Illness

  • Stress-  strong water flow, high temps, untreated water. Stressed axolotls often lose their appetite, refusing to eat normally. Signs like curling/hooking of the tail and forward-turning gills are signs that your pet is suffering from stress. 
  • Injury- Axolotls have a fascinating ability to regenerate lost limbs without any help whatsoever. With enough time, axolotls that have sustained injuries (such as damaged gills or limbs) will repair themselves fully. The only risk with injury is infection.Exposed wounds can quickly become infected, so you should always keep wounded axolotls in cool, clean water with an Indian Almond Leaf.
  • Impaction- found in axolotls when the digestive system becomes dysfunctional. Refusal to eat, bloating, low waste production.Often, this is caused when they ingest gravel or small stones or snails.  Tub with fresh COOL dechlorinated water,
  • Floating-Axolotls are able to float around tanks at will, though excessive floating may indicate air bubbles in the gut.This should only become a concern if:  Your axolotl is unable to return to the bottom of the tank, They float up against their will, They float very often, They appear distressed when floating. Check your water parameters and tub with shallow water just covering the gills.
  • Bacterial/Fungal Infections-It usually looks like white little cotton balls that show up on gills and toes.Heat-stressed axolotls can develop dangerous bacterial and fungal infections, which is why you should routinely check your water temperature. Treat with tea baths. If tea baths dont work, move on to Furan-2. This treats minor bacterial infections.
  • Red Rash - That lasts more than an hour. This could be ammonia burn or a sign of bacterial infection. Test your water to check for Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate. If there are any signs of ammonia, nitrites, or high nitrate, remove your Axolotl and tub them with Indian Almond Leaf.

  • Parasites - Parasites usually appear in fecal matter, in vomit, or on tank/tub flooring. There are a number of parasites that can show up from introducing an infected axolotl, new plants, or even feeder fish. All new additions should always be quarantined for at least 30 days for observation. Some parasites are visual such as anchor worms (DO NOT PULL THESE OUT) or many different varieties of internal worms. Some of the more common parasites will respond to the recommended treatment of Prazipro 

  • Gill Scratching/Frantic Swimming- this is an indicator of water quality issues. Check your parameters. If you have sand in your tank and just did a water change and parameters are good, don’t worry your axolotl probably just has some debris stuck

 

TEA BATHS--Brew your tea in a standard coffee mug of boiling de-chlorinated water. Place the tea on the counter or in the fridge to allow it to cool to room temp or cooler. You will then add it to your axolotls tub and leave it for no more than 15 minutes. After the time has passed, you will need to change your axolotls’ water to fresh, clean, cool, de-chlorinated water. This process should be done twice a day until the issue has been relieved.