Illness/Sickness: PLEASE HELP... 7 year old axolotl hasn't been eating, very very thin, found on side in tank today

[toothless44]

Hi All:

I gave my axolotl to my sister a year ago when I moved. I just found out she has been completely neglecting him. He is very very thin, his gills are all but gone.
I took him back 2 weeks ago, fixed his tank levels and started feeding the poor guy again.

Today I came home from work to find him on his side, gasping. I also found the last food i gave him completely untouched.
My heart is breaking

I removed him from the tank and put him in the fridge....
Ive called 5 vets, no one can help me.

Anyone have ideas on how I can save my little guy!!??

 

[RusieckiR]

Do you have any pictures? That sucks, why didnt she take care of it?

 

[toothless44]

She's young and dumb and I'm pissed.

He has been in her care for about a year... I am beyond upset.

My plan is to continue to regulate his tank, keep him in the fridge (maybe 3 days?) and then re-aclamate him to the tank and feed him.

Any other ideas and suggestions would be much appreciated. I really just want him to survive and get him back to health

As you can tell from my profile picture to the current photo-- he's really gone down hill

 

[Hellcat73]

im sorry to hear,but there is hope! I got a axie back in oct who was skinnier than yours and was covered in some weird grainy texture....no frills left..just a stick! I changed his water daily and sat all day with a tub full of blood worms trying to hand feed him! He was so weak he would puke most up again...but a few managed to stick...I salt bathed him 2 times a day(no fridge) and kept in a small tub...for ease of waterchange...it was a hard few months but he now became a daddy! Hope your guy makes it....im trying to add pics to a album of his recovery but its being dumb...sorry

 

[Hellcat73]

Heres a few pics of my stick boy....i really didnt think he would make it...attn does wonders! First pic was end of oct,,,second was nov..and 3rd is today...hes a daddy btw! Amazing!

 

[toothless44]

Thank you so much for the encouragement.... I am hoping to get him healthy again! He hasn't got on his side or belly up since I've fridged him so I'm taking that as an improvement.

After a water change today I noticed white things floating in the water... it almost looked like small axie poo but white instead of dark... Any ideas?

He was showing signs of a fungus or ick when i took him back... it was on his mouth but that i got cleared up with some water changes and fixing the tank levels... Should I salt bath as a precaution?

Thanks for all the help anyone can lend me!

 

[toothless44]

UPDATE:
He has been in the fridge for 4 days with daily water changes.
I got a completely new tank with the water cycling (since i fear that even though the water was clean, the tank had scum that just would not come off of it... i was worried it was still making him sick)

I just put a few blood worms in with him (his usual diet)
I know he will be lethargic, but I'm really hoping he will eat some so he can get better.

I am going to leave him out of the fridge tonight and tomorrow, doing water changes daily and feeding 2x a day. If he's looking more resilient I'm hoping to move him to the tank this weekend.

I also have brine shrimp and beef heart if anyone things those are a heartier option to feed him.

I hate to see my little guy so sad looking. I REALLY COULD USE SOME ADVICE OR ENCOURAGEMENT! is there anything else i could be doing?

-Ashley

 

[debadog]

回复: Re: PLEASE HELP... 7 year old axolotl hasn't been eating, very very thin, found on side in tank today

I've heard that beef heart isn't that great for axolotls and should only be fed to them very rarely (and they cant digest tendons or fat so these have to be removed). Bloodworms and brine shrimp (i'm assuming you're using the frozen cubes) also aren't very nutritious at all and shouldn't really be a staple for an axolotl. They may be good for easing your weak axolotl into eating small amounts of food, but seeing as he obviously needs quite a lot of feeding up could you get your hands on some earthworms?

Worms are a diet staple for axolotls and he'll bulk up much quicker than he will with brine shrimp and bloodworms. I also personally think that its good for an animal in captivity to eat live food where possible and its quite obvious that they prefer it when you've tried both. Just a thought! (I would imagine that they're easier to get your hands on than beef heart anyway...yuck).

It's important that kids have pets to learn respect for animals when they're young, but its easy to forget that they're still stupid most of the time...I have no doubt that with perseverance he will recover though, i've seen axolotls on this forum come back from a lot worse. Good luck with your poor baby.

 

[toothless44]

He is more active today and I'm trying to get him to eat...
Im working on the frozen blood worms to start... I am going to try to get my hands on some small earth worms, he's pretty tiny i fear even if i cut them they may be too big.

he has yet to actually swallow one. During transferring to a clean water tub, (100% water changes) i noticed his frills are starting to grow little nubs BUT something is wrong with his face...
He looks like he may be blind in one eye and his face is dented in... (this is the area i originally saw the fungus but it now seems to be gone)... whats wrong here?!

(*note, i only held him up for half a second so my husband could take a quick photo)

HELP DO YOU THINK HE WILL MAKE IT?

 

[Bellabelloo]

Excellent news about the gills

Small live food would be best, it'll more likely trigger him to try gulping the food. Live Blackworm could be an option?

He does look like he may well be blind in that eye, I believe fungus can cause it. Maybe add a couple of dried oak leaves or almond leaves to the water... it'll give the water a brown tinge, but the tannin's have antiseptic properties that wont hurt here. I can't see the dent, it might just be from him being so under weight.

You're doing a grand job helping your little guy.

 

[Mandrathara]

Hello,

sorry if my english isn´t perfect.

It is recommended to feed him once a day with chicken liver in small pieces to fit his mouth right without any stress.Be sure not to feed him once a week, just 6 days.

Chicken liver is rich of vitamins and minerals, it can be swallowed very easily even by Axolotl with a swolen mouth.Be sure not to feed it regularly it is just to get ill Axolotl feeding that refuse food.It will help him to gain weight and get strenght fast.Even if he can´t hold the food he will still absorb serveral vitamins and minerals which will help.

The best way to feed it, is to wave it with tweezers in front of his mouth which simulates living bait for him.

Be sure to avoid beef, it can cause harm to Axolotl.

I can´t tell you anything actually about the dent because I can´t see it, watch also for
white cotton like spots, it´s mostly a sign of fungus.

One of his eyes is getting blind if the lens is even, if it is uneven there may be fungus on the lens.
Axolotl usually don´t see well they mainly react to vibrations so it won´t cause him harm if he can see less.


Best Regards from Germany

Mike

 

[toothless44]

He didn't make it. RIP TOOTHLESS ENCHILADA GRIFFITH :,(

 

[Mandrathara]

poor little guy, I feel sorry

 

[Karayna]

Oh no! So sorry for your loss. At least he died with you, cared for and loved in the end! ?

 

[Hellcat73]

I never fridged mine when mine was sick,i was still new and I was uncomfortable with it..lol...so I did my salt water baths 2 times a day...used a cotton swab to rub his body gently...etc....and then after i transferred him into a feeding tub that was small, and dumped alot of blood worms(frozen) into it....he would sit there and try and eat....i also dangled some in his face to trigger his gulping reflex....didnt take long for him to recover fast...I know fridging really slows their metabolisim down..and I wanted mine to eat!!! Being too thin...lack of food is not something I wanted him to go without! On a side note..I feed all my adults newt/salamander soft sinking pellets as their main food...in summer I am going to try housing my own worm colony lol...as I know worms are best

 

[tammyaxie]

So sorry for your loss

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

 

[Hellcat73]

Awww im so sorry...I hope it doesnt discorage you from owing others...

 

[Purpletotodile]

I'm very sorry about your little friend. I hope that your sister either learns from her mistakes or never owns any more pets because even hearing about this makes me really sad. Hope it all gets better.