YOUR AXOLOTL IS SICK WHAT DO YOU DO!?

So your axolotl isnt looking too hot and you PANIC! well do not panic.

Here are a lists of problems and how to fix them.

If your axolotl's
     - cloaca is swollen (easier to tell that if its a girl)
     - his back legs wont stay on the ground
     - has trouble staying down on the bottom
     - looks fatter than normal
     - is standing kind of crooked

Congratulations, your axolotl is constipated.

TREATMENT:
    1. Get a container big enough for your axolotl to move around in.
    2. Fill with about 3-4 inches of water (yes it is very shallow, if its not enough make it so it covers your axolotl completely)
    3. put something under one corner so the container is slanted so one end is shallower than the other (This way if your lotl is floating really badly, he can touch the ground if he wants)
    4. Stick them in the fridge with a towel over them for 3 days. and DO NOT FEED THEM
    5. Do a 75% water change with distilled water NOT TAP.
    6. once your lotl is no longer floating and happily on the ground, let him warm up and then feed him (they will be hungry but dont feed them too much)

Very soon your axolotl will look like its bowls exploded all over the container or hell throw up if really backed up. i usually suck it up with a syringe or create a siphon with a little tube to clean out the poop and do a water change.

Why you do this: The cold temperature slows your axolotls metabolism to a near stop. thats why you dont feed them when they are really really cold because it can damage their system. Plus, the cold sort of numbs them, so going #2 isnt so painful. Remember, axolotls are ok until freezing, that really messes them up.

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BUT MY AXOLOTL ISNT HAVING POTTY TROUBLE

Well the next most common thing axolotls get is a fungal infection

If your axolotl:
     - Looks skinny
     - has a filmy cloudy slime covering their body
     - the top part of the tail that runs their back is missing
     - wont eat
     - looks uncomfortable

OR

     - has white salty spots (ick)

BEFORE YOU START: axolotls are not fish, so they do not have scales and cant handle harsh chemicals most fish can.

Here is what you do:

     1. Get a container that your axolotl can move around in
     2. Give him a bath in some salty water for about 10 minutes once or twice a day (2-3 teaspoons per litre/two pints) In a separate container!

Just as a warning it will make you SOOOO sad they flip out so make sure they cant fall out and they gasp and they gulp air and their gills skrink because its not fun for them. but they'll be ok.

     3. put them back in clean water and put that container in the fridge.
     4. do this for 3 days, because they are cold do not feed them.
     5. if whatever they have doesnt go away, do it again after waiting 3 days.

Why you do this: The salt water kills the bacteria or fungus that is bothering your axolotl. the cold of the fridge will slow the fungus, but not ick, ick is much harder to treat. so if they have ick, just keep them isolated without being chilled.

Its also important that the salt water is chilled too because its already shocking to their system, they dont need a temperature shock as well.

Ick is more dangerous long term and it usually comes from bad water conditions, so keeps testing strips handy.

Fungus comes from the water being too hot, and that kills fast. Thats why they go in the fridge because it slows it down it clogs their pores (which they also breathe out of) and its very sad. i went camping for a week and the person watching chimi and chonga let the water get too warm and chonga was dead in a few days RIP

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YOUR AXOLOTL LOOKS LIKE ITS SKIN IS SHEDDING

This is most likely caused but the nitrates being too high. Get a sponge filter with some nitrite absorbing salts and chill your axolotls.

    2. do 25%-35% water changes weekly with water that has been exposed 24-48 hours VERY IMPORTANT.

If that doesnt help, its probably because there isnt enough water per- lotl (min 5 gallons per lotl)



These are only the most common problems that i personally, and have helped others deal with. if your not sure dont hesitate to email me: awhole.lotl.love@gmail.com  with your problem


TIPS TO KEEP YOUR WATER AWESOME

age your water, this lets everything get out of the water that we add so we can drink it.

or you can buy distilled water and add a small amount of Holtrefeter's Solution www.axolotl.org/requirements.h… at the bottom of the page.

Dont add chemicals to your water.

Suck out any poo when they first go, this helps keep that crap from floating around

You can put live plants in, but axolotls sometimes eat them and they occasionally make the water turn green. not fun.

I know my tap water formula (i called my local water place and asked for a full test of it) because i know that is safe in low amounts, i add 2 gallons a week of untreated water to the 30 gallons my lotls are in.

There is just enough chlorine and fluoride in it to help keep harmful bacteria low without bothering or harming my axolotls.

ONLY DO THIS THOUGH IF YOUR VERY CONFIDENT ABOUT IT! if your not sure, call your water place, and you can ask me if this is a good idea or not.

If you have any questions dont hesitate to email me: awhole.lotl.love@gmail.com

Keep your lotls healthy!