How to tell if Axolotl is stressed? The question becomes a top search for axolotl owners, as if they discover these signs of the pet being stressed late, the serious consequences may not be irretrievable.
Here we share with you all the ins and outs of the problems with a simple solution.
Delve into it now!
Contents
- 1 How To Tell If Axolotl Is Stressed?
- 1.1 1. Curling Forward Or Bending Gills
- 1.2 2. Abnormally Curling At The Axolotl Tail Tip
- 1.3 3. Gill Deterioration/External Gills Loss
- 1.4 4. Losing Appetite
- 1.5 5. Floating Abnormally
- 1.6 6. Breathe In The Surface More Often
- 1.7 7. Gills/Body Losing Color
- 1.8 8. Hurried Swimming
- 1.9 9. Unresponsiveness
- 1.10 10. Vomiting/Nausea
- 2 How To Comfort an Anxious/Stressed Axolotl?
- 3 Final Thoughts
How To Tell If Axolotl Is Stressed?
1. Curling Forward Or Bending Gills
The gills of your Axolotl being curled is one of the most common indicators that your pet is stressed. If one day you wake up and see its gills bending outward, it is a good chance that the water parameters have some problems.
2. Abnormally Curling At The Axolotl Tail Tip
Abnormally curling at the Axolotl tail tip is a serious problem as your pet is more likely to suffer a big health issue or extreme stress.
Again, Nitrogen Cycle & water parameters are the main causes for this sign. If your Axolotl experience this, going to the veterinarian is highly recommended.
3. Gill Deterioration/External Gills Loss
The next sign showing that your pet is not happy is the deterioration of the gills. The main reason is high levels of ammonia or nitrite in your tank water.
Besides, the degradation is a typical symptom of insufficient aquarium maintenance or chemical contamination. Nitrogen Cycle’s lacking can also be the root of the matter.
4. Losing Appetite
Losing appetite is the first and foremost pointer that your axolotls are unhappy. The tank’s low-quality water or high temperature might be the source of these signs. The owner should perform a water test to find the reasons for the tension.
In addition, problems in appetite loss can also come from the aquarium mates, an infection, or the consequence of contaminated water.
If your pet denies the food for over a week, you should consult specialists for the right curing method and further treatment.
5. Floating Abnormally
In general, nothing to worry about if the Axolotl floats.. Still, under certain circumstances, floating indicates that the Axolotl is in trouble.
The abnormal floating is the one we call “floating upside down”. Even if they appear like “dead fish,” they are still alive and discontent. The symptom is that air has gotten into the animal’s stomach. As a result, they act abnormally.
An expert inspection and advice will help on this matter.
6. Breathe In The Surface More Often
Axolotls are well-known for their ability to breathe well in either water or air. That is why it is irregular when they come to the surface to breathe to get more oxygen.
In case your pet does it more often, the water temperature might be off. You should double-check it.
7. Gills/Body Losing Color
Color changes when Axolotls age is normal. However, the pigmentation loss when they are at rest or their color becomes darker or lighter based on the environment are some possibilities showing that Axolotls are in the status of losing blood.
They are more likely to get seriously injured. When axolotls die, the color might be totally faded.
8. Hurried Swimming
The high content of nitrate, ammonia, or nitrite can be the reason for Axolotl’s frantic swimming. Concurrently, contaminated tank water or the water source has chemicals can also be the trigger for this stress.
One more time, water quality is super important to the pet. The owner should pay close attention to the water quality check schedule to ensure your pet’s happiness.
On top of that, a quick check on water flow and filter flow can also help. As you may be aware, high filter flow/water flow can make your pet swim frantically.
Your animal will become stressed due to the tank’s swift current because it will always be in motion. These animals love staying low, so constantly moving stresses them out.
9. Unresponsiveness
Once your pet is in tension, they are hardly responsive, including feeding efforts.
10. Vomiting/Nausea
Vomiting/Nausea are Axolotls’ natural responses to overfeeding or high ammonia in tank water.
How To Comfort an Anxious/Stressed Axolotl?
Adjust The Water Temperature
Adjusting the water temperature can solve most of the Axolotl stressing. Axolotls love cool temperatures. Lower than 74°F is the best for them.
The water temperature should always be optimal if you don’t want your pet to be stressed, lose its appetite, or gradually become weak.
Even worse, your pet can die if they live in improper temperatures at a certain time. You may want to apply a fan/water chiller in the tank and regularly check the temperature to ensure it is in the optimal range.
Lighting
In their natural habitat, they live at the canals or lakes bottom. So, the dark is preferable to them. In captivity status, try to recreate the light condition. Keeping lighting indirect and dim will keep stress in Axolotls at bay.
Don’t Handle
In fact, the animals are not gregarious and like to be hidden and alone.
They have super dedicated thin skin. Therefore, handling your pet only when necessary to reduce stress, injuries, infections, or diseases. In the case of tank cleaning, a fine net will help. It will support you to move them sweetly without hurting them.
Provide New Substrate
Anything in their sight can be the target food for Axolotls. Hence, in the feeding frenzy, it is likely that they eat the substrate too. Consequently, digestive impaction happens.
So, to keep your pet happy, buy a substrate bigger than your pet’s head. It will help stop them from swallowing it. Bigger stones or pebbles are also a better choice.
Provide Spacious Space
The waste Axolotls produce daily is enormous compared to other pets in tanks. So, a smaller tank will lead to a dirty tank sooner than you expected.
These animals can develop up to 12 inches. Therefore, ample space is best for their growth and movement.
In addition, too small a tank can stunt their growth. An ideal tank size for Axolotl is 20 gallons. Don’t forget you need a high caliber of water filtration product too.
Offer A Nutritious and Balanced Diet
Denying the food will surely cause Axolotl stress as the stomach is not full. Amphibians like these Axolotls can eat bloodworms, mice, or frozen fish. Therefore, go ahead to diversify their diet to encourage them to eat.
Still, with other protein sources like live fish/shrimp, make sure you buy it from a trusted source, as these types of food can carry parasites/diseases.
Refrigerate
Refrigerating Axolotl can result in a slow metabolism rate. The work has many benefits in curing your pet of digestive problems in digestion or illnesses/infections.
Besides, when they are at a lower temperature, they tend to eliminate the remaining waste or food from the body. It plays an important role in making your pet feel great again.
Offer High-Quality Water
Low-quality water can cause a lot of stress for your pet, as we have mentioned above. Using a water conditioner and test kit to control tank water quality better.
Salt Bathing
Salt baths can cure the fungal infection in Axolotl. 20 mins every day can wash away the tension. That will give them the happiness they want.
Final Thoughts
So, all the necessary information on how to tell if Axolotl is stressed is displayed. We hope that you grasp the core knowledge and be confident about each situation you encounter when caring for an Axolotl.
More concise and interesting sharing of Axolotls and pet fish will be updated soon. Stay tuned and follow us.
