Throwing up and Refusing food

[proberge]

Hey Everyone,
I am looking for some advice or assistance since there are no vets around my area that can help. About two weeks ago I noticed one morning that my axolotl had thrown up her worms she ate the night before and I thought it just could have been me over feeding but I tried again the next day with bloodworms and the same thing happened I found them thrown up the next morning. After that she is now refusing any food and has not eaten for around 2 weeks. When I try to give her food she just violently shakes her head when I put the food in front of her face. She is also hiding a bunch more and won’t come out of her hide for anything which isn’t like her she was normally very active and always would greet you at the front of the tank. I have also been noticing her gills are not as fluffy as before and are getting thin and last night I notice green poop which I have not seen before. My parameters are perfect no ammonia, no nitrite and I keep the nitrate under 20-40ppm the water is also kept at 64F with a chiller so there isn’t any fluctuation. I did a water change last night but still don’t see any improvements. I have bought some Repashy grub pie and also garlic guard to hopefully have her eat.

 

[myfirstaxolotls]

I have one old female axolotl that is picky about her food, and one thing that has worked sometimes is just to let any of my other axolotls
eat close to her. That has woken something in her wich makes her eat as well. But shes the only one you got perhaps?

The head shaking you wrote is excactly what she does as well. And this happens on and off. I just try to offer different food and above,
and to remember that they can go much longer than us, if they not feeling to eat. Physically she seems in good shape from your photos?

 

[proberge]

I have one old female axolotl that is picky about her food, and one thing that has worked sometimes is just to let any of my other axolotls
eat close to her. That has woken something in her wich makes her eat as well. But shes the only one you got perhaps?

The head shaking you wrote is excactly what she does as well. And this happens on and off. I just try to offer different food and above,
and to remember that they can go much longer than us, if they not feeling to eat. Physically she seems in good shape from your photo?

Hi,
Thank you for the response. Could she just develop being a picky eater all of the sudden because I’ve never had an issue with her eating she would always eat whatever I put in front of her.

One of my other axolotl had this happen before and unexpectedly passed away so I am just worried if there is something wrong. I do have two smaller ones about 5 inches but they are no where close to her size I am growing them out before introducing them. I will try with the grub pie tonight and see if she likes that I also just picked up some salmon.

Also could her gills be shrinking since she hasn’t ate in a couple of weeks? Lack of nutrition I’ll attach a picture of what her gills look like before she went on this hunger strike.

 

[Autistic Catholic]

Remember the kh, gh, and ph too. Is there any possibility of impaction?

 

[myfirstaxolotls]

Well I think all of my axolotls has had a picky period when refusing food. Excactly what the underlying reason is, who knows.
But also never had an axolotl who starved itself to death. They all came around: )

About the gills, think they look beautiful. / Look at my old ladys gills in the other thread here in "General Discussion": )

 

[proberge]

Remember the kh, gh, and ph too. Is there any possibility of impaction?

I do not have a test kit to test them but I will get one asap. I don’t think there is any impaction she was pooping fine before this had happened and I notice green poops around the tank recently.

 

[proberge]

Well I think all of my axolotls has had a picky period when refusing food. Excactly what the underlying reason is, who knows.
But also never had an axolotl who starved itself to death. They all came around: )

About the gills, think they look beautiful. / Look at my old ladys gills in the other thread here in "General Discussion": )

Still no luck with her she is still refusing everything I’ve tried the grub pie, garlic guard, bloodworms, red wrigglers, earthworms, salmon and still nothing no interest in it whatsoever she is also hiding so much she won’t come out from under her log.

Would this behavior align with a female absorbing her eggs I am not 100% sure if she is a female I haven’t had her for the full 18 months but she looks like a female. She is not round like full of eggs so I am not sure if this could be the cause of this. She looks like she is losing weight also.

Also would it be beneficial to pull her out of her tank and keep her in a separate tub/smaller tank with daily water changes until she starts eating again. Not sure if there might be something in the tank that is causing this? Also would salt baths, methylene blue, or tee baths be helpful at this stage?

 

[Autistic Catholic]

Still no luck with her she is still refusing everything I’ve tried the grub pie, garlic guard, bloodworms, red wrigglers, earthworms, salmon and still nothing no interest in it whatsoever she is also hiding so much she won’t come out from under her log.

Would this behavior align with a female absorbing her eggs I am not 100% sure if she is a female I haven’t had her for the full 18 months but she looks like a female. She is not round like full of eggs so I am not sure if this could be the cause of this. She looks like she is losing weight also.

Also would it be beneficial to pull her out of her tank and keep her in a separate tub/smaller tank with daily water changes until she starts eating again. Not sure if there might be something in the tank that is causing this? Also would salt baths, methylene blue, or tee baths be helpful at this stage?

