Illness/Sickness: Is he ok ?

[rexx]

I just got another axolotl and after 30mins of standing in the petshop deciding which little guy i would get i got this one because he was the most active although i was unsure about his tail!

I have uploaded a few pictures (the best of what i can get so far) and they look very white dotty the guy just said it was pigmintation. Do i need to worry at all? Also he looks like he has a little bit of blood at the end of his tail. I will try and get some better pics of his tail when he comes out of hiding.

And also, i know the little guy is stressed as he has just been put into a new environment but is it normal for him to be hiding under the filter ?? even though i have pushed the filter as close into each corner or the glass he still keeps trying to get his head under there.

I had the water tested before i got him , and it was all perfect.

 

[siona]

I'd keep an eye on that tail but it looks like it's been nipped.

My guys are the same always trying to get under the filter! I gave up and moved it away from the corner slightly so he wouldn't get stuck!

 

[rexx]

He was in the tank when i bought him with 2 others. One was a black one which had 2 legs missing (funny enough they said the black ones were the most aggressive when it came to feeding time , yet he was the one missing 2 legs!).

Seeing as his tail needs to be watched, do i need to do anything to try and heal the process for him ?

 

[mewsie]

Congrats Rexx, he's gorgeous.

Generally keeping the tank and water conditions really good and feeding him good yummy food will help him heal. You might find it easier to keep your water good by swapping to sand... Is your whole tank filled with those big rocks? Dirt and poop etc can get trapped down between them really easily.

Pleased for you

 

[Morrison]

Looks like he has been bitten by another axie.
It's pretty normal that they're a bit stressed in the beginning. They need to get used to this whole new situation.
Oh and the white things are pigmentation indeed. You can see that really good on golden axies. (Lovely one you got by the way)

 

[rexx]

Congrats Rexx, he's gorgeous.

Generally keeping the tank and water conditions really good and feeding him good yummy food will help him heal. You might find it easier to keep your water good by swapping to sand... Is your whole tank filled with those big rocks? Dirt and poop etc can get trapped down between them really easily.

Pleased for you

Thank you :happy: yes the tank is filled with these big rocks. Before i use to have half of the tank filled with rocks and the other side with sand. But then i was told sand is not good for axolotls as they can swallow the sand if they try and get food off the bottom.
Funny thing is a see quite a few pictures on here and pet shops that have them on sand!

I expect these pebbles to be a little hard to clean now i have them all on the bottom of the tank but i have one of those gravel cleaners which gets all the yuk stuff out. It worked great last time i used it but was still a little difficult on the sand too.

 

[animalloversfb]

Sand is fine if they swallow it, except for very young ones. The sand is fine enough that it easily passes through and doesn't cause problems. Gravel is a problem because it is larger and can often cause impaction and any sharp edges can cut them internally as well. And if you feed earthworms, very little, if any, sand is ingested when they eat anyways. The rocks are OK, but like Morrison pointed out, pretty hard to clean around and food can get stuck down there where your axies can't get it.