Illness/Sickness: Won't eat. I've been battling for days.

[4xnico]

Hello everyone. My Albino axolotl has been struggling to eat/chew on her earthworms and she has gotten pretty thin and it's been freaking me out. Now (past 2 days) she refuses food and just ignores it. Anything I can do? I've tried for several days and I believe I need to act fast so she doesn't starve. Before she refused eating she had difficulty chewing on her worms almost like her throat was obstructed, and she opens her mouth alot when chewing. Also not sure if this is constant but currently she is slightly floating like if she had some gas trapped.

Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
pH: 7.4-7.6

I need urgent help! Not sure if she can be much longer without food she's really skinny.

 

[wolfen]

have you tried other food sources ie.. live food = live bearing fish (guppies, mollies, platy's) shrimp, blackworms etc.. frozen food = bloodworm, krill, mysis, brineshrimp, chopped cockle, chopped mussel, chopped prawn (even beef/turkey heart, also pinkies), axolotl appropriate pellets (always read ingredients, no iodine derivatives or copper).
ensure water is cold enough (15c°/59°f-18°c/64°f, 15°c/59°f being best), ensure adequate/good water oxygenation.

 

[4xnico]

have you tried other food sources ie.. live food = live bearing fish (guppies, mollies, platy's) shrimp, blackworms etc.. frozen food = bloodworm, krill, mysis, brineshrimp, chopped cockle, chopped mussel, chopped prawn (even beef/turkey heart, also pinkies), axolotl appropriate pellets (always read ingredients, no iodine derivatives or copper).
ensure water is cold enough (15c°/59°f-18°c/64°f, 15°c/59°f being best), ensure adequate/good water oxygenation.

Hello! I appreciate your reply.

My 'lotl is a picky one, however she showed some interest in frozen bloodworms (they're really small, it was for when they were small and I stopped giving them frozen bloodworms a while ago due to their growth), but she had trouble swallowing them. When I fed, she spat some of it out and swallowed a little, but it still is of my concern that she is having trouble swallowing it like if her throat was closed or something.

Water temps at 66-70F average, it's hard for me to keep it lower than that because currently do not have a chiller and frozen plastic bottles can only do so much. I can try to lower the water temps to 59F, hopefully it doesn't cause lethargy to the point where she'll ignore food.

For oxygenation, I believe I already have that covered. She's had an airstone for a while with variable intensity, I normally keep it medium/low to prevent her from being stressed by the constant bubbling (although I can increase it if you think it's best.)

I'm not sure if she is constipated/trapped gas as she floats a little and hasn't pooped in a while (although I've heard not pooping for a while can be normal at times).

+ I forgot to mention in my original post, she has a hooked tip of her tail. Her tail and gills aren't curled however the tip of her tail is hooked at alomst a 90degree angle. (i'm sure theres some reference pics somewhere on the web.)

I'm sorry for bombarding you with questions by the way.

 

[wolfen]

ideal temperatures for axolotls are 15°c/59°f-18°c/64°f, they can tolerate down to 4°c/39°f for short periods (can cause organ shut down and death) and up to 24°c/75°f for short periods (can cause extreme stress and death), they tend to become more sluggish below 10°c/50°f, unlike most animals axolotls heal better at cooler temperatures, don't cool the water too quickly, if she is floating try to keep her away from any ice bottles (temperature drop can put her in shock)
air stone wise it isn't the amount of bubbles but the size, small fine bubbles allow more air/oxygen to be dissolved into the water.
air can become trapped if your axolotl is gulping air but not releasing it (hence increasing water oxygenation), floating itself can be quite stressful.
even if she is only swallowing a small amount amount of food it is better than nothing.
if the floating continues she might be better being tubbed until she stops doing so (might be easier to monitor her feeding this way as well).
the cause for anorexia can be one of many things although due to the swallowing issue possible bacterial infection, other causes are inappropriate diet (feeding only annelids/eyeless food), absorption of hydrogen sulphide due to gas build up in sand, bad/old water causing anoxic areas (high nitrates can also be a sign).

 

[4xnico]

ideal temperatures for axolotls are 15°c/59°f-18°c/64°f, they can tolerate down to 4°c/39°f for short periods (can cause organ shut down and death) and up to 24°c/75°f for short periods (can cause extreme stress and death), they tend to become more sluggish below 10°c/50°f, unlike most animals axolotls heal better at cooler temperatures, don't cool the water too quickly, if she is floating try to keep her away from any ice bottles (temperature drop can put her in shock)
air stone wise it isn't the amount of bubbles but the size, small fine bubbles allow more air/oxygen to be dissolved into the water.
air can become trapped if your axolotl is gulping air but not releasing it (hence increasing water oxygenation), floating itself can be quite stressful.
even if she is only swallowing a small amount amount of food it is better than nothing.
if the floating continues she might be better being tubbed until she stops doing so (might be easier to monitor her feeding this way as well).
the cause for anorexia can be one of many things although due to the swallowing issue possible bacterial infection, other causes are inappropriate diet (feeding only annelids/eyeless food), absorption of hydrogen sulphide due to gas build up in sand, bad/old water causing anoxic areas (high nitrates can also be a sign).

