need advice

Hi all need some advice on my axol she is every bloated ,, i brought her to my vet to see if he could help , didnt have a clue ,,gave me a phone nu for a woman vet in bray , i rang her and was talking to her nurse really nice woman kim very helpfull says axol needs an op for the swimbladder , it is going to cost about 400 yo yos ,, im in the wrong businnes .

so what i need help with is there anyone out there who has any idea how i can help axol with out spending 400 euro ...

i have dosed her tank with aq-salt ,and as we all know cant use anything else as she is an axololtl .

Moved to the correct category as it wasn't in the Water and Health section.

I hope you'll find a solution soon

Valerie

What is aq-salt? Is that normal aquatic salt?

Did Barbra actually see the axolotl? (so as to make the diagnosis).

ian

hi yes normal acquatic salt

no ian this was over the phone with her nurse i think or sectuary kim she has axols her self ...

This is quite urgent (especially as no info has been given on the concentration of the salt), and I'm a bit confused on the diagnosis.

ian

i put in a teaspoon of salt in water mixed with tank water and doseed the tank ...
i know this is urgent i have been trying to get someone who knows axols to see her ..
what u think ian

she hasnt eating in a few weeks , i thought she just diegested her eggs again ,, (she did this last year i have tryed to find a mate for her )

but she was not floating or that bloated till today i am really worried about her ,
any advice ??

should say the tank is a 90ltr 4 ft ,half full so she is in about 35-40 ltrs = 1 teaspoon salt

It is very difficult to diagnose without seeing the animal.

The bit that confuses me is that unless I'm blind I've never seen a swim bladder in an axolotl, so am wondering how it can have swim bladder problems.

I have never heard of swim-bladder problems in an axolotl......even though many people do talk it (I must be odd one out).

Normally, I would not recommend a salt bath unless it was a proper Ringers Solution as that is a balanced solution.

There are medications that you can use for axolotls, but they need great care and even many anti-biotics will do great harm.

If the axolotl is having difficulty swimming then it will be stressed.
Stress may actually be the cause, but if not the cause then the inability to swim will cause stress and that will cycle out of control.

Irrespective of the exact problem, the following should be done:

Immediately reduce the water depth until the water just covers the axolotl;
slowly decrease the temperature (you actually want the temp lower than room temp at this time of year);
do daily water changes with properly dechlorinated water (use Tetra AquaSafe...and nothing else);
change the diet.....get some properly cultured worms (from a reptile shop) as worms from the garden will take some time cleanse out properly;
I would even recommend adding a half dose of Zolcal (it is a highly soluble form of calcium with vitamin D3)...maybe ask in Reptile Haven if they can give you a small shot of the stuff (Ben is usually very good).

If you are in dublin....then maybe a visit to Ben in FishAmble street is worth a visit....he is open late on Thursday. You may have a look for free....but phone to see if he is in the shop (and tell him that ian millichip sent you).

The causes of the problem could be many (and there are a number of things it could be...except swim-bladder):

Poor or monotonous diet; low water pH (are the gills burnt?); salts in the water; high ammonia at some stage in the past; high nitrites and nitrates; or a general illness.

If the axolotl is albino then it will be difficult to tell if the colour has dulled....but dulled colour may indicate an illness.

Without more info, that is about all I can give at present without going into a big guessing game.

It could be a physical disorder of the internal anatomy (eg constipation; or air in the gut); it could be chemical damage to the kidney; it could be a bacterial infection of the gut; it could even be a neurological problem.

ian

thanks ian
i will reduce the water now , temp is lowish 18 i know high for an axol put it is warm out ,, ben was closed earlyer i agree he iss great he looked at her for me last year i will drop in in morn ,, i only feed her live food and the odd time a shrimp .
her colour is fine no blotshes etc ,, no the gills are not burned but every low for her . she is a grey --wild coulor )

neurological ??? why u think this



thanks t

funkychic wrote:

thanks ian
i will reduce the water now , temp is lowish 18 i know high for an axol put it is warm out ,, ben was closed earlyer i agree he iss great he looked at her for me last year i will drop in in morn ,, i only feed her live food and the odd time a shrimp .
her colour is fine no blotshes etc ,, no the gills are not burned but every low for her . she is a grey --wild coulor )

neurological ??? why u think this


thanks t

The temperature could be put lower to aid reduce stress....but increase aeration as that will have multiple effects (a cooling effect is also possible by that as well).

