Is my Axolotl dying? What do I do

[Blart.axolotl]

Hi guys I’ve had my Axolotl for about 4 months and everything seemed great up until now (I have a 20 gallon tank with sand and hides and lots of plants), I am a first tim Axolotl owner ,Blart my axolotl is a male and he is a leucistic Axolotl has has no problems up until now, recently I went on a 10 day trip before I left I gave him lots of feeder fish to eat so I knew he would not go hungry since nobody would be able to be there for 10 days when I came back he has 2 fish left in the tank and I noticed he was missing almost all of his gills except for 2 and the two remaining gills seemed very dark pink almost purple and not fluffy at all and I also saw that his tail had a little kink at the end, I thought that the fish were nibbling on him and didn’t look to deep into it, I noticed his tank was very dirty as I hadn’t cleaned it ever since I first got him which I now is very stupid and I feel horrible about it but I never saw it as a health hazard for him, anyways I started worrying more as I realized why would his gills turne a different color if the fish were just nibbling on them? So I looked deeper into it and realized their were 2 dead fish in the tank while I was gone I didn’t think anything of it as I didn’t know it could make him sick, so I researched and I found salt baths so i took him out of his tank and put him in a salt bath and I realized how skinny he looked and started to worry it has been 3 days since then and he has only got worse, I thouroughly cleaned the tank today I got 3/4 new water and kept 1/4 of the old water conditioned the water removed the dead fish and got new sand, I gave him 2 salt baths yesterday and 2 today, I tried isolating him today thinking maybe it would help and I put him in the fridge for a little but I took him out cause I didn’t feel to good about it, the hook at the end of his tail is gone now but now I can see his veins very clearly and they look very purple he also looks like his mouth is always open, I know he is not dead although he looks dead most of the time sometimes I have to poke him to make sure he is still alive, I don’t know what else to do and I feel hopeless, I tested the water now and everything seems fine I’ve tried feeding him frozen brine shrimp, feeder fish, ghost shrimp, blood worms, and earth worms but he isn’t eating at all I removed the fish from the tank to a like causing him more stress but I don’t know what else to do any tips? Here is a pic when I first got him and a pic of him now

 

[nnnnrin]

i’m so sorry this is happening to you he is such a cute little guy. in my opinion i would try and lay back on the salt baths and such, as it might be stressing him out if you’re over doing it. have you tried contacting a vet? or a professional who might know how to resolve this?

 

[Blart.axolotl]

i’m so sorry this is happening to you he is such a cute little guy. in my opinion i would try and lay back on the salt baths and such, as it might be stressing him out if you’re over doing it. have you tried contacting a vet? or a professional who might know how to resolve this?

Hi I wish I would’ve seen this earlier I just put him in the salt bath.. I think he is dead but I’m not sure

 

[nnnnrin]

Hi I wish I would’ve seen this earlier I just put him in the salt bath.. I think he is dead but I’m not sure

dont blame yourself!! just think of this as a learning experience, every single pet owner makes mistakes and it’s okay!! i’m really sorry about him what does he look like right now? any life at all?

 

[Blart.axolotl]

dont blame yourself!! just think of this as a learning experience, every single pet owner makes mistakes and it’s okay!! i’m really sorry about him what does he look like right now? any life at all?

He’s not dead when I scooped him up he moved but he is very low energy and his mouth seems to be a little bit open do you know what i can do to get home to eat?

 

[nnnnrin]

He’s not dead but barley moving he hasn’t aten for a long time and his mouth always seems to look like it’s full.. does anyone know how I can get him to eat?

like you said with the dead fish, they could’ve affected the water into bad conditions. if the bad water conditions are not addressed, it will affect the water and your little guy which leads to stress. stress will lead to disease, and when they don’t eat, their body condition worsens. do you have anymore live food? that seems to get their attention more eating wise. or maybe try cutting your food into smaller portions. don’t try force feeding your axo, they can go up to three weeks without food.

