Please help - morphed axolotl drowning

[Roz26]

Please help me I have had a beautiful morphed axolotl for many months. I got her when she was already morphed. I have had her in a viviarium with a shallow water dish but recently I re-did her tank and gave her a deeper are of water.

It was a huge mistake but as she was an axolotl I thought her ability to swim would be good. I returned from work today to find her looking lifeless - nose down in the water.

I am such an idiot - she obvioulsy didn't have the strength to pull herself out of the water (there wasnt enough of a slope for her to walk out)

She is barely breathing - her face, mouth and neck are extremely swollen as if she has absorbed water into her skin. She is hardly moving, she just opens and closes her mouth now and then and water comes out of her nostrils

I have gently picked her up and rubbed her belly which she responds too but I am worried its too late. Please help with any advice that you can give thanks.

 

[froggy]

If she is responding, thats a good sign. \
According to Wright and Whitaker's amphibian medicine book, you can hold the salamander so it is head down at an angle and shake the salamander forward a couple of times (so the salamander is supported and doesn't flex, but the jolting movement expels water) and/or gently massage along the abdomen to push fluids out of the respiratory tract and clear the airways.
I would move her into the fridge in a container with moist paper towels as a substrate. This will slow her metabolism and reduce her need for oxygen. Make sure she stays damp as fridges can dry things out very quickly. Make sure the box is opaque so she stays in the dark. Keep an eye on her and hopefully she will recover.

Good luck and sorry you had to wait half an hour for response.

Hope this helps

C

 

[Azhael]

Although they can miraculously recover from drowning, when there´s swellin it´s a bad sign. Do what Chris said, it´s your best chance. If the animal has it in it, it might fully recover. Best of lucks.