AMMONIA POISONING, WRONG WATER TEMPERATURES, TOO MUCH FOOD, IMPACTION, AND POOR FOOD QUALITY ARE POSSIBLE TO LEAD TO A PUKING AXOLOTL. MIGHT NOT BE BAD IDEA TO TUB.

 

[wolfen]

try to reduce the water temperature further ie.. 59°f if possible.
do a full test on your water ie.. ph, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, kh, gh.
make sure the sand is regularly turned over to release debris and gasses.
are the plants in the tank real or fake? the green fecal matter can be due to the consumption of plants but if the plants are fake then it can be a sign of infection or possible parasites.
can you attach a photo from above and from side, bloating can be gravid but it can also be other issues, reduce temperature, add 2g/l non-iodised salt to any water he/she is in.
regarding gill growth, the gills continues to grow the same are the rest of the body but at a slower rate, this means that extra long gills on a young/juvenile axolotl will only look normal/long on an adult, this is why the gills on your older photo look shorter on the newer photos, gill regression is quite fast and easily noticeable, your axolotls on the other hand look just like normal growth.

 

[proberge]

try to reduce the water temperature further ie.. 59°f if possible.
do a full test on your water ie.. ph, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, kh, gh.
make sure the sand is regularly turned over to release debris and gasses.
are the plants in the tank real or fake? the green fecal matter can be due to the consumption of plants but if the plants are fake then it can be a sign of infection or possible parasites.
can you attach a photo from above and from side, bloating can be gravid but it can also be other issues, reduce temperature, add 2g/l non-iodised salt to any water he/she is in.
regarding gill growth, the gills continues to grow the same are the rest of the body but at a slower rate, this means that extra long gills on a young/juvenile axolotl will only look normal/long on an adult, this is why the gills on your older photo look shorter on the newer photos, gill regression is quite fast and easily noticeable, your axolotls on the other hand look just like normal growth.

Hi Wolfen,
I will try to get the water temp that low but I have just done a water parameter check on my PH, Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate, and all came back within acceptable range I am trying to get a kh,Gh test. I will attach a picture of the tests with the top and side view of her. I turn over the sand once a week when doing a water change on Sundays. Would you recommend taking the sand out of the tank and going bare bottom? I've been contemplating doing it for a while now for easier maintenance but just haven't gotten around to doing it and I might do it this afternoon when I fully clean her tank. The plants in her tank are fake I haven't messed with any real ones yet in any of my tanks. What could be some other signs of infection or parasites? I don't notice anything physically wrong with her so I am not sure what I am looking for and also how to treat them if she has them. Another question is she is currently in a smaller tub from me trying to feed her and also taking the pictures would you recommend returning her to the original tank once I clean it out or should I keep her out of that tank in a tub with daily water changes until she starts eating again. Also when I add the 2g of salt how long do I keep her in it and should I do that in a separate tub if I return her to the normal tank?

 

[wolfen]

how was your tank cycled? was the tank cycled with or without the sand in place? because sand can harbour aerobic bacteria removing it can effect your biological filtration.
because the infection/parasites are internal there isn't always external signs apart from discoloured fecal matter and a lack of appetite, to be positive of a cause she would need to be examined by a vet with samples taken.
whilst she is tubbed it will be easier to give medicated baths ie.. acriflavine mix with methylene blue half fish dose 10mins per day, also seachem metroplex may be of use.
the salt can be used in any water that she is in as it is beneficial both whilst she is unwell and also as a general preventative (if your kh gh is found to be low use 50% holtfreters + 0.1g/l magnesium sulphate instead)

 

[proberge]

how was your tank cycled? was the tank cycled with or without the sand in place? because sand can harbour aerobic bacteria removing it can effect your biological filtration.
because the infection/parasites are internal there isn't always external signs apart from discoloured fecal matter and a lack of appetite, to be positive of a cause she would need to be examined by a vet with samples taken.
whilst she is tubbed it will be easier to give medicated baths ie.. acriflavine mix with methylene blue half fish dose 10mins per day, also seachem metroplex may be of use.
the salt can be used in any water that she is in as it is beneficial both whilst she is unwell and also as a general preventative (if your kh gh is found to be low use 50% holtfreters + 0.1g/l magnesium sulphate instead)

My tank was cycled with the sand in place but my plan was to remove all the sand and do a deep clean of her tank just in case there is something I am missing and I plan on redosing ammonia to 4ppm and waiting for the cycle to stabilize or to finish and while I am doing this I will keep her tubed doing daily water changes and also dosing those medications you suggested. I plan on going out tomorrow and getting everything I need, where can you buy acriflavine I am not seeing anything locally. Also so I have a shopping list going and don't miss anything besides methylene blue, seachem metroplex, aquarium salt, and if I can find acriflavine. Is there anything else I should look for when I am shopping? the nearest fish store is around an hour from me so I would like to get everything at once. Also just to clarify the medicated baths should only be for 10 minutes per day and for the salt should there be a time limit on how long she should be in there I read somewhere that no more than 15 minutes or it will mess up their slime coat. Also, should I look into Tea baths or an Almond leaf? Unfortunately, there is no vets near me who can take her in for an examination it looks like the nearest one is close to 4 hours away and that will be used as my last resort if I have to make the drive.