 

[nnnnrin]

He’s not dead when I scooped him up he moved but he is very low energy and his mouth seems to be a little bit open do you know what i can do to get home to eat?

your best bet would be live food, or cutting non live into smaller portions for him if he is too week to go after live food. have you tried contacting a vet? or bringing him in somewhere? sometimes there’s not much they can do with aquatic creatures but they can at least give you a diagnosis and possibly a resolution?

 

[Blart.axolotl]

like you said with the dead fish, they could’ve affected the water into bad conditions. if the bad water conditions are not addressed, it will affect the water and your little guy which leads to stress. stress will lead to disease, and when they don’t eat, their body condition worsens. do you have anymore live food? that seems to get their attention more eating wise. or maybe try cutting your food into smaller portions. don’t try force feeding your axo, they can go up to three weeks without food.

I’ve been trying to feed him live ghost shrimp live earth worms and dried blood worms aswell as frozen brine shrimp I’m going to try sinking pellets today

 

[nnnnrin]

I’ve been trying to feed him live ghost shrimp live earth worms and dried blood worms aswell as frozen brine shrimp I’m going to try sinking pellets today

that is a good idea. let me know how it goes!

 

[wolfen]

a small amount of salt is good for them, a large amount is bad, unless there is fungus a salt bath would be pointless. would be better using almond/catappa leaves in a tub of cool/cold dechlorinated and changed daily. was the tank cycled because 1. the fish suddenly dying 2. the effect two dead fish had on the aquarium. get a freshwater liquid master test set and get the tank cycled. your axie needs tubbing in oxygenated cold dechlorinated water, do not put it in the tank until it is 100% cycled. frozen bloodworm/brineshrimp left in the tub over night so he/she can eat if he/she feels like it. clean the tub every morning putting food in at night, put a air-stone in the water limewood is best for oxygenating, use almond/catappa leaves for stress relief anti-bacterial. look into holtfreters solution for mineral and salt water balance.
only use small live bearers such as guppies/mollies etc.. for feeder fish and always ensure your axie has a hide/cave to prevent nipping, always quarantine for 30 days before adding to prevent diseases.
if your axie is very lethargic then live food will be pointless as it won't be able to catch the food, frozen food with minimal movement will be required.

 

[Blart.axolotl]

a small amount of salt is good for them, a large amount is bad, unless there is fungus a salt bath would be pointless. would be better using almond/catappa leaves in a tub of cool/cold dechlorinated and changed daily. was the tank cycled because 1. the fish suddenly dying 2. the effect two dead fish had on the aquarium. get a freshwater liquid master test set and get the tank cycled. your axie needs tubbing in oxygenated cold dechlorinated water, do not put it in the tank until it is 100% cycled. frozen bloodworm/brineshrimp left in the tub over night so he/she can eat if he/she feels like it. clean the tub every morning putting food in at night, put a air-stone in the water limewood is best for oxygenating, use almond/catappa leaves for stress relief anti-bacterial. look into holtfreters solution for mineral and salt water balance.
only use small live bearers such as guppies/mollies etc.. for feeder fish and always ensure your axie has a hide/cave to prevent nipping, always quarantine for 30 days before adding to prevent diseases.
if your axie is very lethargic then live food will be pointless as it won't be able to catch the food, frozen food with minimal movement will be required.

His mouth always seems open so you know why?

 

[Autistic Catholic]

The WHAT?!?

Not trying to be judgmental but if you knew you were going to be gone 10 days, you should have had someone there to provide daily feedings.

Leaving even feeder fish in the tank is never a good idea. Live animals produce more waste which produces more ammonia which is bad for your aquatic life. Not to mention potential choking hazards if your little guy decides to be a glutton and fish are really meant only as a treat. This is horrible neglect of your animal.

BTW, small feeder fish can become easily sucked up by the filter so just because you put "a lot in the tank" doesn't mean he was able to eat any.

 

[JM29]

... if you knew you were going to be gone 10 days, you should have had someone there to provide daily feedings.

I strongly disagree.

