Question: Overweight with stubby little gills

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aliceskr

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I check out the photo galleries on this site and all the axies seem to be slim and sexy with gorgeous great fluffy, frilly gills. I accidentally adopted an axolotl a few weeks ago, being otherwise a complete newbie to this. He is (a) obese and (b) has funny stubby short little gills. He was previously being fed on lamb liver every other day but I've put him on a diet of one earthworm twice a week. It doesn't seem to have had much effect so far (from above his body still looks twice the width of his head). As for the gills, their lack of frills doesn't seem to bother him at all - he's not gulping air or anything and is quite happy to stay submerged. As far as I can tell he seems happy enough - he's certainly pretty keen on his meals. I got him in a bare tank but he now has a fine sand substrate, a cave (he likes that), assorted rocks and plants, and a proper filter. Any advice on the weight-loss diet or the gills? :confused:
 
Im still pretty new to this aswell, But Im sure as long as u keep him on earthworms 2 or 3 times a week, with good water qualitys, and what not he should be fine. But if anyone says any different go with what they said! hehe like i said, im still a newb too :p
 
Do you know what it was kept on? He may be bloated from gravel and not necessarily obese if it was kept on gravel or other poor substrate.
 
haha i know it's not healthy for them to be pudgy but i think it's pretty cute. nonetheless happy skittles is right, it could just be super bloated. How big is the axie for one?
Any pictures? And as far as the gills go it could be genetics or it could be a result of poor water quality from previous owner. some axies do just have fluffier gills than others though. What temperature are you keeping water at and how many water changes are you doing weekly?

pictures would really help though :p otherwise it's hard to really help. i'm not sure about lamb liver, sounds fattening. i would stick to the worms and i'm sure he will slim down in no time.
 
Thanks for the advice - am going to attempt to load a picture that shows his girth and apparent lack of gills, see what you think. According to previous owner he is four years old and was kept in a bare-bottomed tank so gravel ingestion should not be an issue. However if he HAD eaten gravel, how are you supposed to fix that? Do they get better by themselves or what?

I've been changing one-third of his water once a week, at the same time as I vacuum his tank with a suction thingy. Am using dechlorinating stuff in the replacement water. Plus he now has a proper in-tank filter. I don't know what the temp of the water is - pretty cool, as his room doesn't get direct sun.

When I gave him a sandy substrate I repeatedly rinsed the sand, as recommended on this site, but it has still left a faint residue of fine clay particles in the water that I'm hoping a few more water changes will fix. It doesn't seem to bother him, though.

Another question: are they lonely on their own? Should I get him a companion? He lost his former mate in traumatic circumstances (a cat), which is partly how I came to acquire him.

OK, will try to load pic now, here goes (thanks for your thoughts so far :happy:) ...
 

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He is in deed a rotund axolotl . I would keep feeding him the earthworms twice a week. I am pretty sure his previous diet is the cause of this, the lamb liver diet is pretty appalling for an axolotl.
Would you be able to take a picture from the side as well?
 
Here is a side on picture. Glad to get the confirmation that he really is abnormally rotund. I feel bad about his strict diet as he gets quite excited when I come in the room cos he thinks he's going to get fed. Wonder how long it will take for him to slim down. :(
 

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liver is very fatty and high in fat soluble vitamins like vitamin a, wich can become toxic because it is forever stored in the fat, and is not excreted through weeping and pooing like other vitamins. It happens with people, and i dont see why it would be any diferent for axies. Take a look at these axolotls fed on ox liver, they show the same symptoms which haven't reversed. Hopefly it is reversable with time, and it is just because of fat content. Keep feeding the way you are, and give them all the love and care they deserve. this might not be the cause!!!!! its just what i've noticed in the axies and know about vit A

http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-be...ick-axolotl/79493-heart-problem-just-fat.html

http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-be...neral-discussion-free-all/44871-ox-liver.html

http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-be...f58-sick-axolotl/78748-large-red-growths.html
 
Holy cow! that is the most overweight axolotl I've ever seen!! Hopefully he can lose some weight on the earthworms. Be sure to update if any signs of getting better. I'm sure this has something to do with the gills as well, probably is nutrient deprived. poor fellow.

On the plus side, I love his markings, very beautiful :p
 
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Aww, hes so fat :lol: Hope to see him get a little slender soon

The tiny gills are interesting, I wonder if it has something to do with a partial or failed morph triggered by poor care or because of the high fat liver only diet? Unlikely but maybe.
 
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He is definitely a rather plump looking axie, but he is cute :D very pretty colouring.

It's good to know he's in the hands of someone capable enough to feed him a better diet ;) I hope that it works out and he is able to shed down to a slender size.
 
i dont know if anyones said this but your axie is an awesome colour!
 
I feed my axies 2-3 earthworms twice a week. No more than that.

This keeps them at a healthy weight I believe with their bellies the same width of their head.

Now as your axie is rotund, the normal rules of weight loss apply, you need a calorie deficit.

You should (IMHO) feed him 1-2 earthworms twice weekly, no more. This should be enough to keep him functioning and healthy but enough of a calorie deficit to get his weight down.

For exercise I like to make mine swim lengths by wriggling my finger on the outside of the glass 1/3 below the water surface and once one swims up to investigate wiggly it slowly from one side to the other and back.

I believe this gives them healthy exercise and also helps stop them being so panicky / paranoid as gives constant stimulation.

Even if he had been on gravel, all is not lost. When I adopted Fred he was full of gravel and couldn't swim. Eventually he passed 43 pieces of stone. He still couldn't swim though.

When I put him in with a slender female Axie, Barney, she used to swim alot and slowly and gradually taught fatty Fred to swim. He is now more active tan her as since she started breeding has become a lot shier.

Hope that helps.
 
Hmmm - noticed the white pebble in the tank.............hate to say this but are there any smaller ones missing? (Does he feel heavy/hard)
 
He really is beautifully coloured! He anyone else noticed that his eyes are very bulged? I'm not an expert on this, but isn't that a sign that he may have partially morphed/is morphing?

Anyway, good luck with him. Hopefully he will loose the weight whilst retaining his good looks!
 
They're not bulging in the same way as an animal undergoing metamorphosis.
 
I'm going to admit that I'm not a huge fan of axie's (I know total blasphamy) but that is a really cute axie, great color patterns! Hope he loses some weight!

If I were inclined to own one is want it to look like that. What is that color called?
sent from my incredible...mind
 
You asked about companions. Axolotls are not social animals, not in the way of primates or birds. They are just fine on their own.

Great coloration.

As to the gills, gills can change as a matter of water conditions and oxygen concentration. keep the water conditions good and stable and I am certain they will grow out and fluff up.
 
Thanks for all the helpful comments about my overweight axolotl. He has been on a two-worms-a-week diet for several months now and has definitely slimmed down somewhat, but not completely. He seems otherwise fit and well, and although his gills have remained as stubby as ever they are clearly functioning perfectly.

Several people have mentioned the possibility of permanent physiological changes arising from his old diet of 100% ox liver, which makes me think he may never be exactly slender as the fat stored in the liver can't be shifted. Viewed from above he is not entirely symetrical either - he has more of a bulge on one side - which also makes me think he has a jumbo-sized liver in there.

However he is a cutie and I'm also relieved to learn that they are happy on their own. Sometimes he seems to be interacting with his reflection, and I wondered if he was lonely, but I'm reassured that isjust an anthropomorphic projection on my part!
 
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