 

[proberge]

My tank was cycled with the sand in place but my plan was to remove all the sand and do a deep clean of her tank just in case there is something I am missing and I plan on redosing ammonia to 4ppm and waiting for the cycle to stabilize or to finish and while I am doing this I will keep her tubed doing daily water changes and also dosing those medications you suggested. I plan on going out tomorrow and getting everything I need, where can you buy acriflavine I am not seeing anything locally. Also so I have a shopping list going and don't miss anything besides methylene blue, seachem metroplex, aquarium salt, and if I can find acriflavine. Is there anything else I should look for when I am shopping? the nearest fish store is around an hour from me so I would like to get everything at once. Also just to clarify the medicated baths should only be for 10 minutes per day and for the salt should there be a time limit on how long she should be in there I read somewhere that no more than 15 minutes or it will mess up their slime coat. Also, should I look into Tea baths or an Almond leaf? Unfortunately, there is no vets near me who can take her in for an examination it looks like the nearest one is close to 4 hours away and that will be used as my last resort if I have to make the drive.

Would Fritz Expel-P help in this situation I just read that it can help with internal issues

 

[wolfen]

at 2g/l for salt there is no time limit as the level is very low (not to be confused with salt baths which is done at a much higher level and can be stressful)
acriflavine is a fish medication and because it is also commonly used for pond fish may be cheaper to buy as a pond treatment rather than aquarium (both the same medication but treatments for aquarium tend to be more expensive than pond).
as for fritz expel-p there is some information regarding using the same ingredient to treat worms on this site, see here.. How to treat camallanus worms if there is any lethargy after use treat with a tea bath (levamisole can cause lethargy which the caffeine in black tea will treat)
although both acriflavine and methylene blue can both be used for longer periods and higher dosages for safety it is better to use only for 10 mins half fish dose to prevent any adverse reactions.
I've attached the amphibian formulary which has dosage levels for medications.

 

[proberge]

at 2g/l for salt there is no time limit as the level is very low (not to be confused with salt baths which is done at a much higher level and can be stressful)
acriflavine is a fish medication and because it is also commonly used for pond fish may be cheaper to buy as a pond treatment rather than aquarium (both the same medication but treatments for aquarium tend to be more expensive than pond).
as for fritz expel-p there is some information regarding using the same ingredient to treat worms on this site, see here.. How to treat camallanus worms if there is any lethargy after use treat with a tea bath (levamisole can cause lethargy which the caffeine in black tea will treat)
although both acriflavine and methylene blue can both be used for longer periods and higher dosages for safety it is better to use only for 10 mins half fish dose to prevent any adverse reactions.
I've attached the amphibian formulary which has dosage levels for medications.

Okay sounds good thank you, I’ll see what I can get tomorrow and may have to order some of it. One other thing I have been noticing is she is starting to dig a lot where she hides there is a big hole from her digging. Im not sure if this is a normal behavior.

 

[wolfen]

digging is normal behaviour and one off the reasons it can be difficult to use live plants that are rooted in an axolotl aquarium, it is also why it is important to turn sand over regularly to prevent them from getting a face full of gasses whilst digging around.

 

[proberge]

digging is normal behaviour and one off the reasons it can be difficult to use live plants that are rooted in an axolotl aquarium, it is also why it is important to turn sand over regularly to prevent them from getting a face full of gasses whilst digging around.

Okay that makes sense I plan on removing the sand this afternoon. I just got back from the fish store and purchased aquarium salt, metroplex, methylene blue, and also Fritz Expel-P.

Which one do you recommend starting with and also the dosage needed and how long she should stay in the mixture of medicines for? The Fritz says to use one tablet per 10 gallons of water for 24hours and the Metroplex says 160mg per 10 gallons but doesn’t say for how long. Just want to make sure I am dosing the correct products. They did not have the acriflavine I will order some after seeing results with these products first.

 

[wolfen]

metroplex is Metronidazole which is 50mg per litre for 24 hrs, for fritz expel-p ie.. levamisole follow the instructions in the link How to treat camallanus worms
try using metroplex first as that is an antimicrobial, salt can be used at any time.
leave a week between using different medications to prevent any reactions.

 

[proberge]

metroplex is Metronidazole which is 50mg per litre for 24 hrs, for fritz expel-p ie.. levamisole follow the instructions in the link How to treat camallanus worms
try using metroplex first as that is an antimicrobial, salt can be used at any time.
leave a week between using different medications to prevent any reactions.

Okay sounds good for the metroplex do I repeat treatment the next day also or do I wait in between treatments

 

[wolfen]

every other day for up to three weeks.