Skinny, floating axalotl

[Meakajade]

Hi I live on the east coast of Australia and purchased my first axalotl 3mths ago for my little girl. The pet store owner assured m e that they were easy to care for and I wouldn't have any problems as long I kept him cool on warm days with ice cubes in the water.

Well after much research which I should have done in the first place, I find out that they are not that easy to care for. Now I have fallen for my ribbon in a big way, he has a cheeky personality and will let me hand feed him.
4 days ago he started to float so I took him out put him in a small container so he could get to the bottom and contacted my local aquarium, I got tests for his water which is fine and a thermometer for his tank. It turns out his water was 23 deg C which I know is to hot so got a mesh lid on the tank with a fan and with no filter it sits at 20 with the filter 21-22deg so I now have a relay team of ice bricks in his tank temp currently at 19 deg.
I was only feeding him pellets which he seemed to enjoy, I was only feeding him twice a day 2 pellets each feed hence why he is skinny. So 2 days ago I got some frozen beef and prawn, dug up some garden worms of which he ate 4 in 10 mins and caught him some tadpoles.
I have cleaned out his tank checked water again and have not been able to get him to eat since the worms. ( is he full ???)

In the last hour he has gone to the bottom a few times and is currently head Down bum up. There are 3 tadpoles in with him but he is not interested nor has he eaten any beef and prawn.

Any comments, suggestions or hints and tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Kaysie]

Butt-floating is a sign of needing a poop. If he can get down to the bottom now, that's a start.

What kind of substrate are you using?

I wouldn't use tadpoles, as they can transmit diseases to your axolotl. However, earthworms are a fantastic food source. They should be your staple.

 

[Minniechild]

I'd also be wary of beef (just think of how hard you have to chew on a steak!), and prawns (salty and can contain iodine).
Some other foods which you may want to consider (after all, variety is the spice of life!) are: pellets (Pets brand with the yellow or blue lid and bad spelling or Hikari Carnivore sinking pellets), bloodworms (Hikari brand are better than Orca), and long-term (after having them quarantined a month) red cherry or glass shrimp and guppies. If you want to get some weight on quickly, I highly recommend blackworms, however they are VERY expensive, though very much worth the cost in the long run.


Do you think you could post a few pics of your tank, just to make sure that nothing else is going on? Also, could you get your water parameters (pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, temp) which you should be able to get tested at your local pet shop

 

[Meakajade]

Thanks to everyone for the help.
I'm feeding him pellets made by beaphar containing
protein-48%
Fat-9%
Fibre-5%
Moisture-8%. How many of these should he be eating per day? He is 8inches long.
The beef and prawn is is a frozen block of trimmed beef heart and minced prawns that was given to me by the aquarium owner as that what she feeds hers on????? Confused.
Should I cut the earthworms or give them whole?
He is on the bottom this mornining looking very pleased with himself as he has eaten another worm a tadpole and 3 pellets. What does the poo look like and how big?

 

[Kaysie]

Beef heart and prawns are as a treat, just not a staple.

At 8 inches, it can easily eat whole earthworms.

Poo looks like a big black jelly bean. It's surprisingly large for their body size. If you feed mostly pellets, it will disintegrate pretty quickly.

 

[Meakajade]

Some pics of ribbon. Sorry they not the best, using iPad.

 

[FX1C]

View attachment 28295
View attachment 28296
View attachment 28297
Some pics of ribbon. Sorry they not the best, using iPad.

Ribbon is very underweight / skinny.

Those black rocks should probably be removed as anything smaller than the mouth can be ingested & are best avoided. (Incl an X-ray for you to see how large the rocks they can swallow are)
Was ribbon kept on gravel at the pet shop? Try gently squeezing the gut area to see if it feels like any stones are inside, when they are skinny feeling the rocks can be much easier.

Where abouts are you located? I'm in sydney & currently trying to organise a group of people who need live blackworms - it's cheaper to only pay one postage cost & share the cost & worms. The blackworms are very tempting - not the ideal staple food but they aren't bitter like earthworms can be - if you cannot get ribbon to eat earthworms consider asking your fish shop / pet store if they have live blackworms available & try them.

I hope there's no stones inside & that ribbon starts showing signs of improvement soon



<3 >o_o< <3

 

[Meakajade]

I only realized he was to skinny 4 days ago when I took pics too local aquarium. ( I feel a bit guilty ).
He was kept on large rocks at store and we have only ever had the large ones and sand.

I live in Newcastle and am able to get black worms locally $10 for a fair few.
Also I am thinking of taking all the substrate out for now, or is the sand ok?
He seems to be ok today, staying on the bottom and has eaten a few pellets and tadpoles which I won't give him anymore.
Water parameters ok ( ph anyway ) I don't have kits to test for ammonia or nitrates. Should I get them???
Should I leave his water level low for a while? I don't have any probs with temp while it's low I'm worried if I fill it up again I won't be able to control temp.
How will I go about fattening him up without making him sick?
Thanks.

 

[FX1C]

I only realized he was to skinny 4 days ago when I took pics too local aquarium. ( I feel a bit guilty ).
He was kept on large rocks at store and we have only ever had the large ones and sand.

I live in Newcastle and am able to get black worms locally $10 for a fair few.
Also I am thinking of taking all the substrate out for now, or is the sand ok?
He seems to be ok today, staying on the bottom and has eaten a few pellets and tadpoles which I won't give him anymore.
Water parameters ok ( ph anyway ) I don't have kits to test for ammonia or nitrates. Should I get them???
Should I leave his water level low for a while? I don't have any probs with temp while it's low I'm worried if I fill it up again I won't be able to control temp.
How will I go about fattening him up without making him sick?
Thanks.

If you're going to try feeding the live blackworms bare bottom will be much easier - you could just take out the stones, leave the sand & introduce a feeding jar for the live worms.

Definitely invest in an API Freshwater Master Test Kit - then you can test ammonia / nitrites / nitrates - that will tell you where you tank is in the nitrogen cycle & how much water to change weekly.

Keeping water levels high is easier to control the toxins as well as the temperature - smaller volumes of water can fluctuate too easily. unless he's struggling to get to the bottom I'd keep the levels normal height.

As for how much to feed I'd suggest letting him be a bit of a glutton with worms as they will vomit if they eat too much - less gluttony with pellets as they can potentially swell once in the gut & should be feed less to the point of stuffing. With the live blackworms you can leave lots in the tank with him so he can eat at leisure - also try filling a turkey baster with the worms & offer them by giving a little worm facial & encourage large regular consumption of a good mouthful of worms

He'll soon be back to being a chubby lotl with a belly as wide as his head



<3 >o_o< <3

 

[Meakajade]

Thanks heaps, I'll do all that you said and continue doing my research. I will pot some pics in a week or so, hopefully he will be looking slightly better.
Thanks again much appreciated.