Please Help Injured Axolotl

[JBlacksmith]

Hi all, I was wondering if anyone could help me
My axolotl has a green spot on his back right leg. He doesn't seem to be moving it around much. His front left arm also looks like it is bent at a weird angle. It almost looks broken. We put him in the fridge for a few days and the green coloration went away, but other than that his condition has not improved. What could potentially be wrong with him? What can be done to help him? Any advice, comments, thoughts, or help of any kind would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Evil Weasel]

I don't know a lot firsthand about axolotls, but I would definitely suggest looking around the forums... I'm about to do that right now to see what I can find to help you

I did find this thing about tea baths for if the skin gets any more discoloration-
Tea bath for axolotls
Contributed by Daniel Weiner, August 2007.
I mainly use teabaths for minor skin problems. It may also be used with fungal problems but on that account I prefer salt baths. Tea has a slightly antifungal and antibacterial effect (resulting from tannins) and additionally it closes the pores in the skin a little bit (mainly resulting from tannin and caffeine). The skin tightens and gets some kind of protective layer, making it harder for fungi and bacteria to intrude the body. On the other hand it makes it harder for salt or medicine to reach pathogens which are already inside the body - that is the reason I do not use it on fungal infections, although a tea bath is sometimes recommended as a cure for fungal infections by some people.
The medication is as follows: I take one bag of black tea without any additional aroma (it is important to use black tea because this kind of tea is fermented and so it has tannins) for every 10 litres of water (preferably used in a quarantine tank). This tea gets dashed with boiling water in a seperate bowl - I leave it there for at least 10 to 15 minutes so the tannins are resolved into the water. The tea has to cool down and is finally added to the quarantine water. After a week I make a bigger change of water (60% at least), the rest of the tea is removed over time by normal water changes. If you have to make more regular water changes (f.i. in a small bowl or tank) the tea concentration can be refilled. As far as I know there are no negative effects even for long term treatment.
A similar effect (although not as strong) may have the addition of dried oak or beech leafs now and then as a precaution.

All I really found about bent limbs was deformations in baby axies. Like I said, I don't know as much as I'd like to, but I want to help. I'm sure more experienced axolotl owners will comment soon, but I figured I would do as much as I could in the meantime. Best of luck!

 

[Petersgirl]

If you suspect a break, it may be worth seeing a vet as they can confirm whether it is a break or not. Since you have an open wound, a tea bath isn't a bad idea and certainly won't do any harm.

If you do have a break, the vet can advise you what to do, but I would suggest a nice dark cool tank and lots of worms. These guys are amazing healers but he will still need his stress minimised. Please also be aware that these guys can often hold their feet/legs in funny positions even when they're not broken, but a vet's opinion would definetely be welcome.

 

[kjnorman]

Is he eating okay, and generally acting normally? If so then you can probably give it a few days and see if there is any improvement. If not, then get to a vet.

This is the generic advice we used to give people at the vet clinic I worked at for 3 years, I find it a useful guideline.

 

[kjnorman]

Oh, also check your water and do any changes/adjustments needed to get everything in optimal range. It may not be causing the problem, but good water parameters will always help with healing.

 

[JBlacksmith]

I did find this thing about tea baths for if the skin gets any more discoloration-
Tea bath for axolotls
Best of luck!

Thank you we will give that a shot!

 

[JBlacksmith]

If you suspect a break, it may be worth seeing a vet as they can confirm whether it is a break or not. Since you have an open wound, a tea bath isn't a bad idea and certainly won't do any harm.

If you do have a break, the vet can advise you what to do, but I would suggest a nice dark cool tank and lots of worms. These guys are amazing healers but he will still need his stress minimised. Please also be aware that these guys can often hold their feet/legs in funny positions even when they're not broken, but a vet's opinion would definetely be welcome.

The only reason we are uncertain if it is really a break or not is that he has still been moving it around and using it, but we will see if it will be possible to take him to a vet

Also, shortly after putting him back in the tank, his leg turned green again, so we did a water change and stuck him back in the fridge. But we have been having a hard time keeping the temperature in the tank down recently. Do you know of an inexpensive, yet effective method of cooling the tank? We can't really afford a chiller right now

 

[JBlacksmith]

Is he eating okay, and generally acting normally? If so then you can probably give it a few days and see if there is any improvement. If not, then get to a vet.

This is the generic advice we used to give people at the vet clinic I worked at for 3 years, I find it a useful guideline.

After putting him back in the tank his appetite went back to normal. As for behavior, he has been acting a little lethargic :/ Is it possible that his wound is a result of his tank mate?
We are going to call the local exotics vet to see if they could help, but I am worried we won't be able to afford it

 

[Smoxolotl]

One of mine has an arm bent something similar to that. I think in his case it grew back a little oddly after being bitten off when he was much younger. Doesn't seem to hinder him in any way, as far as I can tell.