I only suggest neurological as it is a possibility.
Neurological problems are common in many amphibians....especially if they do not get enough calcium uptake.
If you have ever noticed tremors then that could be due to a calcium deficiency.
One common mistake is the belief that metabolic bone disorder (MBD) is the only problem of low calcium.....not so: neurological and heart disorders will also be there as will poor muscle action and lowered immunity (because calcium activates the immune trigger response within cells).

ian

I know nothing about these Animals but Google provide either too high a temp or Gravel impaction.

Here's a link, I'm sorry if the hope of a knowledgable reply has disappointed but here goes.

www.caudata.org/forum/f46-beginner-newt-...bloated-axolotl.html

Kev.

great thanks have aeration in tank as well as filter -not to high as this can damage gills etc .. am lowing temp grately geting it down to nearnly 17 now ..

never know about calcium intake for axols i have done a lot of reading and part of the amphine site ,,
i hope she is not in pain , we all love she here
ill ask ben about calcium tomorrow , he knows my axol

i met u at one of the meetings in rosies a few months ago i think it was u ,
thanks for ur help
p.s( that vet does ops for swinblader in axols ??? )

stretnik wrote:

I know nothing about these Animals but Google provide either too high a temp or Gravel impaction.

Here's a link, I'm sorry if the hope of a knowledgable reply has disappointed but here goes.

www.caudata.org/forum/f46-beginner-newt-...bloated-axolotl.html

Kev.

hi kev i know this site its not gravel or the temp thanks for the share of knowledgable reply .. thats what this forum is for many heads and all that

trish

this is axol

I'll see if I can open the picture later....I'm at work at present, and set my PC to not allow pictures to be shown (for various reasons).

ian

funkychic wrote:

great thanks have aeration in tank as well as filter -not to high as this can damage gills etc .. am lowing temp grately geting it down to nearnly 17 now ..

never know about calcium intake for axols i have done a lot of reading and part of the amphine site ,,
i hope she is not in pain , we all love she here
ill ask ben about calcium tomorrow , he knows my axol

i met u at one of the meetings in rosies a few months ago i think it was u ,
thanks for ur help
p.s( that vet does ops for swinblader in axols ??? )

Good that you've not got a total torrent of water....good homework on the flow rate.

I've been at Rosies every meeting since I joined the ITFS back in january....I'd be the person with an english accent and looking somewhat like a worn out aged hippy (I'm also chairperson of the herpetological society of ireland....so would have maybe chatted about that a bit).

I think I remember to chatting to about 3 ladies a while back....one of them I know the name of.

Calcium is important for all animals....in some they never seem to show outwards signs of deficiency. If a species if aquatic with a small skeletal frame then the water will help keep them buoyant and they don't have to rely upon their limbs for support, so they often don't show the usual signs of a bone disorder.

I had a look at the picture...not the easiest to see what is going on though. The bloating didn't seem very pronounced in that picture (but that could be the angle).

I'm curious about the swimbladder operation..... I must get out my old notes, as I have never heard of a swim-bladder in an axolotl, and more to the point, therefore, I've never heard of there being any disorder of a swim-bladder. Ummmmmm !!

Did you manage to have any luck with securing ZolCal?

...and Kev is always very good in doing some hunting to help people out.

ian

hi sorry so long to ger back to u sinice last on brought axol done to ben she was woorrryed about her so he gave me john bainbridge the vets nu , he took her i there an then she had an x ray it was not swim bladder as u know . so he kept her for a nihgt or two and she had dropeye and her bone structe was i a bad way , so i took her home gave her her meds and she was back with him 4 days later we put her down last weds night as she was still bloating out and it was not fair on her ...

thank you for all ur help ,

trish

p.s if u know anyone who will buy a 4 ft 90 lt tank and bog wood let me know cheers trish i willl be at next meeting i hope

funkychic wrote:

hi sorry so long to ger back to u sinice last on brought axol done to ben she was woorrryed about her so he gave me john bainbridge the vets nu , he took her i there an then she had an x ray it was not swim bladder as u know . so he kept her for a nihgt or two and she had dropeye and her bone structe was i a bad way , so i took her home gave her her meds and she was back with him 4 days later we put her down last weds night as she was still bloating out and it was not fair on her ...

thank you for all ur help ,

trish

p.s if u know anyone who will buy a 4 ft 90 lt tank and bog wood let me know cheers trish i willl be at next meeting i hope

crikey the poor buggers not even cold yet, and you're selling her home.

ha ha why u buying ???
she wrote it in her will ha aha

Soz to hear the bad news.

ian