10 days (or even 20) without any food is not hazardous for an axolotl if it's well prepared before and if the temperature is correct (under 20°C) :
- the week before leaving, feed it (them) a lot.
- the day before leaving, clean the tank, change some water.
- the day after you come back, feed again. The water quality should not be altered by this timelapse.

20 years with this method and never had problems.

I wont ask someone to look after my axolotls because I'd fear food given in excess by someone inexperimented (the nearer axolotl owner I know is 150 miles away).

 

[Binditheaxolotl]

Thus

I strongly disagree.

10 days (or even 20) without any food is not hazardous for an axolotl if it's well prepared before and if the temperature is correct (under 20°C) :
- the week before leaving, feed it (them) a lot.
- the day before leaving, clean the tank, change some water.
- the day after you come back, feed again. The water quality should not be altered by this timelapse.

20 years with this method and never had problems.

I wont ask someone to look after my axolotls because I'd fear food given in excess by someone inexperimented (the nearer axolotl owner I know is 150 miles away).

However, this is a baby axolotl. They usually need to be fed twice a day for a while. Leaving a very sensitive baby axolotl alone for 10 days with no food is NOT a good idea

 

[JM29]

However, this is a baby axolotl. They usually need to be fed twice a day for a while. Leaving a very sensitive baby axolotl alone for 10 days with no food is NOT a good idea

I admit it would be better to feed axolotls regularly.
Nevertheless, in case of dilemma like this, I find it better letting them without food than risking overfeeding with hazardous consequences on water quality.

A 4 months or more axolotl is not exactly a baby. I wouldn't say that for tiny larvae.
If its liver is well developped, there will be no problem (at least not the problem I read here).

Or, said otherwise :
If an axolotl has been fed twice a day for its 4 first months (120 days), it should have reached a size allowing it to wait a few days its next dinner.

 

[wolfen]

I won't debate the in's and outs of holiday care, what is done is done. what needs to be done is removing your axolotl from the tank and tubbing it with daily water changes, get the water as cold as possible and keep it that temperature, don't fridge as I don't think it will survive fridging. try to get some almond/catappa leaves to be put in the tub with your axie, feed bloodworm/brineshrimp nightly and clean replace water in the tub in the morning. get the tanks parameters correct it is displaying symptoms of being in bad water.
it is that emaciated that it can't close it's mouth.
do not use more then 3g per litre of salt in its water as more than that will risk removing more of its body fluid, the state it is in salt water baths would be VERY BAD.
there could be a way to add body fluid, but it isn't guaranteed. get some ro/distilled water add on a 1:1 with dechlorinated tap water, do not add any extra minerals or salts until it starts to add mass, once it starts putting on mass add 2g per litre of unrefined himalayan salt into its water, this will equalise its body to maintain a healthy body/fluid state.
make sure the water in oxygenated at all times.
get the tank sorted!!

 

[Binditheaxolotl]

I admit it would be better to feed axolotls regularly.
Nevertheless, in case of dilemma like this, I find it better letting them without food than risking overfeeding with hazardous consequences on water quality.

A 4 months or more axolotl is not exactly a baby. I wouldn't say that for tiny larvae.
If its liver is well developped, there will be no problem (at least not the problem I read here).

Or, said otherwise :
If an axolotl has been fed twice a day for its 4 first months (120 days), it should have reached a size allowing it to wait a few days its next dinner.

Ah ok. My mistake, I read the age wrong!

 

[Autistic Catholic]

I strongly disagree.

10 days (or even 20) without any food is not hazardous for an axolotl if it's well prepared before and if the temperature is correct (under 20°C) :
- the week before leaving, feed it (them) a lot.
- the day before leaving, clean the tank, change some water.
- the day after you come back, feed again. The water quality should not be altered by this timelapse.

20 years with this method and never had problems.

I wont ask someone to look after my axolotls because I'd fear food given in excess by someone inexperimented (the nearer axolotl owner I know is 150 miles away).

Moral of the story: don't leave them with the feeder fish.