Thank you for your reply. I've determined that she may be constipated/impacted as she has been having some buoyancy issues and randomly opens her mouth which, from what i've read, can be signs of constipation/impaction. Should I fridge/anything else to help her with this?

 

[wolfen]

adding 0.1-0.2g/l magnesium sulphate (epsom salt) will help with constipation as will salmon, laxatives etc.., although fridging will slow her metabolism down giving it time to remove the blockage it can also cause organ failure and should be a last resort only.

 

[4xnico]

Hello. I appreciate your reply.

I've determined the cause was because of a small object stuck in her throat. How can I approach the removal process? I have feeding tongs but I assume they're too large and I understand axolotls are delicate.

 

[wolfen]

ideally any procedure should by performed by a vet as using any implement to remove an object always carry's the risk of injury, if you are going to remove the object yourself you will need something large enough to grasp the object but not too large as to cause injury, something like large tweezers but with the ends/tips blunted and rounded off (to reduce possible injury), your axolotl will need to be removed from the water but kept damp (carefully wrap torso in wet paper towels or similar), it is best if your axolotl is held by one person whilst another remove obstruction, if possible hold body with head facing down to prevent object from travelling further down the throat, might be a good idea to use strong lighting (leds are best as they are bright but low heat), if the object is round it may be possible to manipulate it by gently squeezing externally, if the object is too far down or is too difficult to grasp a vet will be required.

 

[4xnico]

ideally any procedure should by performed by a vet as using any implement to remove an object always carry's the risk of injury, if you are going to remove the object yourself you will need something large enough to grasp the object but not too large as to cause injury, something like large tweezers but with the ends/tips blunted and rounded off (to reduce possible injury), your axolotl will need to be removed from the water but kept damp (carefully wrap torso in wet paper towels or similar), it is best if your axolotl is held by one person whilst another remove obstruction, if possible hold body with head facing down to prevent object from travelling further down the throat, might be a good idea to use strong lighting (leds are best as they are bright but low heat), if the object is round it may be possible to manipulate it by gently squeezing externally, if the object is too far down or is too difficult to grasp a vet will be required.

Thanks for your response!

After some closer examination of her, i've realized she doesn't have anything visible on her throat. Is it possible that constipation can give trouble swallowing and reduce appetite? I've read that somewhere online but i'm not exactly sure if it's true.

+She does not look bloated but she is visibly stressed.

 

[wolfen]

constipation can cause lack of appetite and as the food/blockage decomposes it can cause floating.
she should have a full examination to pin point the issue.
there are numerous possible causes that the symptoms indicate, I can only suggest the following..
because of the hooked tail, floating, gagging, difficulty swallowing, the root cause is in the tank, this could be bacterial or from ingestion of anoxic sand containing debris and gas (hydrogen sulphide is toxic and poisonous).
tub in water containing 100% holtfreters (3.5g/l non-iodised salt, 0.1g/l calcium chloride, 0.05g/l potassium chloride, 0.2g/l bicarbonate of soda) + 0.2g/l magnesium sulphate (pure epsom salts), give daily baths of methylene blue/acriflavine (both mixed together both half fish dose), water needs to be around 15°c/59°f, fish mycin (erythromycin) which is a general antibiotic may prove useful.
whilst tubbing use glass/pyrex/ceramic to reduce chances of bacterial infection, feed at night (leave food in overnight) change water in morning.
make sure the sand in the tank is turned over regularly to release any built up gasses and debris, any places an axolotl can dig through (can be done with a fork or similar implement or even by using a small water pump) best to be done weekly before a water change, ensure adequate water oxygenation to prevent any anoxic conditions.

 

[4xnico]

Will do, thank you so much for the info.

Is Kordon Methylene Blue safe? It's the only one available at my nearby store. I will tub with holtfreter's and try my best to keep the temps even lower. I find it odd how the sand can be anoxic/form gas, I bought it from PetSmart (I am in the United States) so I assumed it was safe for 'lotls as it said it was fine sand.

I also assumed my airstone was providing enough oxygen. I'll move the sand around frequently from now on. Thank you so much for the help!

+Will add to this: I might have accidentally overdosed Searchem Prime, I am aware it can possibly bind to oxygen molecules if there is not enough chlorine and thus reduce oxygen. Could this have been the cause? I'll try a large water change while she's tubbed.

 

[wolfen]

Kordon Methylene Blue safe is fine.
any type of sand can build up toxic gasses if it isn't turned over regularly.
lack of oxygenation will cause your axolotls to gasp/gulp at the surface more frequently but it will also affect your biological filtration due to the bacteria being aerobic (require oxygen to convert/consume ammonia/nitrites)

 

[4xnico]

Kordon Methylene Blue safe is fine.
any type of sand can build up toxic gasses if it isn't turned over regularly.
lack of oxygenation will cause your axolotls to gasp/gulp at the surface more frequently but it will also affect your biological filtration due to the bacteria being aerobic (require oxygen to convert/consume ammonia/nitrites)

Thank you for the additional information.

I will begin the treatment today as soon as possible. I have noticed she has two small lumps, one on the left and the other on the right, very close to the cloaca in her rear. I have also noticed she has a bit of slime coat peeling off because it was hanging while she is tubbed.

 

[wolfen]

the slime coat peal may be due to the prime over dose.