stressed axolotl

[victoriaxsibby]

about a week ago, one of my axolotls scratched his face on some tank decor. the cut didn’t look very deep and it wasn’t bleeding, so we removed the decor and got new bigger hides with softer edges. we’ve been keeping an eye on him to see how it’s healing, there isn’t any discoloration or bumpiness and he’s been eating and swimming normally, but his gills are still very tightly curled (images below). we did our weekly water change yesterday and tested the water. the levels seem fine with ammonia-0, nitrate-20ish range and our water temperature has been around 72 pretty much all summer (which didn’t seem to bother them at all). my other axolotl (who shares the same tank) is behaving perfectly fine and does not seem stressed at all (as per image). so i guess my question is, could his cut still be bothering him this much or perhaps he’s still just getting used to the new hides in the tank, i just don’t know what could be causing him this much stress and what i should do about it.

 

[Autistic Catholic]

If he's eating and swimming normally, then they aren't stress curls. Refusal to eat is almost always the first sign of stress.

Some axolotls just have more forward leaning gills.

 

[wolfen]

although he is flushed without seeing tail end couldn't tell if the curled gills are due to length or stress, bare in mind 72°f is a bit too warm and because axolotls prefer colder water it can inhibit the healing process, also keep an eye on the gills for signs of fungus as although it could be due to muck on glass there does appear to be white patches on right side gills