Looking for an Opinion

[EasternRomioi3]

Hello guys, I have a question, can anyone take a look at my axolotl and tell me if she looks healthy? She's very energetic and I've been keeping her tank real cool, like around 66 degrees, best I can do in this heatwave we're having, but I just want to know if she looks good. I'll post some photos, please take a look and let me know if you see anything alarming. She eats fine, no issues. I give her some axolotl pellets and earth worms, usually one or the other, once a day, she knows me now to recognize when I'm coming to feed her or coming to cool down her tank. I noticed as the tank gets hotter, she gets more lethargic, so I've been rotating ice packs in her tank and they've been a big help.

Now, she does have two bumps on her face, when she was little she cut herself on the side of some drift wood and it kinda left a scar like thing but it doesn't seem to bother her. Now, I noticed today as she was swimming around, she had some mucus like stuff on her one gill but it was see through, not white like fungus and it just kinda fell off. I know they shed their mucus membranes or whatever they're called, is that all it was? I know back in April she had a thing of skin under her chest that wouldn't fall off entirely, kept getting stuck so she would climb up on her drift wood to try and get it off. That's all normal, axolotl shedding behavior, right? Please let me know, you would put a worrywart's mind at ease. If you do see something that is cause for concern, let me know, please.

 

[Calgarycoppers]

She looks awesome !!

She is a very gravid girl i.e. eggy - which is normal.

You could buy a desk fan or 2 and have them blow across the top of the tank it will drop the temp a few degrees as well

 

[EasternRomioi3]

So she's not fat? Good, I was worried I was feeding her too much.

I actually do have a nice desk fan for her and once a day I freeze water for her, like from the dechlorinated water I have, I freeze some in an ice cube tray and add it at night before I go to bed. I actually just fed her now and she must be shedding or something cuz when she nailed the worm and jerked, a lot of stuff came off her but it was all see through, like the shedding she does. I don't even know if shedding is the right verb for what she's doing.

But anyways, she looks healthy and good?

 

[Calgarycoppers]

If you are seeing slime coat shedding test you water for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.
She may benefit from johns or holtfreter solution in her tank.

She looks healthy but check your water

 

[EasternRomioi3]

Ok, so I just need to get a little kit to test for pH levels? I have no idea what to do with those or how to do them, like, does she need high pH or low pH? Are there like packets or kits that I can just add to the water for that solution? I'm very weary about picking her up and transferring her into a small tub, or adding anything foreign into her tank just because I am sure I will screw something up. My dad has been helping me, but he specializes in reptiles, not these temperamental amphibians.

 

[Calgarycoppers]

You need the Freshwater Master Test Kit from API - it includes all the basic tests you need

 

[EasternRomioi3]

Thank you, I will head to the aquarium store next chance I get. Thank you, I appreciate all the advice and I appreciate you taking the time to look at her and see if she's doing well.