Normal activity or illness. Young axolotl will typically feed daily while adult axolotls may only eat a few times a week. Some axolotls are picky eaters, try bloodworms or bloodworm pellets. However, if your axolotl is not eating for many days, it could be sick, test water parameters and tub if needed, continue to offer food, and contact your vet if you suspect impaction.

Normal activity; or illness. Young axolotls will produce waste daily or every few days depending on how big their bellies are and much they eat. Juvenile and adult axolotls will produce less frequently, about once a week. Axolotls can be rather private creatures, so make sure you regularly check the whole aquarium for waste: in corners, under hides, in plants. However, if your axolotl hasn’t produced waste for over a week, it could be constipation or impaction. Try to reduce the temperature of the aquarium or place the axolotl in colder water to trigger waste activity. If that doesn’t work, try to feed them raw salmon, the natural oils may help them pass waste in a day or two. If your axolotl doesn’t produce waste in a few days after that, and you suspect impaction, you can contact a vet to get it examined.

stress. Could be due to high water flow. Try reducing the flow of filter, airstone, or fan. If that doesn’t work, test the water.

normal activity. When an axolotl begins to mature, toe tips will turn dark on light axolotls and light on dark axolotls.

Stress. Could be due to high water flow. Try reducing the flow of filter, airstone, or fan. If that doesn’t work, test the water.

normal activity or stress. An axolotl will flick their gills to get fresh oxygen, much like we naturally blink, however, if they are doing this excessively. Try to turn up the flow of your airstone. If that doesn’t work, test the water.

normal activity. Axolotl gills will grow longer at the tip and also produce new filaments, sometimes the tips look white or the filaments look bright red. However, if the growth is white and fluffy, it is fungus, see below.

normal activity. Adult axolotls can be fed full-sized worms and on rare occasions, the worm will get sucked in their mouth out through their gills. This is normal, give the axolotl about 15 minutes to resolve the issue itself, do not attempt to remove the worm as you could damage their gills.

illness. Most likely ammonia burn or other water levels are off. Test water and tub your axolotl with Indian almond leaf.

Axolotls come in a variety of colors, including wild type (dark with speckles), leucistic (pale pink with red gills), golden albino, melanoid (solid black), and more.

illness or morphing. Most likely ammonia burn. Test water and tub your axolotl with Indian almond leaf. In very rare cases an axolotl will morph into a tiger salamander.

illness. Most likely fungal infection. Test water and tub your axolotl with Indian almond leaf. The top cause of fungal infection is high water temperature so try lowering your aquarium temperature with a fan, frozen water bottles, or a chiller.

injury: a cut, scrape, or missing limb. Most likely due to running into a sharp object or aggressive tank mates. Tub the axolotl with Indian almond leaf, remove any identified hazards from the aquarium. If the injury is more serious, such as from getting sucked into a filter or getting attacked by a cat, you’ll need to implement tea baths or even fridging.

illness. Most likely peeling slime coat. Test water and tub your axolotl with Indian almond leaf.

normal activity, stress, or illness. If the tails and gills are flushed while the axolotl is feeding, active, or startled, this is normal. If the body remains red and looks irritated, it could be ammonia burn, test and tub your axolotl with Indian almond leaf.

illness. Most likely lack of oxygen. Try turning up your airstone. If your axolotl is also not moving, it could be something more serious, contact a veterinarian. In dark axolotls, a grayish hue could be a sign of parasites.

illness. Most likely parasites or ammonia poisoning. Place your axolotl in a quarantine tub and test your water. If you suspect parasites, use a dropper to feed your axolotl Safe-guard (Fenbendazole) Dewormer Liquid. You can do this every 6 months for axolotls that eat live food.

normal activity or illness. Sometimes your axolotl will eat a lot and look fat, this should go away when they produce waste in a day or two. You can try to place them in colder water to trigger waste production or feed them raw salmon. Other times your male axolotl may be sexually active and have a swollen cloacal when they are about to produce seeds/eggs or your female axolotl will have a full belly when they take male seeds/eggs into their body for pregnancy. However, if your axolotl’s body is bulging abnormally, it could be impaction or organ failure and you should contact a veterinarian.

normal activity or illness. If the axolotl is young, it could be a bubble in their stomach. However, it could also be a lack of oxygen or impaction. Test water and try to turn up the flow of your airstone. If this behavior persists, contact a veterinarian.

normal activity or stress. An axolotl will gulp for air to get fresh oxygen or to help them manage buoyancy while they hunt for food, however, if they are doing this excessively, try to turn up the flow of your airstone

normal activity or illness. Axolotls love to swim around and sometimes gulp for air. However, if they are doing this excessively and seem stressed it could be a lack of oxygen especially if they are gulping for air a lot. Try turning up the flow of your airstone. If your axolotl is spinning or barrel rolling rapidly, you could have added too much Prime water conditioner and their slime coat is burning, immediately tub them in freshwater with the proper dosing of Prime, see Aquariums FAQ section above for more information.

normal activity or illness. When axolotls are not active, swimming or feeding, they tend to hide and relax, because they don’t have eyelids, sometimes if they are not moving they are simply sleeping. If their gills are still flicking every now and then, they should be fine. However, if your axolotl is abnormally inactive and you can't get them to move when you try to touch them or startle them, contact a veterinarian.