Ive still got them seperated but this time with a huge piece of glass that fits the tank perfect so there will be no squeezing this time.
Im still unsure if they are hungry or not Ive put a pic of the worms I use & a coin so you can judge the size. Any help with how much i need to be feeding them would be great. I dont want anymore limbs looking like that. Made me feel sick when the vet cut the leg off

 

[Kaysie]

I don't suspect axies feel pain quite like we think. Now that all the dead tissue is off, it should heal much more smoothly. Still keep an eye out for fungus or infection.

 

[kimo]

The poor thing didnt even move when they did it so I guess your right about the pain thing. I just wish I could do something for it. Ive turned the lights off to give it some peace. Is there anything I can put in the water, some sort of medicine to keep the wound clean or make her feel better?

 

[Kerry M]

Perhaps putting her in a separate container might help. You could change her water daily and scrub the container out with a mix of salt (1 part) and bicarbonate soda (2 parts) to keep it really clean. You could put a hide in the container so that she has a comfortable place to relax. I've been keeping my little ones like this so that would be the easiest thing for me to do. It may not be the best thing to do, I'm still learning. I suppose I am not sure whether water chemistry issues in a tank would be more or less helpful to the healing process.

I'm not sure about medicines for the water.

That's good to hear that axies don't feel pain. I am sorry that you went through the vet incident, it must have been really hard for you. I would have been upset too. She is lucky to have an owner that takes her to a vet. It looks like she will make a good recovery as she is being taken care of. Let us know how she is going as she recovers

 

[Kaysie]

I think they do feel pain, but probably not to the same extreme we would if we had that sort of injury!

 

[Kerry M]

I remember being in childbirth and thinking that having my arm cut off would have been as bad. I suppose I have never seen an axie in the state that I was in that day

 

[Kaysie]

Side note: I watched my snake lay eggs once. OMG! Ouch!

 

[snuggly time]

I remember being in childbirth and thinking that having my arm cut off would have been as bad. I suppose I have never seen an axie in the state that I was in that day

That's why I'm having lots of axolotls and no children

 

[FX1C]

That's why I'm having lots of axolotls and no children

That's 2 of us!!



<3 >o_o< <3

 

[kimo]

Well so far "stumpy" seems to be doing well. She is eating & swimming about as best she can. She must forget she has a leg missing as she will stand still & suddenly fall on the side where her leg is missing, Its funny to watch but then I remember that its my fault she had her leg chopped off in the 1st place.
Ive inc pics of her stump now.
Im wondering if i can let the 2 be together? Will the other one still attack her? Will she smell flesh or something & have another nibble? Will she nip again as the leg grows back?
I cant keep them in separate tanks as i dont have one anymore.

 

[Bellabelloo]

I would keep them separate until she is healed. Take in to consideration her mobility is not so good at the moment, she will not be able to move so well for a bit.

 

[kimo]

Sorry. So just to be clear I need to wait until the leg has completely grown back before I can remove the separation. Dont want to make any more mistakes